Two most useful Thai phrases to learn

[LivinLOS]

I like how the strip of bars (not sure of the actual reference for them) across from the Patong Merlin Hotel have the little cards on a string with the thai phrases on them, and also the adults only one as well

Something i only really seen in these few bars, them been a bit more casual then Bangla Rd.

It a mate of mine thats prints them up..

Great little thing, that was supposed to be bar advertising, and am stunned it didnt catch on.

Its a basic tourist phrasebook, with plenty of funny joking sexual ones too.. Girls love it and its a superb ice breaker.

[geespot]

Seldom had a real problem with a BKK taxi driver for years now, - 1 in a dozen might offer me a pamphlet or ask if I want girl etc if I am travelling alone - a smile, a shake of the head and a mai son jai (not interested) and they let it go. I like using a taxi in BKK because it is so cheap and hassle free - not like in Oz.

I can't remember the last time a taxi driver in BKK tried to quote a price instead of just turning on the meter and going - but as I said, most of my trips are day time and local when alone or from a non-farang BKK suburb where the in-laws live.


Get a couple more hassles when with the wife than when without - such as the driver might ask the wife if the farang wants to go to Pattaya - I respond (in Thai) that I would love to go but the wife won't let me.

I may not agree with it but I can understand why a taxi driver might try and squeeze some extra baht out of a half-drunk tourist with a BG (via the BG) at midnight outside Nana Plaza. If you can afford her than you can afford an extra 100 on the taxi fare is how they think.

.....so lighten up and leave Dodger's mum out of this ! . Enjoy.

I dont know the volume you are relating to, but this is deffo in the class of complete twaddle and tbh is very unhelpful to BM's. Stop trying to be the big man that you are imune to the problems of taxis in BKK - I for one am in BKK many many time per year and know plenty people living there, I and they get constant hassles with taxis not wanting to put on their meters and quoting stupid prices. I get less hassle with scams simply because I can speak Thai and tell them exactly where I want to go and how to get there, thus if they even attempt to deviate from the right route I'm on them straight away

I would hazard a guess at least 50% of taxis in my experience will not want to put the meter on and give you a stupid price instead - longer journeys totally different kettle of fish and its usually best to negotiate a price. Taxi stands at say BKK airport again the 50 naht premium is to protect you and ensure it is meter only and even then on the odd occasion you get them trying it on

[MMAHead]

Only time in BKK that I got the "broken meter" BS was at the grand palace... never had problems anywhere else but was only there a week

[jrbazil]

Getting back to the original topic :

Don't learn phrases that you're not going to understand the answers.

If you're asking 'tao rai khrup' (how much) you're gonna be screwed if you don't understand the answer: sawng pan ha rawi yee sip ha bhat = 2525 bhat.

Learn phrases that will just make the thai's laugh.

A couple of my favourites:

Aria gan naka na (spoken as: a lie gan nak a na)
What the hell's going on here???? Best said with a sarcastic frown when ariving at a room or bar.


If a lady on the street asks 'where you go' Pai Nai (sounds like 'pie ny')
And providing you're not keen on her.

Answer back:

Phom pai jeip sao / katoey (spoken as: pom pie jip saow / katoy]
I go chat up ladie / ladyboy.... [what ever floats your boat]

The ladyboy one being the funny one.....

Baz

[Greatdane]

Getting back to the original topic :

Don't learn phrases that you're not going to understand the answers.

I think you are absolutely right.

If you're asking 'tao rai khrup' (how much) you're gonna be screwed if you don't understand the answer: sawng pan ha rawi yee sip ha bhat = 2525 bhat.

Yes, when you don't understand, then the next answer would be: I said the price is 8.500 bath

[wylos]

Seldom had a real problem with a BKK taxi driver for years now, - 1 in a dozen might offer me a pamphlet or ask if I want girl etc if I am travelling alone - a smile, a shake of the head and a mai son jai (not interested) and they let it go. I like using a taxi in BKK because it is so cheap and hassle free - not like in Oz.

I can't remember the last time a taxi driver in BKK tried to quote a price instead of just turning on the meter and going - but as I said, most of my trips are day time and local when alone or from a non-farang BKK suburb where the in-laws live.

Get a couple more hassles when with the wife than when without - such as the driver might ask the wife if the farang wants to go to Pattaya - I respond (in Thai) that I would love to go but the wife won't let me.

I may not agree with it but I can understand why a taxi driver might try and squeeze some extra baht out of a half-drunk tourist with a BG (via the BG) at midnight outside Nana Plaza. If you can afford her than you can afford an extra 100 on the taxi fare is how they think.

.....so lighten up and leave Dodger's mum out of this ! . Enjoy.

I agree with your last statement,but hope its not aimed at me as im never drunk and i dont pick up BGs (been with my GF for over 4 years)

I use all sorts of modes of transport in LOS,and other than these little hassles with taxi's,which beleive u me i have been in a few situations,i cant knock it, purely down to the price of the fares..your talking just over 1-2 GBP to reach a good majority of the city...a few quid to and from the airport.
And to be honest it must be a long hard slug for some of them,so i can see why they would try and make a few extra baht.....

but the original point stemd from hobbsy,that taxi or tuk tuk drivers will(maybe not all the time) try and lay it on thick with your partner,whether shes your bar fine for the night or your GF, and try and get more money out of u by using dirty tatctics.

lets move on...

bit of a hijack..so i will add my 2 satangs...again.

handy when your walking past touts for restaurants...

mai heil =no hungry

hymm(ehm) loew= full already

gin loew= eat already

[marc26]

I dont know the volume you are relating to, but this is deffo in the class of complete twaddle and tbh is very unhelpful to BM's. Stop trying to be the big man that you are imune to the problems of taxis in BKK - I for one am in BKK many many time per year and know plenty people living there, I and they get constant hassles with taxis not wanting to put on their meters and quoting stupid prices. I get less hassle with scams simply because I can speak Thai and tell them exactly where I want to go and how to get there, thus if they even attempt to deviate from the right route I'm on them straight away

I would hazard a guess at least 50% of taxis in my experience will not want to put the meter on and give you a stupid price instead - longer journeys totally different kettle of fish and its usually best to negotiate a price. Taxi stands at say BKK airport again the 50 naht premium is to protect you and ensure it is meter only and even then on the odd occasion you get them trying it on

G, i almost never have a problem with taxi meters in BKK
and 50% of the time i am not with Ao
this trip i took about 30 taxis and not one hasnt turned on the meter right when i got in
i also dont stay near Nana but I am 20 metres from soi cowboy this stay and zero problem at all

[wylos]

G, i almost never have a problem with taxi meters in BKK
and 50% of the time i am not with Ao
this trip i took about 30 taxis and not one hasnt turned on the meter right when i got in
i also dont stay near Nana but I am 20 metres from soi cowboy this stay and zero problem at all

well it must be the places me and G frequent....or they just dont look the like of us 555

G is in and out of Bkk more than anyone i know other than an expat,myself,4 times a year with multiple stays in BKK for a few days in a month period....
granted we do stay on soi 4 and TBH they (taxi;s) do float up and down soi4 waiting to pounce,but i wouldnt say its limited to this area....and no way would i say its as simple as flagging down a taxi and off u pop to your chosen destination, meter on and all smiles with a yes sir, no sir attitude(it can be at times,but deffo not majority for me)...which is the picture some are painting.
Guess what im trying to say its not always plane sailing when it comes to taxi meters in BKK.

Maybe these comments should be put in the tuk tuk thread or a taxi thread...maybe open the taxi to patts one again,it was a corker...eh ceiro52??

[Alfie]

G, i almost never have a problem with taxi meters in BKK
and 50% of the time i am not with Ao
this trip i took about 30 taxis and not one hasnt turned on the meter right when i got in
i also dont stay near Nana but I am 20 metres from soi cowboy this stay and zero problem at all

It doesn't depend on the taxi driver... It depends more on where you get the taxi from and at what time.

Take a taxi from the wrong place, at the wrong time and they will NOT turn the meter on.

Pratu Nam after 4pm and Surawong after 8pm spring to mind...

I once slammed a taxi drivers door so hard (after the 20th request to turn the meter on) that he got he baseball out... 555+

[wylos]

It doesn't depend on the taxi driver... It depends more on where you get the taxi from and at what time.

Take a taxi from the wrong place, at the wrong time and they will NOT turn the meter on.

Pratu Nam after 4pm and Surawong after 8pm spring to mind...

I once slammed a taxi drivers door so hard (after the 20th request to turn the meter on) that he got he baseball out... 555+

I have had similar heated moments

sala daeng and patpong spring to mind also

[LivinLOS]

I find the chances of them refusing to use the meter is way higher in the suk 12 - 0 range.. There I would class it as very often.. Outside of that zone its much rarer.

To be fair you can get a taxi in that zone, sit in jammed traffic, and get out a long time later with a tiny bill.. So not surprising that in that bit, they dislike it.

[wylos]

I find the chances of them refusing to use the meter is way higher in the suk 12 - 0 range.. There I would class it as very often.. Outside of that zone its much rarer.

To be fair you can get a taxi in that zone, sit in jammed traffic, and get out a long time later with a tiny bill.. So not surprising that in that bit, they dislike it.

yep this is half the trouble,some wont go purely down to time and traffic....hence why they wanna hike up the fare.

[geespot]

It doesn't depend on the taxi driver... It depends more on where you get the taxi from and at what time.

Take a taxi from the wrong place, at the wrong time and they will NOT turn the meter on.

Pratu Nam after 4pm and Surawong after 8pm spring to mind...

I once slammed a taxi drivers door so hard (after the 20th request to turn the meter on) that he got he baseball out... 555+

If anyone is going to know it's Alfred, I've also got another friend in BKK who has endless problems with getting taxis to put their meters on, he lives in Suk 60's

I'm obviously doing something wrong it's just not my experience we have Wylos's and some expats in BKK, give us a lesson please on how to get taxis to automatically to put their meters on

[marc26]

I'm obviously doing something wrong it's just not my experience we have Wylos's and some expats in BKK, give us a lesson please on how to get taxis to automatically to put their meters on

i don't know what the lesson is but i have zero problems and part of the reason i like BKK so much

[marc26]

It doesn't depend on the taxi driver... It depends more on where you get the taxi from and at what time.

Take a taxi from the wrong place, at the wrong time and they will NOT turn the meter on.

Pratu Nam after 4pm and Surawong after 8pm spring to mind...

I once slammed a taxi drivers door so hard (after the 20th request to turn the meter on) that he got he baseball out... 555+

that is my nap time 4-8pm when i am here 555
maybe that's my saving grace!!

seriously i don't have problems, ever and you know i don't mind a whine about thailand!!

[the bigboy]

first of all happy new year to everybody, my favorites are
khun chu arai? whats your name?
khun narak u are lovely
khun suay mak mak jing jing khap u are very beautiful realy
kit tung mak mak jing jing khap miss u very much realy

[Mr Paddy]

first of all happy new year to everybody, my favorites are
khun chu arai? whats your name?
khun narak u are lovely
khun suay mak mak jing jing khap u are very beautiful realy
kit tung mak mak jing jing khap miss u very much realy

Ive just started pickin up a few Issan phrases aswell, seens the majority of the girls hail from there, they are usualy impressed when ya know a little...

Instead of
kit tung khun mak mak.....kwoi kit hot jao lie lie (i miss u very much)
pom rak khun mak mak....kwoi hok jao lie lie (i love u very much)
mai pen rai krap....mor ben yang dur (never mind/no worries)

[Mr Paddy]

I find that learning a few easy but very handy phrases like this is the best way for me personaly, so keep them comin boys

cheers

[dan boy]

I find that learning a few easy but very handy phrases like this is the best way for me personaly, so keep them comin boys

cheers

You are always to p1ssed to use any useful phrases when in Los..........5555

[The Real Sledge]

I worked in BKK and lived on Soi 6.

On the meter most fares in central BKK are less than 100 bhat.

During the day in my work clothes (shirt/tie) I never had a taxi not put the meter on. Especially when you speak the basics.

At night time when you are in normal clothes especially if you are in a group of ferrangs they always tried to quote a price of 300 bhat+. But when you just say 'mai ow cap, mai tourist' and point to the meter and say 'meter' they know you are not to be fooled.

[Mr Paddy]

You are always to p1ssed to use any useful phrases when in Los..........5555

5555 your not too far off the mark there pal, but new year, new start. I actualy aim to go further than soi 7 in Patts this year aswell

[Pinot]

Getting back to the original topic :

Don't learn phrases that you're not going to understand the answers.

If you're asking 'tao rai khrup' (how much) you're gonna be screwed if you don't understand the answer: sawng pan ha rawi yee sip ha bhat = 2525 bhat.

Learn phrases that will just make the thai's laugh.

A couple of my favourites:

Aria gan naka na (spoken as: a lie gan nak a na)
What the hell's going on here???? Best said with a sarcastic frown when ariving at a room or bar.


If a lady on the street asks 'where you go' Pai Nai (sounds like 'pie ny')
And providing you're not keen on her.

Answer back:

Phom pai jeip sao / katoey (spoken as: pom pie jip saow / katoy]
I go chat up ladie / ladyboy.... [what ever floats your boat]

The ladyboy one being the funny one.....

Baz

This morning my girlfriend called me up and said I go with customer. I was pretty surprised but said well, have a good time. She then said I see you at 2 PM? After you go with customer, I said? She then said, Nooo, I go with sister. And then you go with customer? No, not customer, sister. I forget.

I happen to have the the "What the hell.... " expression written down in front of me. I was going to say it and surprise her. I say it to her now and add you go with customer? you go with sister? where you go?

I go with sister to Big C, I forget! We're both laughing now. Fun.

[Mai Chob]

be very careful when getting your thai girl to negotiate prices etc with tuk-tuks. the tuk-tuk drivers will basically speak shit to and about your girl - telling her she is a slut and should help him rip off farang. Or tell her he will stab or shoot you if you do not pay the asked fee.

She will not let any of this on as she knows what your reaction will be.

Just one more reason why i hate them so.

Fark, my tg would tear their face off if someone said that to her and we'd be reading in the Gazette,
"TUK TUK ASSAULTS!!
" Another tuk tuk driver had his ear bitten off by a deranged south Thai lady last night...
Perhaps if the falang threw in a "tow rai" or "peng" ( expensive) to the gf , as if checking the price, the driver would back off?

Learn to count is a priority...as someone said , "tow rai kup" is of no use if you cant understand the reply. ( Learning pointer: Count your steps when you walk, count everything you can in thai...)
'Ow' ( to take ) , 'Me' ( to have ) and 'Pai' ( to go) are musts to me.
Using these Ive had no problems with Bkk taxis , but qualify that Im not there often.
The usual to the taxi man is thus, " Pai .........( insert location). Ow meter kup." Try to say the location and " mee tah " as the local would pronounce it if you are a newbie. "Ow freeway" will help seal the deal from the airport, have change ( say 100 tb , two tolls total 65tb I think), fold your arms as if your discussions are done, and look out the window.
Well thats what I used to do , anyway.

" tong karn " ( I need ) is very useful.
" Tong karn took (cheap) kwa ('er)" ( I need cheaper) is the way I learnt it and seems to work. Particularly if you laugh and say " Peng "( expensive!) first.
Bump into someone, or do something a little wrong and you should know, " Khor toat" ( excuse me) and " Sia tchai !" ( sorry!) if its worse.

[Mai Chob]

Ive just started pickin up a few Issan phrases aswell, seens the majority of the girls hail from there, they are usualy impressed when ya know a little...

Instead of
kit tung khun mak mak.....kwoi kit hot jao lie lie (i miss u very much)
pom rak khun mak mak....kwoi hok jao lie lie (i love u very much)
mai pen rai krap....mor ben yang dur (never mind/no worries)

Not wanting to be picky Mr Paddy but in the last one I was told that the 'mor' is actually said as "baw" and is the Issan word for "mai" and very heavily used.
I understand that transliteration is an imperfect art but...

[jrbazil]

Some useful words there. Would you mind if i made a correction?

Khor toat" ( excuse me) and " Sia tchai !" ( sorry!) if its worse.

Say this as: kaw todd

and Sia Jai.... this can be used for fun too.... say for example the person you are playing pool with pots the black early in the game.... you would say in a sarcastic way... Sia Jai (pronounced see ya jai) in an abrupt tone..

All good fun

[jrbazil]

This morning my girlfriend called me up and said I go with customer. I was pretty surprised but said well, have a good time. She then said I see you at 2 PM? After you go with customer, I said? She then said, Nooo, I go with sister. And then you go with customer? No, not customer, sister. I forget.

I happen to have the the "What the hell.... " expression written down in front of me. I was going to say it and surprise her. I say it to her now and add you go with customer? you go with sister? where you go?

I go with sister to Big C, I forget! We're both laughing now. Fun.

hehehehe i just love that one.... Arai gan nakan naaaa!

[Mr Paddy]

Not wanting to be picky Mr Paddy but in the last one I was told that the 'mor' is actually said as "baw" and is the Issan word for "mai" and very heavily used.
I understand that transliteration is an imperfect art but...

I'm sure you're right mate, but that is what my missus uses.

She's half khymer half thai from buriram....maybe that has somethin to do with the difference but I dunno

[luv u long time]

I think Nom Yai & Nom Lek come in handy!!!!5555


Girls keep saying Ham Yai to me but i dont know what it means can someone help???

[jrbazil]

I think Nom Yai & Nom Lek come in handy!!!!5555


Girls keep saying Ham Yai to me but i dont know what it means can someone help???

Hahahahahaha. Do you wear speedo's?

[Same Same]

I think Nom Yai & Nom Lek come in handy!!!!5555


Girls keep saying Ham Yai to me but i dont know what it means can someone help???

I don't know, but it may be related to the Ham Men that my girlfriend's always telling me about. She got me some lovely carbolic soap for Christmas.