EASY THAI FOR TRADING - PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

This is the first of a planned total of three posts which shall enable you to understand and speak Thai on the market. In this first part, I would like to introduce you to the important words and phrases which lead to the purchase on a Thai market or smaller shops. Part Two will cover bargaining, haggling and fixing the price. Part Three will conclude this small series by providing practical example conversations. 

I will use a method to use similar pronounced English words to make an understanding and pronunciation of the very different language of Thai possible. Therefor, I will write first the English meaning, followed by the translation into Thai script and conclude with a similar English pronunciation guide at the back. In this pronunciation chart I will use English words or parts of them which sound similar. Thai is in my opinion a language which can be only transferred with enormous difficulties into any European language. Maybe you have heard of the obstacle of five different pitches in the correct pronunciation of Thai. Being honest, those are overrated. At least for the beginner of Thai or the ordinary holiday maker. 

We will not teach you in these post to speak perfectly Thai. This would be a too high expectation. We will slowly guide you to an understanding and ability of speaking of very basic Thai. Therefor, the pitches do not have a lot of importance. We will use English words which sound similar but we may even use differently pitched words in Thai but only with one meaning in English such as the use of MY. So, do not be surprised o see that we will use MY for Wood (ไม้) as well as an indicator for questions (ไม่). Accurately spoken are both words of course different but that shall not matter here. Anyhow both words will sound similar for the newcomer to the language. Now, there is a reason for my arrogance. Most Thais are super tolerant for your pronunciation and can grab the meaning from the content pretty quickly. I do not say all Thais! I refer here to the tolerant Thais that want to make business with foreigners, such as traders, sales people and shop owners who have usually a certain degree of education. Some Thais, but believe me those are not the people you usually want to speak to, will block every attempt of a foreigner to communicate in the local language. Do not let yourself being discouraged by those people. So, as explained, your pronunciation will not be too important at the beginning of your adventure into this new language. Even after 20 years being in the country, I believe that I do not have such a perfect pronunciation on my own. However, I have such a large vocabulary that I can talk about every topic and I am seldom corrected by my Thai friends. Additionally, even I have to face arrogant or too nationalistic Thais that refuse to talk with me in the language. 

A further remark about this language guide. Thais, such as English people, love to keep everything short and simple. So, the sentences as I will provide you in this guide are the correct long version but you might talk with Thais that give you very short answers. This does not happen because they are impolite but it is such as in England.

  In the first row of each phrase, you  will see in the English pronunciation each word or part of word with a complementation by the English auxiliary word (in brackets, often always the complementation letters). Sometimes, I will use complete English words such as my, LAN etc.  In the progress you will probably come up with own ideas how to remember these words better. Please, be adviced that Thais often pronounce the 'r' like an 'l'. In the second row tou will see only the pronunciation without added letters, so without the English auxiliary word. I have added for some complicated word (marked with *) beyond the table some additional explanations. 

A final remark before we start with the guide. Unlike most European languages, English writing as you will be aware of is not similar to spoken English. As you will know, as an example there are various ways to speak the 'ea'. Therefor writing this guide was a real challenge.

LET'S GET STARTED

Like in all cultures, the greeting is the introduction to every communication. There is tho a small gender specific difference. 

The man will greet such as:

Good morning/ afternoon/ Hello	สวัสดีครับ	su(m)wa(tusi)dea(n) crup(can be spoken as cup with or without r, most Thais will anyhow swallow the r)
		su-wa-dea crup

So, here as in the following content only the bold letters have to be spoken. As you saw the complimentary letters or explanations were given in brackets.

for the woman:

Good morning / afternoon/ Hello	สวัสดีค่ะ	su(m)wa(tusi)dea(n)cu(p)
		su-wa-dea cu

 

We want to be polite, therefor we ask next for the well-being of the other person

How are you? Is all okay?	สบายดีไหม	su(m)bye (as in good bye)dea(n) my
		su-bye-dea my
I am fine. Thank you	สบายดีค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะ	su(m)bye dea(n) cop coon* (but with very short u sound) cu(p)
		su-bye-de cop coon cu
I am okay. I am cool	สบายสบาย	su(m)bye su(m)bye

*coon - Unfortunately this immensely important and so common word for you is a hard challenge for many English language speaking foreigners. In the coon you have a rather stretched 'u' sound, in the word for you in Thai however this sound has to be spoken very short. We will anyhow use coon in the further text to express it. 

Let me as well mention, that the crup (for the man) and the cu (for the woman) is always useful to complete a sentence in Thai as a formula to express politeness. You can never use it too often, particularly not while dealing with monks or government officials. It opens doors! 

The su-bye su-bye has become a philosophy. Therefor, if you hear it just be cool as well. Thais are generally completely relaxed, so that some evil minded foreigners accuse them of being only lazy. Well, yeah, maybe they are for our foreign conception but actually they only enjoy life and can't be bothered. One of the reasons by the way why I am still living in the country.

In the usual case the sales person, trader or shop owner will tell you that he is just fine. Who wants to admit being in a bad mood or depressed? Well, not in Thailand!

Following, you might want to take a closer look at the articles and wish to enter the shop. Before, in any case, you should ask for permission. Most shop keepers will definitely allow you to do so. 

May I enter the shop?	เข้าร้านได้ไม่	cow lan(ce) die my
		cow lan die my
Yes, please come in	เข้าได้	cow die
or	เข้ามา	cow ma(rk)

Oh yes, believe me, I was already thinking a lot of times in Thailand to make up some hilarious sketches about mixing Thai and English language.

ASKING FOR MORE INFORMATION

It is always good to show appreciation for the displayed articles of a shop. Maybe you would like to indicate increased interest by asking specific questions about the origins or the material of the items. Of course, from now on the conversation gets more sophisticated, complex and difficult. We apologise that we have used a couple of sentences that you would use if you come to Nongluck Thai Wood as well. Of course, we are interested in your visit!

Is that homemade?	โฮมเมด	homemade (ya it can be easy!)
Yes	ใช่	shi(ne)
	ไม่(ใช่)	shi (or shy)
No	ไม่(ใช่)	my shi(ne)
	ไม่(ใช่)	my shi (or shy)
Where does it come from?	มาจากไหน	ma(rk)juk (as in junk without n) ni(ne)
	มาจากไหน	ma-juk ni
It comes from the North	มันมาจากทางเหนือ	mon(ey)ma(rk)juk(junk without n) tarng* (tar + mg) nue**-u(nder)
	มันมาจากทางเหนือ	mon ma juk tarng nue-a
It comes from the Northeast	มันมาจากอีสาน	mon(ey)ma(rk)juk(junk without n) i(ndia)sarn(barn with s)
	มันมาจากอีสาน	mon ma-juk i-sarn
It comes from the South	มันมาจากอีสาน	mon(ey)ma(rk)juk(junk without n) tarng (tar + ng) die
	มันมาจากอีสาน	mon ma-juk tarng die
It comes from the near of Bangkok	มันมาจากใกล้กรุงเทพฯ	mon(ey)ma(rk)juk(junk without n) gli(de) crewng(crew +ng) taep(like in taekwondo taek with p)
	มันมาจากใกล้กรุงเทพฯ	mon ma juk crewng-taep***
What material is this?	วัสดุอะไร	wut(like but with w)doo(m)  u (short -u like in but)lie
	วัสดุอะไร	wut doo u-lie
or (what is that?)	มันคืออะไร	mon(ey)kue(4)u(short -u like in but) lie
	มันคืออะไร	mon kue u-lie
This is wood	นี้เป็นไม้	knee pen my
	นี้เป็นไม้	knee pen my
or	นี้คือไม้	knee kue(4)my
	นี้คือไม้	knee kue my
What kind of wood is it?	ชนิดไมอะไร	sha(rk)knit my u(short -u like in but) lie
	ชนิดไมอะไร	sha-knit my u-lie
This is palm wood	นี้เป็นไม้ตาล	knee pen my darn
	นี้เป็นไม้ตาล	knee pen my darn
This is rubber wood	นี้เป็นไม้ยางพารา	knee pen my yarng(like in yard  but with ng) pu(n)lu(ck)
	นี้เป็นไม้ยางพารา	knee pen my yarng pu-lu
This is moringa wood	นี้เป็นไม้มะรุม	knee pen my ma(rk) rum
	นี้เป็นไม้มะรุม	knee pen my ma rum (lum)
This is wood from the Albizia saman	นี้เป็นไม้ก้ามปู	knee pen my come poo
	นี้เป็นไม้ก้ามปู	knee pen my come poo
This is wood from the Malacca tree	นี้เป็นไม้มะขา	knee pen my ma(rk) co(me)
	นี้เป็นไม้มะขาม	knee pen my ma-co
Is that coconut wood?	ไม้มะพร้าวหรือเปล่า	my ma(rk) plough lö(5) plough(6)
	ไม้มะพร้าวหรือเปล่า	my ma-plough lö plough
No, it is palm wood	ไม่มันเป็นไม้ตาล	my mon(ey)pen my darn
	ไม่มันเป็นไม้ตาล	my mon pen my darn
Coconut wood is not so good	ไม้มะพร้าวไม่ดีเท่าไหร่	my ma(rk) plough my dea(n)tou(ts) lie
		my ma-plough my dea tou-lie
Have you got a factory?	คุณมีโรงงานไม่	coon(only with short o sound )(7)me long ngarn(like yarn but with ng)  my
	คุณมีโรงงานไม่	koon me long ngarn my
No, only a small manufacture	ไม่เพียงเป็นผู้ผลิต ขนาดเล็ก	my pee oung(young without y) pen poo plit(split wihout s)  cun(sun with c) nart (like in part with n) leg
		my! pee-oung pen poo plit cun-nart leg
OTHER ARTICLES
This is silk	นี้เป็นผ้าไหม	knee pen pa(rt) my
	นี้เป็นผ้าไหม	knee pen pa-my
Is that silk?	เป็นผ้าไหมหรือเปล่า	pen pa(rt)my lö(5)plough(6)
	เป็นผ้าไหมหรือเปล่า	pen pa-my lö plough
No, that is cotton	ไม่นี้เป็นผ้าฝ้าย	my knee pen pa(rt) fi(ne)
	ไม่นี้เป็นผ้าฝ้าย	my knee pen pa-fi
This is handicraft	นี้เป็นงานฝีมือ	knee pen ngarn (yarn with ng) fee mö
	นี้เป็นงานฝีมือ	knee pen ngarn fee-mö
This is mulberry paper	นี้เป็นกระดาษสา	knee pen gra(ss) dart sar(s)
	นี้เป็นกระดาษสา	nie pen gra-dart sar
Who makes this design?	ใครเป็นคนออกแบบ	cry pen con(tra) ork(as in cork) bab(as in lab with b)
	ใครเป็นคนออกแบบ	cry pen con ork bab
We make the design	เราออกแบบเอง	lau(as in tau with l, or in nau with l) ork(as in cork) bab( as in lab with b) ang (as in bang)
	เราออกแบบเอง	lau ork bab ang

  

North or northern must be one of the most difficult lingual challenges for a British or American learner of Thai. The speaker faces a extremely difficult task to master:

*tarng- The first part of the word can be spoken with a 't' followed by a longer 'a' sound such as in tar. that is the easy part. For any speaker of any European language must be the Thai 'ng' (ง) sound a big obstacle. Imagine, a combination of tar and young. Now you combine these words to taryoung but you cut the 'you' part. Now, the tongue is rolled ub against the palate and pressed against it to make it sound. Just don't give up, you will find a way to speak it. 

*ngahn- super schwierig, das 'ng' im Thai.  Wir empfehlen zunächst es wie nah(Gegenteil von fern)-n auzusprechen - nahn. Vielleicht die Zunge oben an den Gaumen pressen um es besser klingen zu lassen.

**The second part is even more challenging for the English speaker. In other European languages such as German and Swedish there are similar sounds to form the word North (เหนือ). So is in German the ö (o Umlaut) helpful. Maybe you have learned German and remember. If not, think of the word queue, replace the 'q' with an 'n' and add an 'a' sound such as in under.

Further references I will use the ö so that you understand that it is again this nasty pronunciation.

*** Crewngtaep- seriously! Now, if you should start wondering why you never see this kind of weird writing on street signs in the city. It is not written in English but in German. sorry to disappoint you but Germany had actually an extremely close connection to Thailand for more than 200 years. The street signs are therefor in somplified German lingusitics and have really nothing distantly with English writing in common. That explains also that some towns such as Pathumtanee are written in many different ways on the signs. Well yeah, This is Thailand!

General remark - you have on the other side seen that a lot of Thai words can be pronounced like English words, just with another meaning. In these cases you have seen that there was no difference in the two consecutive rows in column 3. This can make it easier for you to learn the language.

vielleicht so zu merken: Sprung, nur mit K am Anfang anstelle Sp, tä(feln - Wände mit Holz vekleiden)- p. Also, wir kommen dann zum K-rung-tä-p, Krungtäp. Meistens werden Sie es als Krungthep in anderen Wörterbüchern geschrieben sehen.

(4) The same applies to the identifier (คือ) kue. Now, this word you can avoid by using pen(cil) in speaking as it nearly implies the same purpose

(5) As well as for the Thai word for or (หรือ), difficult to avoid this word. Particularly for Westerners as we often try to give a choice to the other person. 

Remark: 

Thais like to indicate choices in ending sentences with 'or not' (หรือเปล่า). This is also one of the reasons that Thais can often not handle if we give them choices as we base our question on two options. Example: Do you like mango or durian? Do, therefor, not be surprised if the Thai person just answers with 'Yes'. It does not mean that the Thai does not understand you or has no opinion. It is just not in Thai understanding as choices in Thai usually only refer to one subject. So, in Thai understanding there is something missing (Do you like mango or durian or not?)

(6) This is one of these classics that I mentioned above, using the same word for a different meaning, one time for the second syllable of coconut (พร้าว) and the other time for the typical Thai grammatical question indicator (with actual meaning of 'not')(เปล่า)

(7) The word for you in Thai provides another challenge. If you like in our example use the moon, then you must make the sound shorter such as in push. So, we could say use a k then the sound of u in push and then an n. Sounds difficult? Only at the beginning.

Don't give up, with more and more practice you will soon master it!

COMPLIMENTS

Out of our own experience and observations, there should be no business conversation in Thailand without making any compliments. It eases the path between the trading partners and so you can use these compliments anytime during the conversation. Most Thai sales people, shop owners and traders really like that. This makes it easier then to determine the price at the end is beneficial if discounts are expected. Thais, like probably most people in the world, give easier to kind people a discount than to difficult or too serious customers. Don't forget, this is Thailand, the Land of Smile! 

this is beautiful	นี้สวย	knee sue aye
	นี้สวย	knee sue-aye
This is really beautiful	นี้สวยจริงๆ	knee sue aye jing(le) jing(le)
	นี้สวยจริงๆ	knee sue-aye jing-jing
Thank you	ขอบคุณ	cop coon (but with very short o sound, see above)
	ขอบคุณ	cop coon
I like this article	สินค้านี​​้ผม(ฉัน)ชอบ	sin car knee pom(eranian)(shun)* shorb (as in short only with b)
	สินค้านี​​้ผม(ฉัน)ชอบ	sin car knee pom (shun) shorb
This is a beautiful colour	นี้เป็นสีที่สวย	knee pen see tea sue-aye
	นี้เป็นสีที่สวย	knee pen see tea sue-aye
This is a great shop!	คุณมีร้านค้าที่ดี	coon (but short o sound, see above)  me lan(ce) car tea dea(n)
	คุณมีร้านค้าที่ดี	coon me lan car tea dea
I like the size	ขนาดนี​​้ผม(ฉัน)ชอบ	car nart(part with n) knee pom(eranian)(shun)*  shorb (short with b)
	ขนาดนี​​้ผม(ฉัน)ชอบ	car nart knee pom (shun) shorb
This colour is better	สีนี้ดีกว่า	see knee dea(n) qua
	สีนี้ดีกว่า	see knee dea qua
This pattern is more beautiful	รูปแบบนี้สวยกว่า	loop bab(as in lab only with b) knee sue-aye qua
	รูปแบบนี้สวยกว่า	loop bab knee sue-aye qua
I prefer dark colours	ผม(ฉัน)ชอบสีเข้มมากกว่า	pom(eranian) (shun)* shorb (short with b) see kem(as in rem with k)mark qua
	ผม(ฉัน)ชอบสีเข้มมากกว่า	pom (shun) shorb see kem mark qua
I prefer light colours	ผม(ฉัน)ชอบสีอ่อนมากกว่า	pom(eranian) (shun)* shorb (short with b) see orn (corn without c) mark qua
	ผม(ฉัน)ชอบสีอ่อนมากกว่า	pom (shun) shorb see orn mark qua
This looks almost perfect	นั่นดูวิเศษมาก	nun do we set mark
	นั่นดูวิเศษมาก	nun do we-set mark

*Thai language differentiate between the personal pronoun for the first person between male and female. The man will usually use the pom (spoken like in pomeranian). The woman nowadays (!) uses the shun. you might have read in other dictionaries the pharse dea(n) shun for the woman. This is no longer modern. It is such as speaking Victorian English. Sometimes, you can still hear the dea shun but this happens usually only with people that indicate through their use of the language their higher status in society, are older people or village dwellers. You don't have to care about it much and can use simply the shun. Further, do not be surprised if a man uses the shun. In intimate relations the man will hardly ever use the pom, except on the television.  I, as an example, will never use the pom in conversations with my wife. 

If you want to sound really polite, or if you are, then it is best to add to the sentences the polite crup (for men) or cu (for women). I firmly believe that you have understood the method to construct easy sentences from the given vocabulary. You just have to change a few words and you can build now many suitable sentences. In the following chapter, we will have a look at further questions. Before, we will have a look at the different colours. 

red	สีแดง	see dang (like bang with a d)
	สีแดง	see dang
light red	สีแดงอ่อน	see dang (like bang with a d)orn(corn without c)
	สีแดงอ่อน	see dang orn
dark red	สีแดงเข้ม	see dang (like bang with a d) kem(like rem with k)
	สีแดงเข้ม	see dang kem
blue	สีน้ำเงิน	see ngarm(like arm + ng) ngön*
	สีน้ำเงิน	see ngarm ngön
light blue	สีน้ำเงินอ่อน	see ngarm (as in arm + ng) ngön* orn (corn without c)
	สีน้ำเงินอ่อน	see ngarm ngön orn
yellow	สีเหลือง	see lü**-oung(as in young)
	สีเหลือง	see lü-oung
orange	สีส้ม	see som (as in Tom with s)
	สีส้ม	see som
green	สีเขียว	see ki(t)ou(ch)
	สีเขียว	see ki-ou
violet	สีม่วง	see moo(as the sound of the cow) oung(as in young)
	สีม่วง	see moo-oung
silver (colour)	สีเงิน	see ngön*
	สีเงิน	see ngön
gold (colour)	สีทอง	see torng(torn + g)
	สีทอง	see torng
white	สีขาว	see car-o (short!)
	สีขาว	see car-o
black	สีดำ	see dumb
	สีดำ	see dumb
turquoise	สีเขียวขุ่น	see ki(t)ou(ch)coon(with short o sound)
	สีเขียวขุ่น	see ki-ou coon
brown	สีน้ำตาล	see numb tarn(ish)
	สีน้ำตาล	see numb tarn
bunt	มีสีสัน	me see sun
	มีสีสัน	me see sun

  *ngön - here we have another extremely tough word. We are not only looking at an ng sound but additionally the ö. How to master? Put the tongue at the palate to form the ng. From there press the air to produce a sound similar to the horn of your car, so form an oval with your lips and press the air forward, the ö sound. Then add an -n sound. Sounds like pilates with your mouth? It is! This one has really take me time. You might want to avoid it at all and just say far. This doesn't mean directly blue but only a kind of blue but is defenitily easier to speak. So you would ask for See far instead of See ngarm ngön.

**lü - another sound to master! Slowly, I do understand why English people face extremely more problems in learning Thai compared with Germans or Scandinavians. Seriously, before I started writing this post I was aware of it but I was not in depth aware of the hardship of English speakers. So how to do it? Learned German in school? Yes? Fine, it is simply the u -Umlaut. Did not? Well yeah, sharpen your lips as if you would like to whistle. Then press the air from your cheeks out. Sounds like a wounded baby seal? Perfect! That's the sound we are looking for! Really, a few sounds are difficult and maybe you should ask a Thai person to make only the sound of this letter for you until you really cope with it. In future texts I will use ü without trying further explanations.

FURTHER INQUIRIES

Certainly, you will have further questions before you decide for a purchase. The following list is the most common inquiries that we have come across on the market.

Have you got this in   another colour?	คุณมีนี้ในสีที่       แตกต่างกันไม่	coon (short o sound, see above) me  knee ni(ne) see tea tec(hno) tarng (tar + ng) gun my
	คุณมีนี้ในสีที่ แตกต่างกันไม่	coon me knee ni see tea tec tarng gun my
Which colour would you like?	คุณชอบสีอะไร	coon (short o see above) shorb (as short with b) see u(short u like in but) lie
	คุณชอบสีอะไร	coon shorb see u-lie
Have you got other sizes?	คุณมีขนาดอื่นไม่	coon(short o sound, as above mentioned) me car nart (as part with n) ühn* my
	คุณมีขนาดอื่นไม่	coon me car-nart ühn my
No, this is the only size	ไม่ มีขนาดเดียว	my me car-nart(part with n) dea(n)-ou(ch)
	ไม่ มีขนาดเดียว	my me car-nart dea-ou
Are these the last pieces?	นี้เป็นชิ้นสุดท้ายไม่	knee pen shin sut(as in put but with s) thai my
	นี้เป็นชิ้นสุดท้ายไม่	knee pen shin sut thai my
Yes, I am sorry	ใช่ผม(ฉัน)ขอโทษ	shi(ne) pom(eranian)(shun) core tot (as in tomato, ending in t)
	ใช่ผม(ฉัน)ขอโทษ	shi pom (shun) core tot
When will it come again?	มันมาอีกทีเมื่ออะไร	mon(ey)ma(rk)eek(week without w) tea mö-u(short u as in but)lie
	มันมาอีกทีเมื่ออะไร	mon ma eek tea mö-u-lie
I don't know	ผม(ฉัน)ไม่รู้	pom(eranian)(shun) my loo
	ผม(ฉัน)ไม่รู้	pom (shun) my loo
No worries/ No problem	ไม่มีปัญหา	my me pun(ch)ha(rd)
	ไม่มีปัญหา	my me pun-ha
Forget it!	ไม่เป็นไร	my pen lie
	ไม่เป็นไร	my pen lie

 

FURTHER

One thing many people do not understand and particularly people who choose to live in Thailand just don't get is not to criticize the local population and the country. Would you like it if some person came from abroad to your country and only because he is wealthier than you starts telling you about the shortcomings of your people and your country? I will not answer you what I think about people that do that. If you want to have a pleasant life, just adapt to the circumstances. Thailand is not perfect, but neither are Great Britain, the United States, Germany and other countries. Just imagine the situation, I came to England to visit the English part of my family and started to tell you what to do. Would you like that? Now, misunderstandings are unfortunately not avoidable. However, patience helps usually in most cases. Now let's look at some issues which can happen on your shopping trip. 

That doesn't fit	มันไม่พอดี	mon(ey)my pore dea(n)
	มันไม่พอดี	mon my pore dea
Have you got another one?	มีอีกไม่	me eek(week without w)my
	มีอีกไม่	me eek my
This piece is dirty!	ชิ้นนี้สกปรก	shin knee soccer proc(tor)
	ชิ้นนี้สกปรก	shin knee soccer-proc
This piece is broken!	ชิ้นนี้เสีย	shin knee seer
	ชิ้นนี้เสีย	shin knee seer
This piece looks old	ชิ้นนี้มีลักษณะเก่า	shin knee me luck su(n)nu(t) gou(t)
	ชิ้นนี้มีลักษณะเก่า	shin knee me luck-su-nu gou
The wood is rotten	ไม้เน่าเสีย	my now seer
	ไม้เน่าเสีย	my now seer
A part is missing	หาย​​ไปส่วนหนึ่ง	hi pie sue un(der) nüng*
	หาย​​ไปส่วนหนึ่ง	hi pie sue-un nüng

 

*Nüng- is again a very important word that is very difficult to pronounce. Now, there you might even have a chance to understand it. Take the word nymph, after pronouncing the first part ny just add an -ng. Well yeah, easier written than done but I am sure you are on your best way to get into the language by now.

So, that's enough for part one. We will soon post the second part which will deal with the bargain, haggle and price conclusion. However, writing such a post is quite time intensive. Therefor, please bear with us, we will be coming back soon.