Learning Thai
Learning Thai with Jen – Thai is Not Always Easy, But Learning it Should be Fun
JEN HAS DESIGNED HER ONE-ON-ONE LESSONS TO GIVE YOU SHORT AND EASY EXPLANATIONS TOGETHER WITH PRACTICE
FACT: Most foreigners living in Thailandcannot speak Thaieven though they know that the English skills of most Thais are worse than those of kindergarten graduates in western countries.
There are many excuses for not learning Thai: The tones are too difficult, Thai people speak so fast and life in Thailand is fun even if you don’t speak Thai. While all of those are true, if you do make an effort by taking some lessons and spendinga half an hour a day in your room practicing,life in Thailand can be much more fun.
Based on feedback from others, here are a few good reasons to learn Thai.
MIX WITH THE THAIS
You will always be the “Farang†and Thai people will never expect you to learn Thai. But if you do speak to them in Thai their attitude towards you will be completely different and you will be more respected.
YOU’LL KNOW WHAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT YOU
We have all been in a situation talking to a Thai in English when they turn to their friends andsay something in Thai and they all start laughing. Or you sit in a restaurant with a few Thais and every once in a while they are talking in Thai to each other. Often they are talking about you knowing you cannot understand.
BARGAINING IS EASIER
Thais think they can get easy money out of tourists who don’t know about the fair prices of goods and services. If you speak Thai, the locals will know that you live in Thailand and know when not topay an unreasonable price.
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YOU BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THAI THOUGHT PROCESSES
When you talk to a Thai person in English there are always situations where you wonder: Why do they say it this way? Example: Why do Thai girls use the personal pronoun “she†to refer to both women and men? Why does a woman say that person is her sister when she really means she’s her good friend? Why they ask you if you play facebook instead of use facebook? By learning Thai you will understand why Thais like to use certain expressions in English just the way they do it in Thai.
BETTER JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The majority of foreigners that have office jobs in Bangkok are not fluent in Thai. So while you will only be required to have good English skills it certainly adds tons of bonus points to your job application if you can show some Thai language skills.
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
When you ask Thai people questions in English most times they either don’t understand what you mean or just misunderstand you. Even if they don’t understand you, 90% of the time they wouldn’t say “maikao jaiâ€, they will just give you a response that probably doesn’t answer your question. Even inthe case when they do understand, sometimes they will answer in a way that it doesn’t make any sense to you.
THAIS WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO LEARN THAI
Whether you are a linguist or not, whether learning Thai is difficult or not the good thing is Thai people are happy with any effort you take in speaking their language and will always try to help you learn more.
All of Jen’s students say she is the best Thai teacher they have had because she is patient with them and teaches at their pace with no pressure to learn quickly.
Jen teaches at her home in Chiang Rai and can be reached on 0814 726 644
