“I have been studying Thai using the Creamy Coconut lessons for several months now. These are excellent lessons for students at the beginner and intermediate level. The installation of these modules is very easy on my Windows PC. Just a few clicks and I was ready to start my lessons. The vocabulary is divided into two parts: the initial basic vocabulary for the lesson and additional vocabulary which is used to tell the story of the lesson. The basic vocabulary is presented with a great deal of repetition, causing it to be learned well. The stories are entertaining and make good use of the vocabulary of the lesson. Most of the stories have a surprise twist at the end which adds to the interest. In addition to listening to the stories, there is an exercise at the end which allows practice in speaking what is learned. These lessons are very high quality. The audio quality is generally very good. The female speakers are very clear; the male speaker is a little more difficult to understand. As a result of studying these lessons, I have increased or reinforced my Thai vocabulary. My ability to understand spoken Thai has also been substantially improved. Studying the lessons is enjoyable (sanuk). ” – Kevin Houlihan, West Hollywood, California, USA

 

“PickupThai podcasts are an immense, exceptionally rich, entertaining, and rewarding resource. The lessons have been a supportive companion on my journey from being quite a novice until the now very satisfying feeling of being able to understand and speak Thai on a level I did not imagine. The engaging, fun, and interesting short stories are the staple of the podcasts. Crafted as conversations between a wealth of characters, they provide humorous glimpses and insight into everyday themes and situations often encountered in Thai society, always with a twist. From the very first and easiest lessons, they provide strong motivation for keeping on learning Thai, for continuing reading and listening to each and every one of the podcasts, and not least, for repeating – a cornerstone of learning new languages according to research and my own experience. The actors breathe life into the stories – providing emotion and suspense – so helpful for memory when learning any language. Speaking and writing four languages on university level from before, I can testify that textbooks that do not feel tedious after a bit of reviewing are very hard to find. The lessons from PickupThai are a different matter. Re-reading and re-listening, there is always something new and interesting to discover, be it hidden meanings in the storytelling, grammatical nuances, or how words and expressions are used. Both the stories and the micro-stories accompanying them are exceptionally well written. They are unpretentious but in fact excellent literature and food for thought on many levels. As I am now approaching the very last lesson, I still greatly enjoy reading and listening, looking forward to knowing how each story ends and reading the next. I whole-heartedly recommend PickupThai Podcasts for anyone interested in learning the thai language, and in particular those who would want this journey to be truly interesting, stimulating and a source of joy.” – Øystein Eiring, Furnes, Norway

 

“PickupThai Podcasts are one of the most complete, effective and efficient methods of learning real Colloquial Thai that I have used. I’m loving the lessons. The colloquial style, questions and answers and practice sentences are great. All of it just flows together very nicely. Male and female voices speaking “real” Thai. Vocabulary with pronunciation, practical situations with excellent written materials. Highly recommended! The Sweet Green series is great for beginners or for travelers who want to brush up their skills before going back to Thailand. The Red Series is for those who can already read Thai and want to expand their vocabulary and will introduce new lessons in grammar, expressions, etc. I have used both Green and Red. There are other podcasts out there but they are incomplete, weak and are often not delivered in a timely fashion. This is the best product I’ve found for steady sequential learning in Thai.” – Tom Witt, Hawaii, USA

 

“Superb podcasts to learn and study Thai. Couple of weeks ago I went across of Youtube clips with Thai lesson, which I found to be very comprehensive. Those clips led me to www.pickup-thai.com. Considering teachers background, quality of clips and a sample lesson I decided to try with additional podcasts. The materials I have received EXCEEDED my expectations extensively. They suits my style of learning very well. I like the way dialogues are presented (in normal speech, then in slower speech, then with translation), but the most I like repetitions and progressive building / constructing of sentences. I’m finding those materials as the most effective way to study a language (and it’s my 4th one). It has to be mentioned they are pretty funny stories what makes studying more enjoyable. I wish Yuki and Miki continue their venture and I’m looking forward to receive more podcasts.” – Arek Siedlowski, Poland

 

“I just wanted to take a few minutes to write this review of the Sweet Green and Spicy Red Podcast series developed by Miki and Tachaya. I have purchased almost all of the Podcasts they have released so far and I am extremely impressed with their quality. Each narrative used for the Podcasts is reviewed from several different angles which really helps the learning process, and the conversations (even in the Sweet Green Podcast Beginner Series), are sophisticated enough to be challenging and interesting, but not overwhelming in difficulty. I know I have made real and significant progress using these Podcasts and their Study-Sheet PDFs as the primary foundation for my Thai language study. I really do think that pickup-thai.com and their Podcast series is one of the best resources available on the internet for any person who is really serious about learning to speak, read and write Thai.” – Brian Binns, Los Angeles, California, USA

 

“Miki’s & Yuki’s podcasts are the most efficient for me. The Green pots were so delicious, almost as a Thai green curry. Yet a little more efficient for learning Thai. I study a little different than suggested. I start with transcript and break down each sentence, until it is completely clear. My progress surprises me: 1 month, 3h per day, 10 lessons total and natives think I have been living here for two years. I like freshness of the course. As if a waiter was serving you a steaming pot of green curry and you smell basil, kaffir lime leaves and spices. You are excited to start your meal. Each story is a little provocative, real life, many of the characters are a little annoying, which ruins the boredom of a “regular” course, creates conflict and keeps me interested. If I start another language, I hope to find similar. Thank you for the best materials on the Thai language.” – Andrey Chaschev, Saint-Petersburg, Belgium

 

“I had been studying the Thai language in a traditional way since January 2016 until I came across Pickup Thai’s Creamy Coconut and Sweet Green Podcasts…which have forever changed the way I learn and retain new material. Every time I re-listen to one of the podcasts I realize how many different scenarios and teaching methods are crammed into these lessons. Some of the features I enjoy the most are the vocabulary lessons, the quizzes, the entertaining dialogue, and especially the role playing scenarios, which I find extremely helpful. Learning the new vocabulary within the context of a story / dialogue has definitely increased my retention. The dialogue is present in 3 different forms, a natural dialogue from male and female Thai speakers, and also in the teacher’s voice, which is spoken in a slow and clear manner, making it easy to hear the tones of each word. After numerous trips to Thailand to “test drive” my newly acquired Thai language skills, I can say these podcasts really represent everyday spoken Thai. Another huge benefit is the PDF’s, which include both Thai transliteration and Thai script. This was one of the most important factors for me since I am also learning to read / write Thai. Being a visual learner, I constantly use these pdfs in conjunction with the MP3s. I use the MP3s every day during my commute, and I study the PDFs in the evening. I look forward to completing each podcast and am excited to move on to the next! I cannot recommend these podcasts enough to anyone who wants to learn Thai. Miki and Yuki, thank you for creating such clear, concise, engaging… and most of all ENJOYABLE material. ขอบคุณมากครับ” – John McLeod, Minnesota, USA

 

“I have been truly impressed with PickupThai Podcasts. I have studied several languages in the past, and the most critical, difficult, and often under-appreciated aspect of learning a second language is learning to speak naturally. Things like hesitation words, for example, can make the difference between speaking well and speaking mediocrely. In learning Thai, I have found that resources that emphasize these aspects of language are hard to come by. It’s more common to find texts with dry, unnatural conversations that lack any emphasis on grammatical patterns. These texts are more geared towards a memorization-without-understanding method, which has never been effective for me. Pickup Thai exceeds by leaps and abounds, among its many strengths, by emphasizing realistic spoken Thai. Every conversation is replete with hesitation words, colloquial transition phrases, and examples of conversational particles that are used in everyday speech. Additionally, usage is explained clearly in the translations, which is critical. I have also been impressed with the emphasis on participation. Language learning success strongly relies on active work on the part of the learner, and PickupThai succeeds in fostering this kind of learning. I really think that the creators are on to something here in the immense amount of work and thought they have put into this project, and I hope they will eventually write a much-needed Thai textbook with these podcasts as the fundamental foundation. The resources that I have used in the past to learn other languages that have fostered the most success for me were based upon the same language-learning principles that PickupThai is, so it was with quite happy surprise when I serendipitously came across PickupThai. I feel like my Thai has markedly improved after studying only three lessons so far, which is quite impressive. I am looking forward to continuing along this trajectory. – Michael Kissner, Colorado, USA

 

“The Creamy Coconut series formed the basis of weekly Skype lessons I had with Tachaya and my experience of both the lessons and the self study material was a positive one that I hope to continue. Since you are reading this, you may be familiar with the difficulty of finding quality resources to learn the language outside of Thailand. In 15 years of on / off attempts to do so, I have not come across anything this well presented and organised. I would not say it is ‘easy’ – nothing worth doing is – but it is entirely accessible and the structure of the material is such that it gives one enough tools and guidance to be rewarded for the effort made. The lessons themselves are light hearted and the amount of new material covered in each is substantial but not overwhelming. Text is provided both with and without romanisation and the audio dialogues offer similar levels of support, from a running explanation of each small word grouping through to a ‘Thai only’ version to test your understanding. I wish I had found this a long time ago.” – R. Morris, London, UK

 

“I’ve been using both the Sweet Green and Spicy Red podcasts for a little while now, and am really enjoying them. I like to listen to the Sweet Green series while exercising. The conversations cover useful topics without being boring; I have caught myself chuckling out loud a few times while on the machines at the gym. The format is perfect for listening to multiple times; they only include the necessary amount of English, so I can spend most of my time listening to Thai. Another nice feature is the variety of voices. And since the ‘casts run 32-40 minutes, or even a little more, and I want to listen to them all the way through, I have been getting a little extra exercise! I find the Spicy Reds more challenging, and a great source of new vocabulary in context. I also appreciate having the choice of pdf transcripts without transliteration, so I can concentrate on reading the Thai words. And since I use a flash card program to help build my vocabulary, I particularly like that I can easily include natural sounding sentences with the words on my flash cards. These are great sets of learning materials that offer realistic conversational Thai in a fun, yet comprehensive manner.” – Keith McDaniel, Maryland, USA

 

“I have been studying Thai for years and I’m still looking for new resources to learn from. There are plenty of materials out there but none of them suits my learning style and needs perfectly. Some of them are too fast-paced, some use too simple language and some are just too advanced. I find Spicy Red podcasts an excellent resource for learning intermediate-level Thai. They are spoken in a natural speed, yet, not too fast and all the words are clearly pronounced. The way they use the same phrases in many different sentences is also a good method to help you memorize new words and structures and learn how to really use them yourself. Also, they also provide PDF study sheets to use along with the audio, which is really helpful. The lessons are also based on various common everyday life situations, so you get to add only useful words onto your Thai vocabulary list. I have the impression that Miki and Yuki are enjoying making these podcasts and the lessons only keep getting better and better. The plots of some of the stories in Spicy Red are totally genius. They make the stories fun and I always look forward to listening to their next stories. I am going to buy all of their podcasts because these are something that I really like to have. I want to keep listening to the lessons and make the most benefits out of them.” – Willem Jan van Wijgerden, Den Haag, Netherlands

 

“I discovered the Spicy Red course about six months ago. I was impressed straight away with the quality of the program. I do a lot of driving, and I enjoy listening to the podcast in the car. I find the program conversations to be realistic and engaging, and the example sentences reinforce the learning. I had previously made up my mind to only use real Thai resources (e.g. TV and radio), as I felt I had gone as far as I could with language courses, but Spicy Red is a superb way to progress from intermediate to advanced Thai. I have also done some private sessions via Skype, and I highly recommend this service too” – Paul Garrigan, Dublin, Ireland

 

“I initially tried the free podcasts, and liked them so much I bought the 1st 20 of Sweet Green and Spicy Red less the free ones. What I like the most is the podcast has a theme and then the repetition. Further at the end of the podcast they use different words with some of the phrases used in the podcast. I have learned so much from the Series. Typical learning sites use canned phrases but Pickup Thai Podcasts use more natural Thai that you can easily use when interacting with Thai people. Thanks for such a great learning opportunity. I would like to add that the real value of these podcasts are the everyday use the lessons provide. They are not canned phrases but are more typical words and sentences that are used while interacting with the Thai people in restaurants, stores, while travelling, etc. The humor interjected in the lessons makes for a fun learning process and always gets me laughing but more importantly, helps me retain what I’ve learned. My weakest attribute while learning a language is my listening skills. The podcasts have improved my listening two-fold. Outstanding lessons!!! Thanks for such a great learning and for all the hard work and effort you put into producing these lessons.” – Charles Yezza, Hawaii, USA

 

“I really appreciate that pickup-thai.com stays on top of the latest language developments and teaching methods, the impact the lessons have on my development and language goals were really surprising. My understanding of the Thai language has developed in areas that I never thought I needed :-). After a few passes and practice, you start to hear yourself communicating more clearly and naturally. At first I was hesitated and still do sometimes, but hey I’m not prefect : -). It’s not your normal book conversation dialogue; it’s more natural (emphasis on natural), so certain words may sound unfamiliar. The lessons fit most situations you may encounter in everyday conversation; this definitely is a resource and tool I will be using for a long time!.” – James Johnson, San Diego, California, USA

 

“PickupThai Podcasts are very natural and useful. Thanks to their lesson, now when I get to the restaurant, I’m able to order by myself! And I love each of their stories. They are interesting and always have unexpected endings. I always enjoy reading and listening to the lessons. I hope Yuki and Miki keep making them.” – Ariel Feng, Beijing, China

 

“PickupThai Podcast has helped me progress in my Thai language abilities more than any other program I’ve tried. As a Thai learner who doesn’t live in Thailand, these podcasts have been invaluable. The dialogues are always included in “normal speed”, so I can practice listening and understanding Thai the way it’s actually spoken in Thailand. Plus I can always be confident that I’m being taught words that are actually used by Thais in everyday life and not waste my time learning words I’ll never use in real life. I also love that Kru Miki and Kru Yuki include many example sentences using sentence structures from the dialogue. This has really helped me understand the patterns of the Thai language. The funny and surprising sentences and dialogues plus the cute illustrations always keep me excited to see what’s in the next podcast.” – Joanna Krause, Wisconsin, USA

 

“I like these podcasts very much, they make it very easy to understand and with clear voices. I like that they make the pdf both in Thai and in transliteration for us to use. I listen to them 2-3 times every day if I have time and I read the Thai version up to 2 times a day and I mix both the Sweet Green and Spicy Red. I have bought all of the podcasts that they made, both the Sweet Green and Spicy Red. I have been learning Thai for a few years now and for 1 year or so, I started to learn to read Thai. There are a lot of learning materials out there, but I don’t like to read from books because all books are almost the same in the end. But these podcasts are very helpful. I learn a lot more from them and I especially like the way they break down the phrases all the way to words. I highly recommend these podcasts to everyone learning Thai.” – Lasse Glimt, Bandhagen, Sweden

 

“I have been using the Pickup Thai podcasts for a little over a year. I started studying Thai for fun a few years ago, and found that there were several beginners resources but not many lessons for advanced beginners and intermediate students. The Pickup Thai podcast have been exactly what I was hoping for. I have been using their intermediate podcasts called Sweet Green. I have been really impressed with and appreciative of how much work they put into each podcast. They typically have around an hour of audio, and pdf files that go with it. They list vocabulary and have transcripts so following along is really easy. The lessons are really fun and do more than just teach the language. They really capture some wonderful elements of Thai culture – like the playfulness that people express to each other with kindness and warmth. Learning from these podcasts has made the language come alive. The other thing that I want to mention is that I have received wonderful support after my purchase of the lessons. Any time I have had a question and email them I have gotten an answer and help very quickly. And every interaction has left me feeling happy to do business with them.” – Emilio D., Boston, Massachusetts, USA

 

I’ve just finished Spicy Red podcast series and feel I have to share my thoughts and write a review. First of all, I’m very grateful for this fun and effective method of learning. Every podcast is different. The fun stories kept me motivated to continue learning and making progress without getting bored. Previously, I struggled a lot to find a way to increase my vocabulary after I had reached the advanced level. The Spicy Red podcasts contain a lot of new useful words that are used daily so it really helped me with my problem. Besides vocabulary building, these podcasts also improved my Thai in a lot of other aspects; reading, listening, and writing. This is how I used the podcasts, I first read the script and then I listened to the audio. At first, I struggled to understand the meaning of each sentence. But at the end, I became able to read a lot faster and didn’t have to re-read each sentence several times to understand it. With the help of the podcasts, I’ve finally reached my main goal which is to have good vocabulary, listening and reading skills so I can watch Thai shows and movies with Thai subtitles without having to pause every second to read them or keep having to take notes of words that I don’t know. My skills have improved so much thanks to this amazing course. It’s been much easier for me to self-study and I’ve been making a lot faster progress than I used to. It also left me with more desire to keep learning. I highly recommend it. Thank you so much again for this course. – Ruth Abramov, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

 

“I have been using the Sweet Green podcasts to learn Thai for the past few months and I’ve noticed that my Thai is improving. The second part of the podcast has been a great tool for me as it breaks the sentences down into small fragments and repeats them several times until it sticks. I have been studying Thai on and off for three years and have tried various methods but now I’m going to keep using these PickupThai podcasts to learn Thai as in my opinion, they are the best learning tool available.” – Lance Sanders, Santa Monica, California, USA

 

“I am enjoying both the Sweet Green and Spicy Red Podcasts I purchased. The quality is excellent. They are longer than any other lessons available on the Internet so there’s hours to listen to. I recommend them to anyone learning Thai.” – Robert Gower, New South Wales, Australia

 

“I am using Creamy Coconut lessons, though I know a little bit of Thai very well after living there for a summer. The amount of new vocab in each lesson is therefore not too much. The lessons are helping me fill some gaps. Having no-English versions of the dialogues is a really big help for me. What I look for in language materials is comprehensible input: Thai language I can understand because it’s slow, clear, and limited in new content. Use of limited new vocabulary, plus an interesting context & repetition also helps me understand and retain better. Your dialogues are cute, and that helps! – Diane Neubauer, Colorado, USA

 

“I like these podcasts a lot. I’ve tried other podcast-style Thai language lessons, but I couldn’t keep with them. The voice acting was painfully awkward, and the subject matter felt too obvious. When I listen to podcasts from Pickup Thai, however, I feel as if I’m a fly on the wall in an actual Thai massage parlor, which makes my success or failure to understand what’s being said feel that much more real. Learning another language requires a lot of time spent studying on your own before you can really put it to use, so it’s important to me that what I’m using to study reminds me of why I’m studying in the first place. And why am I studying Thai, exactly? Because learning another language makes me so much more grateful for the ability to use language in the first place, to joke with people and share life experiences with them. Pickup Thai podcasts come packed with humor and humanity, and that’s probably what keeps me coming back more than anything.” – Matthew Hinea, Washington, USA

 

“Sweet Green is a great set of Podcast to learn to speak Thai the way Thais do. This is how I do it – I attend Thai classes weekly. I listen to Sweet Greet when I drive. My daily hour-long drive in each direction to-and-fro work means I get to listen to at least 2 Podcasts. I review the PDF scripts that comes with the Podcast when I get home. Then I watch a handful of episodes of lakorns a week. The combination of getting exposed to the language officially in class, colloquially, by listening to the Podcasts, and then by topping it up with Lakorns works for me because as similar phrases and vocabularies come up in various ways, I found myself internalizing them into a subconscious part of my mind. Sweet Green works for me because it serves as a bridge between formal Thai lessons and Lakorns. It’s probably the next best thing to conversing with a native speaker. Try it!” – Jack Huang, Singapore

 

“I’ve bought all three of the PickupThai Podcast courses, Creamy Coconut, Sweet Green and Spicy Red. These lessons are what I have been looking for for years. I am grateful that now I finally have a high quality progressive and fun way forward in my Thai studies. I’m learning a lot and having fun too – reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These lessons are a blessing. Thank you very much, Yuki and Miki, and good luck with all you do.” – Robert M., Washington DC, USA

 

“Yuki and Miki, you are such a godsend when learning a tonal language like Thai. I believe your understanding and fluency of the English is the key to your success in the materials you produce. I have listened to your YouTube lessons on Thai and that’s how I learnt about your podcasts and website. I just finished Creamy Coconut lesson 4. It was a well-constructed lesson – 10 out of 10. This could be due to your great command of the English language and your knack/experience in language teaching. One of the best I have seen on the net. Keep up the good work.” – Dilhan De Alwis, Victoria, Australia