P i c k u p T h a i

A fun and exciting exercise for intermediate and advanced Thai learners. You probably know that there are a lot of Thai words with similar meanings and usages that learners tend to get mixed up and use one when they’re supposed to use the other. To make matters worse, most of them are everyday life vocabulary words.…

A super fun game for you to practice or challenge your Thai skills. If you’re a music lover, this game is going to be a lot of fun! If you’re not a music lover but a Thai lover, this game will still be fun! Either way, you’ll have fun with it!…

Even though there are thousands of words in the Thai language for you to learn and memorize, the good news for English speakers is that nearly every language in this world borrows tons of words from English and Thai is no different. In this lesson, you will find a list of loan words from English that Thai people commonly use, as if they were Thai words.…

Some words in Thai may have the same meaning but one is more formal than the other. In this lesson, you will get to learn useful vocabulary words that we use in everyday life and their more formal counterparts. The first word of each pair in the vocabulary list below is an informal term and the second is a formal term.…

Following are interesting quotes we have compiled from the Internet, most of which are inspiring and motivating. Some were originally in Thai, some translated from other languages. But either way, we provide both Thai and English versions, with audio (as always) so you can learn something about life from these quotes and pick up Thai at the same time.…

One very effective method of learning Thai is to practice speaking Thai with native Thai speakers so chatting or video chatting with your Thai friends is going to be a great help! Below are some common phrases and expressions that we all use when Skyping with friends. Learn how to express them in Thai.…

Some Thai words can be pronounced differently when spoken than when they are written. Although these following common standard words are also normally used in spoken language, there is/are (a) more informal colloquial way(s) to pronounce them. When Thai people speak to each other in real life, they do not take the effort to pronounce every single sound properly and accurately, rather, they pronounce words in a more relaxed manner, thus, some words get shortened or the sounds of more than one syllable are combined, as a result.…

Test Your Colloquial Thai Knowledge

For Advanced learners: complete each sentence with a word that would make sense and sound natural in spoken Thai. When finished, listen to the recording below each sentence to check if you got it correct.

For Intermediate learners: listen to the the recording and fill the blank with the missing word that you hear.…

Here is a list of frequently used verbs that are followed by the word “ว่า” (wâa). Yes, there’s more than just “คิดว่า” (kíd wâa)! Apparently, ว่า [wâa] is a word that all intermediate learners should already be quite familiar with. In 5 minutes, you might hear a Thai person use this word more than 10 times.…

A unique exercise for intermediate-level learners and above, who are quite familiar with various colloquial Thai expressions used in everyday conversation. There are 12 messages that you need to find appropriate responses to. Each one has 3 choices but only 1 would fit. Ready for the challenge?

1. พ่อครับ ผมไปขอโทษแม่แล้วนะครับ
a.…

One of the most difficult things for Thai learners to pick up is probably listening skills, especially when Thai people talk at normal speed. Apart from having to know enough vocabulary words, you also need a good amount of time to get used to the pronunciation, the intonation and all. Sometimes even the words you know very well could be hard to catch when they are spoken.…

1. However = อย่างไรก็ตาม [yàng rai kôr taam]
We met for the first time last year. However, we only really got to know each other this year.
เราเจอกันครั้งแรกปีก่อน อย่างไรก็ตาม เราเพิ่งจะมารู้จักกันจริงๆปีนี้

2. Anyway = อย่างไรก็ดี [yàng rai kôr dii]
This problem is really hard to solve. Anyway, we still have one week left.…

เริ่มงาน [rêrm ngaan] To start a job
งานใหม่ [ngaan mài] New job
งานเก่า [ngaan gào] Previous job
งานประจำ [ngaan pràjam] Full-time job
งานเสริม [ngaan sěrm] Sideline job
บริษัท [bawrisàt] Company
ที่ทำงาน [tîi tam ngaan] Workplace
ตำแหน่ง [tam nàeng] Position
เจ้านาย [jâo naai] Boss
หัวหน้า [hŭa nâa] Supervisor
ผู้จัดการ [pûu jàtkaan] Manager
ลูกน้อง [lûuk nóng] Subordinate
ค่าจ้าง [kâa jâang] Wage
การจ้างงาน [kaan jâang ngaan] Employment
นายจ้าง [naai jâang] Employer
ลูกจ้าง [lûuk jâang] Employee
พนักงาน [panákngaan] Employee / staff
เงินเดือน [ngern deuan] Monthly salary
ขึ้นเงินเดือน [kêun ngern deuan] To increase one’s salary
ลดเงินเดือน [lót ngern deuan] To decrease one’s salary
เลื่อนตำแหน่ง [leûn tam nàeng] To promote
หางาน [hăa ngaan] To look for a job
สมัครงาน [samàk ngaan] To apply for a job
ใบสมัครงาน [bai samàk ngaan] Job application
สัมภาษณ์งาน [sămpâat ngan] Job interview
ประเมินผล [pràmern pŏn] Evaluate
เข้างาน [kâo ngaan] To clock in
ออกงาน [àwk ngaan] To clock out
มาเช้า [maa cháo] To arrive early
มาสาย [maa săai] To arrive late
เลิกงาน [lêrk ngaan] To get off work
หยุดงาน [yùt ngaan] To take a day off/a vacation
เสร็จงาน [sèt ngaan] To finish work, to get off work
ลาหยุด [laa yùt] To take a leave
ลาป่วย [laa pùai] To take a sick leave
ลาออก [laa àwk] To resign
ถูกไล่ออก [tùuk lâi àwk] To get fired
ออกจากงาน [àwk jàk ngaan] To leave one’s job
…