Word Study

Point 1. Omission of khra@p or of kha^? and kha@? A man frequently omits khra@p when speaking to another man who is an intimate friend (as in the Basic Sentences of this unit) or when speaking to his younger brothers and sisters. In the same way a woman frequently omits kha^? or kha@? when speaking to another woman who is an intimate friend or when speaking to her younger brothers and sisters. Note carefully that a man does not treat a woman who is not a relative as an initmate, and vice versa. Note also that parents, teachers, employers, or other superiors are not treated as intimates by either men or women.

Point 2. Repeated words. Many Thai words are at times repeated in order to reinforce or strengthen the meaning, e.g.,

In English, too, we sometimes repeat words in almost exactly the same way, e.g.,

'Oh, this is very, very good.'
'It was so, so pretty.'
'I told him the story again and again' or 'over and over again.'

The principal difference between Thai and English in regard to the use of this type of repetition is that in Thai the repetition is common with a very large number of words, while in English it is done with only a limited number of words.

Point 3. khO$Opkhun and khO$Opcay. Both of these words mean 'thank you, thanks,' but khO$Opkhun is somewhat more formal than khO$Opcay. Moreover, khO$Opcay is often preferred among intimates, not because it is less formal, but because it is warmer in feeling.
In addition note that both words may also mean 'to thank, to be grateful to,' as in the following:

Point 4. The Thai words meaning 'to wash.' In English we generally use the single word 'to wash' whether we are talking about washing the face, the hair, or clothing. In Thai, however, three different words must be used, namely:

To help you remember the distinction made between these words, you should memorize the following:

Point 5. A new use for mf^a. When it is used before words whose meaning indicates a particular time, the word mf^a means that that particular time is in the past. Thus, while khffnni@i means 'tonight,' mf^a khffnni@i means 'last night.' Other similar phrases are:

You are already familiar with another use of mf^a, namely its use in the meaning 'when.' When it has this latter meaning it is used not only of the past but also of the future. Examples:

Point 6. Position of se$t. This word means 'to finish; to be finished, to be through, to be ready.' Examples:

You will notice at once that Thai and English use a completely different arrangement of the words in the last two examples. In English the word 'through' or 'finish' precedes the word for the activity that is 'through' or 'finished,' but in Thai the word for the activity comes first. The best way to remember this is to think of some simple example, such as, phom tham Naan se$t lE@Ew, and let that serve as your model for any other sentence containing se$t that you wish to use. Note also that in the last two examples above the object of the verb expressing the activity is put in bold face.

Point 7. A new number-word. The word khrf^N 'half' is a number-word, but it has some special uses not shared by other number-words. In its regular usage it has the same position as all other number-words, namely immediately before the classifier. Examples:

But khrf^N is also found to come immediately after the classifier in certain cases, e.g.,

From these examples it is easy to see that when khrf^N comes after the classifier it means 'and a half.' In all the examples above where khrf^N follows the classifier, there is another number-word preceding the classifier. But if the number-word intended before the classifier is nf$N 'one', it is generally omitted. Examples:

This makes it clear at once that there is considerable difference in meaning depending on whether khrf^N comes before or after the classifier. Memorize the two following phrases:

Point 8. Some classifiers.

a. ?an. This classifier is used for certain small objects, generally of a long and slender shape, such as, prEEN 'brush' and prEENsi&ifan 'toothbrush.'

b. le^m. Aside from its use as the classifier for certain sharp-pointed objects, such as knives. In addition many people use this classifier for combs, while some use ?an instead, e.g.,

c. kO^On. You have learned this word as the classifier for things having the form of a Jump, such as a cloud or a lump of sugar. It is also the classifier for cakes of soap, e.g.,

d. khu^u. This classifier is used for pairs of anything except pairs of pants or trousers. You have already learned to use it for rOONtha@aw 'shoes' and in this unit we find that it is also used for thu&Ntha@aw 'socks, stockings.'

e. tua. This is the classifier which is used for pairs of pants or trousers. As an aid in remembering this, you should keep in mind the fact that tua is also used with sf^a 'coat' and with sf^ache2et 'shirt.' Examples:

f. phf&fn. This classifier is used for pieces or strips of cloth provided they are already in a form ready for use, e.g., towels, curtains, rugs, and the like. Of the new words learned in this unit, you should use it with pha^ache@ttua 'towel.'

g. The words na^a 'face' and li@ncha@k are used as their own classifiers, just like hO^N 'room' and tiaN 'bed' which you learned in Unit 8

Point 9. Some compounds.