Learning Thai language

[newadmin]

Actually this thread is in addition to the one about translations. Hence, I am not sure if the moderators want to integrate this one in the previous one. If so, then it's OK for me. Being on the board now for a few months, I noticed that quite a few of you have either a Thai wife or (at least) long lasting relationships with your Thai girlfriend. I just wonder if and how you learned or try to learn the Thai language. As I usually have not much of a problem to learn a language, I just wonder how you guys did it. I would like to learn a bit basic Thai so at least I can have a little bit of small talk in case, I may visit my girfriend in last 2007. The writing with the different characters is more difficult and I am not so into this. I rather write the Thai using our alphabet, how tricky this may be. Any tip is welcome!

[yungche]

On a encouraging note, learning the Thai script is actually more easy than you might think. And once you got some basics you're surprised how much you can read and understand once you're back in Thailand. And it's good fun too. So, I really would suggest to go ahead and learn the script first, I think that's the best start.

[Mayya]

Do not try to learn Thai from a book at home unless you have a thai with you that can teach you the pronunciation, I know they try to get the sound by spelling phonetically but it is nothing alike when you try it on your own. Lived here 9 moths and had tirak teach me 3 new words everyday. Then realised if they are words you are not commonly using you forget them too quickly. Pay a Thai teacher to come to our home 2 times aweek for 1 and half hours of lesson, she then gives us another hour homework and also a page of sentances or words to learn before the next lesson. In 6 lessons so far my Thai has improved 100 fold, I can understand quite a bit they say, speak much more than i realised and most important to me can now put sentances together for myself not jusy those I have learnt parrot fashion. Even after saying all this I think it will take a good couple of years to become fluent. Also interestingly I am being taught to speak perfect/proper Thai and not Issan dialect or slang. Just got back from Bangers were I was showing off my Thai to mum, sisters and family etc and they were impressed but mostly because I was speaking such good quality (upper class) Thai, R's are pronounced as a rolling R not a L, many different replies rather than the common terms used locally.

[oliviaharis]

ThaiTrainer111 gives you a quick and easy way to study and learn the Thai language independently.This language uses its own individual alphabet and grammar. It is therefore not possible to compare it to any of the European languages. Of course, this does not make learning Thai easy.
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oliviaharis
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