Thai sentence construction, referred to as kroong sâang bprà yòok (โครงสร้างประโยค) in Thai, is a necessary a part of Thai grammar that everybody studying Thai ought to grasp. Having a fundamental understanding of this matter can assist with studying, writing, and, most significantly, talking Thai.
On this information, we’ll go over what any newbie Thai learner ought to know in regards to the sentence construction Thai makes use of. By the tip of this put up, you need to be capable of perceive the essential construction of straightforward sentences, the best way to describe a noun utilizing adjectives, the best way to kind detrimental sentences, and the best way to ask fundamental questions in Thai. Get your paper and pen prepared, and let’s dive proper in!
An Intro To Thai Sentence Construction
Just like the English language, Thai makes use of an SVO phrase order (subject-verb-object).
Breaking this down signifies that the sentence’s topic goes first, then the motion of that topic, and eventually, the item affected by that motion.
Right here’s an instance of a fundamental sentence in Thai in comparison with English.
Thai: kǎo bpai tam ngaan (เขาไปทำงาน)
English: He’s going to work
That means: kǎo (เขา) means ‘he’, bpai tam (ไปทำ) means ‘to go do’, and ngaan (งาน) means ‘work’.
Fairly much like English grammar, proper? Effectively, it’s— however not like English, there are only a few mounted guidelines in Thai sentence construction. Guidelines, reminiscent of verb conjugation and tenses, are nonexistent, resulting in a lot less complicated sentences which might be simple to grasp.
We’ll get into extra element on the best way to assemble these sentences within the sections under, learn on!
A Aspect Observe On Tenses
Now, we’ve talked about that there are not any tenses in Thai, and that’s true! However how do we are saying that one thing is occurring in both the previous, current, or future?
Don’t fear! Thai takes a quite simple method to this facet. Time is usually conveyed with context clues within the sentence itself or with extra particular time markers positioned both earlier than or on the finish of the sentence.
Time markers, or time-related phrases, can develop into extra difficult as they get extra particular. Nonetheless, check out the desk under to study some easy markers you need to use when speaking about occasions:
For reference, see the time markers for every tense in use under. Observe that you could place these at both the start or finish of the sentence with out affecting the that means.
Previous Time Marker Instance – Yesterday
Thai: kǎo bpai tam ngaan mʉ̂a waan níi (เขาไปทำงานเมื่อวานนี้)
English: He went to work yesterday.
That means: kǎo (เขา)means ‘he,’ bpai tam (ไปทำ) means ‘to go do,’ ngaan (งาน) means ‘work,’ and mʉ̂a waan níi (เมื่อวานนี้) means ‘yesterday.’
Current Time Marker Instance – Now
Thai: kǎo bpai tam ngaan dtɔɔn níi (เขาไปทำงานตอนนี้)
English: He’s going to work now.
That means: kǎo (เขา)means ‘he’, bpai tam (ไปทำ) means ‘to go do’, ngaan (งาน) means ‘work’, and dtɔɔn níi (ตอนนี้) means ‘now’.
Future Time Marker Instance – Tomorrow
Thai: kǎo bpai tam ngaan prûng níi (เขาไปทำงานพรุ่งนี้)
English: He’s going to work tomorrow.
That means: kǎo (เขา)means ‘he’, bpai tam (ไปทำ) means ‘to go do’, ngaan (งาน) means ‘work’, and prûng níi (พรุ่งนี้) means ‘tomorrow’.
Describing Nouns With Adjectives In Thai
Thai adjectives are positioned after the noun or verb to offer extra element a couple of particular phrase. If you wish to describe one thing, somebody, or someplace, you need to use a number of the adjectives under.
Beneath is an instance of the Thai adjective ‘good-looking’ (lɔ̀ɔ, หล่อ) in motion. You possibly can see that the adjective goes after the topic (noun) pûu chaai (ผู้ชาย), that means ‘man.’
Thai: pûu chaai lɔ̀ɔ bpai tam ngaan (ผู้ชายหล่อไปทำงาน)
English: That good-looking man’s going to work
That means: pûu chaai (ผู้ชาย) means ‘man,’ lɔ̀ɔ (หล่อ) means ‘good-looking,’ bpai tam (ไปทำ) means ‘to go do,’ and ngaan (งาน) means ‘work.’
Expressing Unfavorable Sentences In Thai
To precise a detrimental sentence in Thai, you need to use both the phrase yàa (อย่า) or mâi (ไม่). These two phrases can fully change a sentence and have their very own particular use circumstances.
Yàa (อย่า) – Don’t
If you wish to inform somebody to not do one thing, place yàa (อย่า) in entrance of the verb:
Thai: yâa hâi aa hǎan sù nák (อย่าให้อาหารสุนัข)
English: Don’t feed the canine.
That means: yâa (อย่า)means ‘don’t’, hâi (ให้) means ‘to offer’, aa hǎan (อาหาร) means ‘meals’, and sù nák (สุนัข) means ‘canine’.
Mâi (ไม่) – To Not Do
If you happen to didn’t do one thing, you’ll be able to put mâi (ไม่) in entrance of the verb.
Thai: chǎn mâi dâi hâi aa hǎan sù nák (ฉันไม่ได้ให้อาหารสุนัข)
English: I didn’t feed the canine.
That means: chǎn (ฉัน)means ‘I’, mâi dâi hâi (ไม่ได้ให้) means ‘didn’t give’, aa hǎan (อาหาร) means ‘meals’, and sù nák (สุนัข) means ‘canine’.
Query Phrases In Thai
To create a fundamental query in Thai, add the phrase mǎi (ไหม) to the tip of the sentence. This easy Thai particle transforms an announcement right into a query.
Thai: kun hâi aa hǎan sù nák mǎi (คุณให้อาหารสุนัขไหม)
English: Did you feed the canine?
That means: kun (คุณ)means ‘you,’ hâi (ให้) means ‘to offer,’ aa hǎan (อาหาร) means ‘meals,’ sù nák (สุนัข) means ‘canine,’ and mǎi (ไหม) is the query particle.
If you happen to’re going to study extra about Thai grammar, you ought to be aware of these Thai grammar phrases and vocabulary under.
Suggestions On Understanding Thai Sentence Construction
Thai sentence construction is usually simpler for English audio system to grasp in comparison with different languages. Nonetheless, listed below are some ideas to make use of when attempting to grasp the nuances of Thai sentence construction:
- When developing a sentence, do not forget that Thai makes use of the subject-verb-object phrase order. This is similar as in English, and you may get away with utilizing direct translations of English sentences, minus the tenses and conjugations.
- If you wish to talk a query, at all times use the particle mǎi (ไหม) on the finish of a sentence. This modifications a easy assertion right into a query simply with the addition of 1 phrase!
- Use repetitive studying strategies reminiscent of every day follow with packages just like the Ling app to strengthen understanding of Thai sentence construction.
- Pay attention or watch Thai media to get an concept of how Thai individuals assemble their sentences. You may additionally study new Thai phrases from it too!
With the following pointers, you need to be capable of get aware of Thai sentence construction to the purpose the place you’ll be able to assemble extra advanced sentences as effectively.
Incessantly Requested Questions About Thai Sentence Construction
1. What Is The Fundamental Sentence Construction Of Thai?
The Thai language makes use of a sentence construction with a subject-verb-object phrase order. As a result of it’s the identical phrase order that English makes use of, it’s fairly simple to recollect! For instance, should you’d wish to say ‘I wish to drink water,’ you’ll be able to straight translate it into Thai: chǎn yâak dʉ̀ʉm náam (ฉันอยากดื่มน้ำ).
2. How Do You Kind A Thai Sentence?
Thai sentences are fashioned by first stating the topic. The topic is normally a noun, like an individual (kon, คน). Comply with this up with a verb, reminiscent of ‘to hold’ (tʉ̌ʉ, ถือ). Then an object, like a field (glɔ̀ɔng, กล่อง). Mix all of this, and also you get grammatically right sentences like kon tʉ̌ʉ glɔ̀ɔng (คนถือกล่อง) -‘an individual carries a field’.
3. How Straightforward Is Thai Grammar?
Thai grammar is comparatively easy. There are not any conjugations, no tenses, no grammatical genders, and the identical sentence construction as English. Which means that as soon as fundamental phrases, you’ll be able to simply kind sentences by straight translating them from English.
Get A Grip On Thai Sentence Construction
Hopefully, now you’ve got a good suggestion of the best way to kind fundamental sentences and questions in Thai. Mastering Thai sentence construction is required should you’re trying to write, learn, or converse Thai on the next degree. Don’t neglect the information that we’ve offered to make additional fast progress in your Thai grammar!
Study Thai Grammar Simply!
Whether or not you’re studying Thai for journey, love, or enjoyable, understanding fundamental Thai grammar guidelines goes to be a giant hurdle to leap. Understanding fundamental sentence construction is only a small a part of that journey.
If you wish to get severe about studying Thai, common follow of at the very least quarter-hour per day can assist vastly. This may be passive, like listening to Thai music and watching films, or energetic, like utilizing a Thai language textbook to study.
One other nice complement to studying the Thai language is utilizing an app just like the Ling app. The Thai course’s items 1-10 will allow you to get a fantastic baseline for studying Thai and can assist you follow core ideas like Thai sentence construction.
So, should you’re trying to actually degree up your Thai language expertise, why not give the Ling app a attempt?