MIA Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 Tips on learning Thai language Thailand boasts of a beautiful culture and friendly people. Many of us want to learn Thai language in order to come close to Thai culture. But, is there a quick way to learn Thai? Should you buy some English-Thai language books to learn Thai? Or, should you buy Thai language CDs/DVDs to master this language? Here are some tips to help you learn Thai language: • Internet is the easiest and fastest way to learn Thai language. There are numerous websites available that can offer you Thai language resources. • Buy CDs, books and enrol to Thai teaching websites. • Make some online friends in Thailand, who can help you learn this language fast. • How about hiring a good Thai teacher back home, who can guide you, correct you, and encourage you to use Thai language in real-life situations? • Try a language school to learn Thai language. • Another useful tip! Just learn 10 new words everyday for a period of 6 months, and keep rehearsing them. This way, you can increase your knowledge base and improve your skills too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidTMike Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 There are many language schools in Thailand. If you really want to learn the language, I suggest you try one of them. If you are in Thailand, there is Siam Paragon book store which I have found tons of books and CD's about learning to speak Thai. It is one of the best book stores around. I have also seen the Rosetta Stone in Thai. I have not used it. I did use it for the English DVS's for a Thai friend to learn English and I really liked it and so did he. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaimo Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 You can also hire a private tutor. That's what I did when I first moved to Thailand. Mine was excellent. She not only was teaching me the language, but what I had questions about Thai customs, quirks of the language, and even how to deal with awkward situations, she was able to explain it all. I will never forget her. Unfortunately, she has since found a foreign boyfriend and moved to somewhere in England, but there are many good private tutors. My tutor would come to my place twice a week and the lesson was about an hour. She charged 250 baht per lesson. I would imagine that is the average price for a private tutor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 A decade or so ago, I set about to try to learn some Thai so I bought a couple of books and tried to slog through them. The best (or one I liked the most) book I had was titled "Teach Yourself Thai" which also came with an audio cassette (nowadays, it has a cd). This book, like others, stressed that you're learning will be better and/or more complete if you also learn how to read and write Thai. I'm hardly proficient speaking Thai (my tones are usually wrong) and I actually might be able to read it better than I can speak it. That ability to minimally read Thai has actually been helpful as it enables me to read a lot of signs (bathroom signs, entrance and exit signs, signs indicating how much something costs, etc.) and other things and that makes my wanderings around Thailand more personally enjoyable. My biggest handicap is my age (I'm 60) as, while I can read it and understand it, my retention rate is pretty bad. I should have learned it when I was 10! This past spring, I spent 6 weeks (two hours, twice a week) with about a dozen other farangs in a Thai language school in Hua Hin. That was fun and, while I did learn some things (for the first time, learned and actually retained the tones for some words!), I'm dumbfounded as to how much of that I've forgotten in the almost 5 months I've been back at home. But...I'm about to begin a 7 month sojourn in Thailand and, as stubborn as I am, I hope to attend some language class for 6 months or so just to see if there is any realistic chance I can substantially improve my ability to speak and hear (they do talk rather fast!) Thai. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stkyricesf Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 I tried learning from a book and cd. Unfortunately, my ear for tones is really bad. On top of that there is not a way for me to practice much when I'm at home in USA. When in Thailand, I get to practice alittle, but can't retain when I return home. Hopefully after my retirement, soon I hope I can spend more time in Thailand and learn and retain the language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyoen Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 yeah... i think we can pratice if we're on Thailand... because i heard if you want to learning some language quickly from another country, you just visiting that place... is Thailand language is so hard to learn ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eleothegreat Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 I have this book and CD set that I've been listening to for a couple of months - on a not so consistent basis. I haven't learned anything at all than some common words! To which I would say, no matter how great your materials are - you will never learn if you don't put your attention into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaimo Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 I sincerely doubt that Thai is a language that can be learned only from a book and CDs. You will do far better simply being in Thailand and listening carefully to what people say and how they say it. If you are seriously interested in learning Thai I urge you to take classes or even better, hire a tutor. Then practice with Thai people. Thai is a tonal language. Getting the tones correct seems to be the most difficult part for many foreigners. But you do have to try. All too often the Thai person you are speaking to will not understand unless you get the tones correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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