Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)

The Common Koel and why I’d make a lousy Buddhist… Around November of last year a longtime member of my neighbourhood bird community, the Common Koel (lovingly known for his stealth gliding through the trees), transformed his pleasant warbling into an incessant, high-pitched shrill. Right outside my bedroom window. All of my windows actually. And [...]

Thai Tales: Mango’s, Mangosteen and Angry Thai Feet… My good friend Khun Phairoh, giggling away, told me a cute story this weekend and I just had to share it with you. Here you go… (and may there be many more). A tourist in Bangkok stops at a fruit stall along a crowded footpath. Wanting to [...]

Thai golf vocabulary words and their stories… I have always been active in sports. I’ve played college basketball, was on a championship softball team, ran marathons, climbed mountains and got a black belt in karate. And I have never done anything so difficult as to play golf. The game of golf is difficult enough to [...]

Happy New Year 2012!… Happy New Year everyone! 2012. Wow. That went fast. Are you ready for a new year? I’m not. Not really. And forget about the backlog of posts from the pre-flood days, when you scan through the holes in my longstanding Thai language wish list, you’ll agree that I’m running terribly behind. [...]

Smart Drugs and Language Learning… Smart Drugs. Yes. And with the recent news about Thailand clamping down on rock star Sek Loso’s drug habit, DRUGS being supported on a Thai language site might come as a surprise. But here’s the thing. It’s no secret that my main aim is to find the best methods and [...]

Patterns showing verb tenses in Thai… Verb wrappers (aka verb patterns) show how Thai verbs can be used in different tenses. The verbs themselves don’t change, but their ‘wrappers’ do. In the following patterns the verb can be substituted with the Thai verbs listed. The subject can be most nouns, names, and personal pronouns. These [...]

Outing the Energy – Thai Learning Techniques… As I promised last time, today I want to share exercises I use to improve my reading and writing. If you haven’t gotten around to studying reading and writing yet I know exactly how you feel. I went for about 20 years thinking that simply speaking Thai was [...]

AUA Thai: FREE reading and writing videos… Here’s a bit of fabulous news for Thai students. You already know about AUA’s Thai class videos being available for free download. Right? Well, David Long just uploaded AUA’s Reading and Writing videos. For free! David Long: Following the idea of Sal Khan of Khan Academy. They cover [...]

Basic Thai flood phrases… In my last post, the Primer on Thai Disaster Words, I shared flood vocabulary found in Thai conversations, TV, and Thai Newspapers. If you’ve found yourself in Thailand during the floods, the few phrases below will help you to communicate at a basic level with your Thai neighbours and friends. Please [...]

Primer on Thai disaster words… The Thai great floods of 2554 have affected almost everyone in the country. The rains in Chiang Mai, where I live, have subsided and the floods only lasted a short while. But the water had to go somewhere, and it did. And now Ayudhaya and Bangkok are getting the water [...]

Are some languages seriously harder than others… or… According to the graphic below, for English speakers Thai is in the medium range of difficulties at 44 weeks. The hardest languages to learn are double that at 88 weeks. And apparently it takes a mere 23-24 weeks to learn Italian. But seriously, I believe they have [...]

UPDATED: A top 100 Thai vocabulary list… In the post, Compiling a Top 100 Thai Vocabulary List, I put together a Thai words list and asked for suggestions. New words came in via email, Facebook, and in the comments of the post. While that list was percolating, I created a list from a different direction: [...]

Compiling a top 100 Thai vocabulary list from phrases… Searching for a top 100 Thai vocabulary list to use with the Loci Method has totally gobbled my interest! Since starting this adventure I’ve found many ways to compile such a list and I’m now on version three. Or four. In the comments of Compiling a [...]

Compiling a top 100 Thai vocabulary list… Hey all, I need your help putting together a top 100 Thai vocabulary list. The aim is to create a word list for newbies to communicate in Thai at a basic level. Only the barest Thai words are needed, but which ones? I compiled a sample list of [...]