How to Learn Thai in Sakon Nakhon
Plucking up the courage learn Thai? That’s great. The blog area of MySakonNakhon.com has Thai language lessons for all types of Thai language learners. English teachers who want to learn Thai to better manage their classrooms. Tourists who want to learn Thai to experience the real Thailand. Long term expats who want to take their Thai skills to the next level.
So, what is the best way to learn Thai in Sakon Nakhon? There are a lot of Learn Thai resources available today. From classic Learn Thai books to Thai language websites and Thai podcasts. We recommend that you use as many Learn Thai materials as you can. Variety is the spice of life as well as the key to successful Thai language learning.
Why Learn Thai? Because when you learn a new language you acquire a new soul. And when you learn the Thai language you gain a new spirit of living — especially if you come from the West. Learning Thai is in many ways unlike learning any other language. It requires sensitivity, intuition, and a healthy appreciation for brevity over complexity. It also requires a good sense of humor and relaxed attitude towards life.
When you learn Thai it is easy to get discouraged. It is especially frustrating when you try to learn Thai tones. However, we have some good news. When you learn Thai the most important thing is not the tone of the word but placing the words in the right order. It doesn’t matter if you speak pitch perfect Thai, if you don’t get the words in the right order you will not be understood. To learn Thai right, get the word order right.
We can’t emphasize this enough. Word order is critical. When you learn Thai you can’t mix up the words and still be understood like you can with English. Pay attention to Thai tones, be aware them, try to duplicate them as best you can, but don’t stress about it. Learning Thai tones will come naturally the more you practice speaking Thai.
For beginners who want to learn Thai tones, the first (and easiest) tone to focus on is the falling tone. Anyone can learn the Thai falling tone. It is easily recognized when spoken by Thais, and you can master it yourself, even if you think you are tone deaf. Lastly, only try to speak with the correct Thai tones if you can do so fluidly. If you hesitate or stumble while trying to hit the correct Thai tone, you likely will not be understood.
Here is another important tip about how to learn Thai. Start by learning the longer forms of Thai words first. Speaking the longer form of a Thai word will increase your likelihood of being understood. Beginning Thai learners should shy away from using the shorter form of words. For example, using the word rôop for photo instead of rôop-thài or using chúht for shirt instead of sêua-chúht.
This is because the longer form of the Thai word is easier to understand within the context of a sentence, even if you get the tone wrong. Using more words in your sentences also makes you sound more polite. Although it should be noted that speaking polite/formal Thai in casual situations that don’t demand it can cause confusion in the person to whom you are speaking.
Lastly, if you are serious about learning Thai, then we encourage you to learn how to read Thai. While the Thai script appears daunting at first, it actually can be mastered rather quickly with regular practice. Knowing how to read Thai significantly improves your pronunciation, and will make it much easier to use Thai language books, since you won’t have to rely on the many different ways that authors transliterate Thai.
Good luck. We hope our website will help you learn Thai and have some fun while doing so.
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