Grammar mistakes are the worst – but they’re inevitable when learning the Thai language. For a lot of English speakers, adapting to Thai grammar is hard. Messing up the word order and sentence structure and misusing particles and tone marks are some common Thai grammar mistakes we’ll cover today.
If you’re ready to improve your Thai grammar, make sure to take notes and read on!
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Understanding Common Thai Grammar Mistakes
The most common Thai grammar mistakes tend to be with word order and Thai sentence structure. These two are the basis for all Thai language, meaning that it’s the most important part to get right; otherwise, everything else falls apart.
Another important yet common mistake (often overlooked) is the use of Thai tone marks. Thai, like many other tonal languages, makes it difficult for many English speakers to pronounce similar-sounding words.
The four sections below will outline and explain some of the most common mistakes that learners make:
Grammar Mistake #1 – Sentence Structure
Using the wrong sentence structure is a common mistake, especially among beginner Thai learners.
Thai’s SVO (subject-verb-object) word order means the subject comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object that receives the action. Every other sentence component builds on this simple structure.
Here is how the basic sentence components are structured:
- Adjectives go after the noun/object that they’re describing.
- Adverbs go after the verb that they’re modifying.
- Particles go after the full sentence (generally after the object).
- Conjunctions go between two sentences and, in some cases, before a sentence.
Grammar Mistake #2 – Misusing Particles
For beginners, understanding politeness particles is essential for respectful conversations. There are three particles you absolutely need to know:
Kráp (ครับ) And Kâ (ค่ะ)
The main two politeness articles, kráp (ครับ) and kâ (ค่ะ), are used to convey politeness for males and females, respectively. These are commonly added at the end of sentences, but overusing them can make the politeness feel unnatural in conversation.
Ná (นะ)
This particle is used for both politeness and emphasis. Ná (นะ) is placed at the end of sentences to request the listener to take action or to remember something.
A common mistake Thai learners make is overusing this particle, which can actually give a condescending tone.
Grammar Mistake #3 – Tones And Tone Marks
Thai tones and tone marks are essential to Thai pronunciation and writing since tones can completely change the meaning of nouns, verbs, and other sentence components.
Since Thai is a tonal language, many beginner learners make the common mistake of confusing the five tones in Thai: low, mid, high, falling, and rising.
Low, Mid, And High Tones
The meanings of each term are pretty self-explanatory, and the low, mid, and high tones correspond to the pitch in which you say the word or syllable.
Words like kài (ไข่, egg), fai (ไฟ, fire), and lín (ลิ้น, tongue), are some examples of words that use low, mid, and high tones in their pronunciation, respectively. These tones are relatively easy to pronounce.
Falling Tone
The falling tone commonly starts either at a mid or high pitch and then falls down.
A common word that uses this tone is kâao (ข้าว, rice). It starts at a high pitch and then falls down to a low pitch.
Rising Tone
The rising tone, much like the falling tone, starts at a designated pitch and then changes over time.
In this case, it starts at either a low or mid-pitch and then rises to a high pitch. You can see this in the word mǔu (หมู, pig/pork).
Tone Markers
Thai has four tone marks representing the different tones present in the language:
| Tone | Tone Marker | Thai Name | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | ่ | ไม้เอก | mái èek | |
| Falling | ้ | ไม้โท | mái too | |
| High | ๋ | ไม้ตรี | mái dtrii | |
| Rising | ็ | ไม้จัตวา | mái jàt dtà waa |
Grammar Mistake #4 – Using Wrong Classifiers
Thai classifiers are used when discussing different quantities of nouns. It’s similar to saying a pair of shoes,’ a murder of crows,’ or a ‘flock of sheep’ in English.
Classifiers go after the number in the order of noun + number + classifier:
Thai: Nǎng sʉ̌ʉ sɔ̌ɔng lêm (หนังสือ สอง เล่ม)
English: Two books.
Meaning: Nǎng sʉ̌ʉ (หนังสือ) means ‘books’, sɔ̌ɔng (สอง) means ‘two’, and lêm (เล่ม) is the classifier for books.
Many students make the common mistake of not using the right classifier. For your reference, see the table below:
| Noun Type | Classifier | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Books | เล่ม | lêm | |
| People | คน | kon | |
| Animals | ตัว | dtua | |
| General objects | อัน | an | |
| Vehicles | คัน | kan | |
| Pieces/portions | ชิ้น | chín | |
| Flat objects | ใบ | bai | |
| Round objects | ลูก | lûuk | |
| Buildings | หลัง | lǎng | |
| Pairs | คู่ | kûu |
Vocabulary Related To Common Thai Grammar Mistakes
To go beyond these common Thai grammar mistakes, you should keep the related vocabulary terms below in mind for future use:
Tips On Preventing Common Thai Grammar Mistakes
Now that we’ve identified some common mistakes that many students make, how do we go about fixing them?
Well, you’re in luck! To help you avoid these mistakes, we’ve got some tips to ensure these common Thai grammar errors never happen again:
- Like English, Thai uses an SVO (subject-verb-object) sentence structure. Being the backbone of the language, memorizing this is easy and essential for you to construct simple sentences in Thai.
- Use the Ling app to reinforce your existing knowledge of Thai. The units provided expose you to correct grammar and punctuation, as well as topics specific to different situations.
- Speaking Thai with other learners or native speakers is the best way to practice. Conversing with natives allows you to apply what you’ve learned in real-life situations and get immediate corrections from someone fluent in the language.
- A lot of learners use flashcards to memorize Thai particles, classifiers, and modifiers. There’s no shortcut to mastering these, but with just 15 minutes of practice each day, you’ll notice an improvement in your ability to use Thai grammar more confidently.
By following these four tips, you’ll be able to avoid the most common Thai grammar mistakes!
Frequently Asked Questions About Common Thai Grammar Mistakes
1. How Difficult Is Thai Grammar?
Thai grammar is generally very easy for English speakers. The similarities in the SVO (subject-verb-object) sentence structure and lack of gendered nouns, conjugations, and tenses make learning basic grammar quite manageable.
2. What Level Of Difficulty Is Thai?
According to the FSI (Foreign Service Institute), the Thai language is difficult for English speakers to master. Speaking and listening are the easiest aspects of Thai, but reading and writing are generally much harder due to the different writing systems and the Thai alphabet.
3. What Are The Rules For Writing In Thai?
Thai writing is similar to English but different in many ways. Like English, Thai is written from left to right and uses punctuation marks similar to those in English. However, the biggest difference is that Thai has its own alphabet, and there are no spaces between words.
Don’t Make These Common Thai Grammar Mistakes!
Now that you know the most common Thai grammar mistakes that most Thai students make, you should be able to learn Thai a lot easier.
The biggest takeaway from the tips we’ve given you is to work on pronouncing your tones and practice using the correct particles. For beginners, most mistakes stem from this. Once you’ve got this down, everything else becomes much easier!
Learn More About Thai Language And Grammar
Knowing about these most common Thai grammar mistakes and correcting them is just the start of a Thai learner.
Just like students learning English, learning the Thai language requires you to dive even deeper into more advanced topics if you want to increase your knowledge to start writing and talking with Thai people with confidence.
A perfect resource for any person looking to learn the Thai language is the Ling app. The first 20 units of the Thai course cover everything you need to build a solid foundation for learning more Thai and starting to speak with native speakers.
Simple nouns, verbs, and sentences are just some examples of some of the topics you’ll learn, along with how to read and write Thai characters.
If you’re looking to improve your skills or start your Thai learning journey, give the Ling app a try and see how positively it can impact your progress!
