Conjunctions In Thai — Ling Learn Languages
So now, you may feel that you have the hang of speaking Thai and saying some short phrases. These are usually shorter, simpler sentences that cover one topic. They may also be short replies to a question. But what do you do when you want to start developing deeper, more detailed sentences? That is where the conjunction words come in. Using these will help you get more information across rather than it being split into smaller parts. There are many examples of conjunctions and so today we will be covering a few to give you more variety.
What Are Conjunctions?
Just to make sure we are on the same page, conjunctions are essentially connecting words. They are added to a sentence to include more information and detail, like if you wanted to talk about the weather being hot and rainy. Examples of conjunction words include and, because and but. Now we can look at some conjunction words in Thai.
How To Say ‘And’ In Thai
First, let’s start with what is probably the most common example: and. To say ‘and’ in Thai, you use ‘leh’ (และ). It is used the same way as in English, where you place it between the two parts of the sentence you want to connect. For example, the phrase ‘There is chicken and carrots in the soup’ in Thai would be ‘sup mii nuua-gai leh kee-root’ (ซุปมีเนื้อไก่และแครอท).
Other Connecting Words In Thai
There are many different examples of these connecting words that you may find yourself using. Here are a few more that you should learn to mix things up a bit.
Because
You would use ‘because’ in a sentence to provide a reasoning for doing something. The same is true in Thai, where because is ‘pro waa’ (เพราะว่า). Once again, it is placed between the initial part of the phrase and the explanation/reasoning. If you were to say ‘He takes the pill because he has a headache’ in Thai, it would be ‘kao taan yaa-met pro-waa kǎo bpuat-huua’ (เขาทานยาเม็ดเพราะว่าเขาปวดหัว).
But
But is used when you want to give some extra information that contrasts with the previous part. In Thai, the word is ‘dtee’ (แต่). You can see its placement in the phrase ‘My father drinks coffee but does not drink beer’, which would be ‘poh duum gaa-fee dtee mai duum biia’ (พ่อดื่มกาแฟแต่ไม่ดื่มเบียร์).
Or
The word ‘or’ lets you offer an equivalent or different substitute between two or more options. In Thai, the word ‘or’ is ‘ruu’ (หรือ). You can see it in the question ‘roon ruu yen ka’ (ร้อนหรือเย็นคะ) which means ‘Hot or cold?’
Therefore
Therefore is a word that always makes you sound smart when you use it. It lets you use the initial part of the sentence as a sort of justification or reasoning for the next part. Therefore in Thai is ‘dangnan’ (ดังนั้น).
Learning To Use Conjunctions In Thai
Thai conjunctions or connecting words operate in the same way as in English and many other languages. They connect together two parts of a sentence which different effects depending on the word used. It makes speaking, reading, and writing much more interesting as everything doesn’t need to be its own sentence. Try out these conjunction words next time you are using Thai to say more.
I you want to learn more about conjunctions in Thai and other topics, try the Ling Thai app. It makes learning much more interesting with games and challenges to test your skills in the language.
Originally published at https://ling-app.com on February 16, 2020.
