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By Jang
Sà-wàt-dii kâ…. Let’s speak Thai together!!!
As you have learnt before, when you want to talk about numbers of objects, Thai people say :
Noun + number + clf.
For example
Grà-bpăo nùng bai กระเป๋า 1 ใบ 1 bag
Nák-rian hâa kon นักเรียน 5 คน 5 students
Today I would like to teach you more about some adjective which can use with classifiers.
1. Noun + lăay + clf. = many noun
For example
măa lăay dtua หมาหลายตัว many dogs
= káo mii măa lăay dtua เขามีหมาหลายตัว
năng-sŭu lăay lêm หนังสือหลายเล่ม many books
= chán chôrp năng-sŭu lăay lêm ฉันชอบหนังสือหลายเล่ม
2. Noun + clf. + diaw = one noun (when you think that it is only one thing)
For example
rót kan diaw รถคันเดียว 1 car
= Alex mii rót kan diaw อเล็กซ์มีรถคันเดียว
rorng-táo kûu diaw รองเท้าคู่เดียว 1 pair of shoes
= Anna súu rorng-táo kûu diaw แอนนาซื้อรองเท้าคู่เดียว
3. Noun + kâe + number + clf. = only / just + number + noun (when you think that the amount of thing(s) is too little, not enough for you)
For example
Sûa kâe săam dtua เสื้อแค่ 3 ตัว only 2 shirts
= káo mii sûa kâe săam dtua เขามีเสื้อแค่ 3 ตัว
Korm-píw-dtêr kâe sŏrng krûang คอมพิวเตอร์แค่ 2 เครื่อง only 2 computer
= nai bor-ri-sàt mii korm-píw-dtêr kâe sŏrng krûang ในบริษัทมีคอมพิวเตอร์แค่ 2 เครื่อง
4. Noun + dtâng + number + clf. = when you think that the amount of thing(s) is too many for you
For example
Mor-dter-sai dtâng sìp kan มอเตอร์ไซค์ตั้ง 10 คัน 10 motorcycles
= bâan káo mii mor-dter-sai dtâng sìp kan บ้านเขามีมอเตอร์ไซค์ตั้ง 10 คัน
Sôm dtâng yîi-sìp lûuk ส้มตั้ง 20 ลูก 20 oranges
= káo gin sôm dtâng yîi-sìp lûuk เขากินส้มตั้ง 20 ลูก
Q : Wan-níi kun rian Thai gìi kam ká? (How many Thai words that you have learnt today?)
A : Wan-níi chán rian Thai dtâng lăay kam kâ (Today I’ve learnt many Thai words!)
Hope you enjoyed learning Thai..
Khruu Jang
Thai teacher
Want to learn more Thai…then come to have a look at our Thai Language School
www.thailanguagehut.com
By Jang
You might find ‘noun classifiers’ in Thai language hard to use. Here are some hints that will help you to go through this confusing subject.
In English you do not have a noun classifier just to identify an object. That is why many foreigners make a mistake when they talk about numbers of objects
Examples:
I have two cars = chán mee săwng rót à Χ chán mee rót săwng kan à √
There are four dogs = mee seè maă à Χ mee maă seè dtua à √
How many bags do you have? = khun mee geè grà-bpaŏ? à Χ khun mee grà-bpaŏ geè bai? à √
How many books are there? = mee geè năng-seŭh? à Χ mee năng-seŭh geè lêm? à √
Noun Classifiers are the words used when specifying the numbers of things/objects.
*Sentence pattern* = object + numbers + noun classifier
*Question pattern* = object + geè + noun classifier
Examples:
Maew săwng dtua = two cats แมวสองตัว
(maew = cat, săwng = 2, dtua = classifier for animals)
Baân saăm lăng = three houses บ้านสามหลัง
(baân = house, saăm = 3, lăng = classifier for house)
Sôm sìb bai = ten oranges ส้มสิบใบ
Sôm sìb loôk = ten oranges ส้มสิบลูก
(sôm = oranges, sìb = 10, bai/loôk = classifier for fruits)
Q: Khun mee rót geè kan? คุณมีรถกี่คัน = How many cars do you have?
A: Chán mee rót săwng kan ฉันมีรถสองคัน = I have two cars
(rót = cars, săwng = 2, kan = classifier for cars, geè = how many?)
Q: Khun mee rawng-taó geè koô? คุณมีรองเท้ากี่คู่ = How many pairs of shoes do you have?
A: Pŏm mee rawng-taó seè koô ผมมีรองเท้าสี่คู่ = I have four pairs
(rawng-taó = shoes, seè = 4, koô = classifier for shoes, geè = how many?)
** Geè…(classifier)…? กี่ = How many? Always used with noun classifiers
** Taô-raì? เท่าไหร่ = How much? Not required ‘noun classifiers’. It can be used alone.
Kru Mulan J
Want to learn more Thai….then come to have a look at our Thai Language School www.thailanguagehut.com
By may
It is a little strange how to use Thai noun classifiers in Thai Language such as “lêm/เล่ม” (a book = năng-sŭh-nùng-lêm/ หนังสือหนึ่งเล่ม , or a notebook = sà-mùt-nóht-nùng-lêm/ สมุดโน๊ตหนึ่งเล่ม, but a candle = tien- nùng-lêm/ เทียนหนึ่งเล่ม , and also a knife = mêet-nùng-lêm/ มีดหนึ่งเล่ม ), “toor/ตัว” ( a table = tó-nùng-toor/ โต๊ะหนึ่งตัว, or a cat = maew-nùng-toor/ แมวหนึ่งตัว ), “tâeng/แท่ง” ( a pencil = din-săw-nùng-tâeng/ ดินสอหนึ่งแท่ง, or a gold brick = thong-kham-tâeng-nùng-tâeng/ ทองคำแท่งหนึ่งแท่ง), etc.
If we talk about vehicles, we call them differently; a car = rót-nùng-khan ( รถหนึ่งคัน ) , a bicycle = jàg-grà-yaan-nùng-khan ( จักรยานหนึ่งคัน ), but a boat = rueh-nùng-lam ( เรือหนึ่งลำ), or an airplane = krûehng-bin-nùng-lam ( เครื่องบินหนึ่งลำ ).
Then Thai noun classifiers for fruits are “phŏn (ผล)”, or “bai (ใบ)”, or “lôog (ลูก)”; 10 mangos = má-mûang-sìb- phŏn/ bai/ lôog ( มะม่วงสิบผล/ใบ/ลูก), 10 durians = thú-rien-sìb- phŏn/ bai/ lôog ( ทุเรียนสิบผล/ใบ/ลูก). We also use “lôog (ลูก)” when we mention those round things such as footballs (10 footballs = lôog-fút-bohn- sìb-lôog/ ลูกฟุตบอลสิบลูก ), bowling balls (10 bowling balls = lôog-boe-lîng-sìb-lôog/ ลูกโบว์ลิ่งสิบลูก ), etc. Then “bai (ใบ)” is Thai noun classifier for bags (10 bags = grà-păo-sìb-bai/กระเป๋าสิบใบ ), banknotes (20 baht banknotes = Thà-nà-bàt-bai-lá-yêe-sìb-bàat-lăai-bai/ ธนบัตรใบละยี่สิบบาทหลายใบ ), etc.
Now someother things such as a bar of soap = sà-bùh-nùng-gôhn (สบู่หนึ่งก้อน ), one sugar-cube = nám-taan-gôhn-nùng-gôhn ( น้ำตาลก้อนหนึ่งก้อน ) , a stone = gôhn-hĭn-nùng-gôhn ( ก้อนหินหนึ่งก้อน ), but a diamond = pét-nùng-mét ( เพชรหนึ่งเม็ด ), or a basket = tà-grâa-nùng-bai ( ตะกร้าหนึ่งใบ ) , or a flute = klùi-nùng-lao ( ขลุ่ยหนึ่งเลา ), or a fiddle = saw-nùng-khan ( ซอหนึ่งคัน ), etc. We have a lot of fun learning and practising these in our Thai Language School.
Do not panic because even Thai people do not remember all of Thai noun classifiers!!!
Khru May Thai Language Teacher!!!
Want to learn more Thai Language …then come have a look at our Thai Language School www.thailanguagehut.com
