Thai Slang – ป่วยการเมือง//puày kaan meuang

 

Let’s look at something light and short today:

ป่วยการเมือง//puày kaan meuang

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This means ‘pretending to be ill’ or ‘malingering’ to avoid doing something. Thai people believe that politics are all excuses and full of fallacies and phonies. This leads to the usage of the word การเมือง//kaan meuang (which means politics) in a meaning of ‘fake’.

วันนี้เขาไม่มาทำงาน เขาบอกคนอื่นว่าไม่สบาย แต่ทุกคนก็รู้ว่าเขาป่วยการเมือง จริงๆแล้วสบายดี แค่ขี้เกียจมาทำงาน

Wannée khăo mâi mah tham ngaan, khăo bòrk khon èun wâh mâi sàbaai, tàe thúk khon kôr róo wâh khăo puài kaan meuang, jing jing láew khăo sàbaai dee, khâe khêe kìat mah tham ngaan

Today he doesn’t come to work. He told others that he was not feeling well; but everyone knows that he pretends to be ill. He is actually well; only that he is lazy to come to work.

ทำ//tham: to make, to do, to…?

Many of you probably already knew the meaning of ทำ//tham; and that is to do, to make (comme ‘faire’ en français).

Let’s look at how we can use this word.

ทำอาหาร//tham ahhăan = to make food = to cook/to prepare the dish

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ทำขนม//tham khànŏm = to make snack/dessert = to bake/to prepare the snack/dessert

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ทำผม//phŏm = to do hair = to have a hairdo/to style hair

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ทำหน้า//tham nâh = to do a face = to have a plastic surgery

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ทำจมูก//tham jàmòok = to do a nose = to have a rhinoplasty

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ทำใจ//tham jai = to make a heart = to condition a heart/to come to terms with it

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ทำของหาย//tham khŏrng haăi = to make things disappear = to have lost an item

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ทำเขาร้องไห้//tham khăo ráwng hâi = to make him/her cry

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ทำเป็นยิ้ม//tham pen yím = to pretend to smile

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Found, Establish, Start: How to say these in Thai?

Some time ago a student asked me to explain the difference between ตั้ง//tâng vs. เริ่ม//rêrm so here we go:

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1. ตั้ง//tâng vs. เริ่ม//rêrm

ตั้ง//tâng + noun

คุณปู่ของเขาเป็นคนตั้งบริษัท

Khun pòo khŏrng khăo pen khon tâng borrísàt

His paternal grandfather was the one who founded/established the company.

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ครูตั้งข้อสอบยากมาก

Khroo tâng khôr sòrb yâak mâak.

The teacher sets a very difficult exam question.

เริ่ม//rêrm + verb

น้องเมฆยังไม่เริ่มทำการบ้าน

Nórng Mêhk yang mai rêrm tham kaan bâan

Mehk has not started doing his homework yet.

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เขาจะเริ่มฝึกงานอาทิตย์หน้า

Khăo jà rêrm fèuk ngaan ahthíd nâh

He will start his internship next week.

And here are more examples:

ตั้งราคา//tâng raa khaa = to set the price

ตั้งค่าหัว//tâng khâa hǔa = to set the bounty

ตั้งชื่อ//tâng chêu = to set a name = to name

ตั้งนาฬิกา//tâng naalíkaa = to set a clock = to set the time

ตั้งตัว//tâng tua = to establish yourself

ตั้งใจ//tâng jai = to intend to/to make an effort to/to pay attention to

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There are a couple more ways to look at ตั้ง//tâng:

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2. ตั้ง//tâng (as much as…) vs. แค่//khâe (only…)

ตั้ง//tâng emphasises that the amount is very large and แค่//khâe emphasises that the amount is very small (according to the speaker). Here are some examples:

บ้านหลังนี้ก็ไม่ใหญ่ ทำไมราคาตั้ง 10 ล้าน

Bâhn lăng née kôr mâi yài, tham mai raa khaa tâng sìb láan

This house is not so big, why does it cost 10 million (baht)?

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ก็อยู่ทำเลดี ใกล้ทางด่วน ขับรถแค่ 15 นาทีก็ถึงในเมืองแล้ว

Kôr yòo tham leh dee, klâai thaang dùan, khàb rót khâe sbì hâa nahthee kôr thěung nai meuang láew

The location is good, it is near the express way, only 15 minutes’ drive from downtown.

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3. ตั้ง//tâng (stack) vs. กอง//korng (pile)

ตั้ง//tâng

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กอง//korng

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You’ve got a friend in me.

เพื่อน//pheûan means a friend. Now that I mentioned this word, it reminds me of this song:

This is one of my favourite shows. Woody and Buzz are surely BFF – best friends forever.

Ok, I digressed. Here are some examples:

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เขาเป็นเพื่อนสนิทของฉัน

Khăo pen pheûan sànìt khŏrng chăn

He is my close friend.

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เราเป็นเพื่อนกันตั้งแต่เด็ก

Rao pen pheûan kan tâng tàe dèk

We have been friends since young.

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Another expression that I would like to introduce today is:

verb + เป็นเพื่อน//pen pheûan : to accompany someone to do something

Credit pic: here

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ฉันไปดูหนังเป็นเพื่อนน้องชาย

Chăn pai doo năng pen pheûan nórng chaai

I accompany my younger brother to watch movie.

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เขาไม่หิว แต่ก็กินข้าวเป็นเพื่อนฉัน

Khăo mâi hǐu tàe kôr kin khaâo pen pheûan chăn

He is not hungry, but he accompanies me to eat.

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ไปห้องน้ำเป็นเพื่อนหน่อยสิ

pai hôrng nám pen pheûan nòi sì

Can you accompany me to the toilet?

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Question:

เพื่อนคนแรกของคุณคือใคร

Pheûan khon raêk khŏrng khun kheu khrai

PS: This song may be outdated but I love the singers!

Chilli, dipping sauce, chilli paste, how do we call them?

**This post gears towards Singaporeans since they form majority of my students.**

I have asked a couple of (Singaporean) students how they would call “chicken rice’s chilli”. Everyone told me proudly – น้ำพริก//nám phrík or พริก//phrîk. I was not surprised that they didn’t get it right, to be honest. Now, let me explain the differences between how Thai and Singaporean address our ‘chilli’.

น้ำพริก//nám phrík is a main dish and it is typically accompanied with vegetables (raw or cooked).

Credit pic: here

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น้ำจิ้ม//nám jîm is in fact a dipping sauce. Now, when we say ‘sauce’ (see definition below), it can be chilli sauce, kepchup. satay sauce, etc. In other words, this น้ำจิ้ม//nám jîm is supposed to compliment main dishes. You can do without it, for example, but for me I need my กุยช่ายทอด//kui chaâi thôrd with its dipping sauce. Back to my original question, this is what we use to call “chicken rice’s chilli”, น้ำจิ้มข้าวมันไก่//nám jîm khaâo man kài.

Credit pic: here

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ซอส//sórd is taken from an English word – sauce. Here you can have a few variety:-

ซอสพริก//sórd phrík = chilli sauce

ซอสมะเขือเทศ//sórd má kheǔa thêt = ketchup

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ซอสหอยนางรม//sórd hŏi naang rom = oyster sauce

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ซีอิ๊วขาว//see-éw khaăo = light soy sauce

ซีอิ๊วหวาน//see-éw wăan = dark soy sauce

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พริก//phrîk is chilli. Singaporeans usually call dipping sauce that contains chilli as such, hence the confusion. In Thai, if we ask for พริก//phrîk, this is what you will get:

Credit pic: here

*Extra*

เผ็ด//phèd means spicy. When we order a bowl of noodle, the seller asks either: do you want it spicy, or, do you want chilli. Because of this, some people might mistake เผ็ด//phèd as being chilli. The other thing is that most noodles in Thailand do not come with chilli, you have to add it yourself.

One Word A Day – จี้

1. (verb)To poke by using a sharp object (not necessary a knife or a needle, it can be a pen, a stick, or even a finger)

2. (verb)To rob someone by using a knife, a gun.

3. (verb) To tickle

4. (adjective) Humorous

Other usages:

จี้ไฝ (verb): To remove a mole by laser (beam), for example.

บ้าจี้ (verb): To be overly sensitive to touch

Do Thai people drink water or eat water?

ดื่ม//dèum means to drink. Nonetheless for casual situations, we can replace it with กิน//kin. The latter not only means to eat, but also to consume. Here are some examples:

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ฉันชอบกินน้ำผลไม้สด

Chǎn chôrb kin nám phŏnlámái sòd

I like to eat/drink fresh fruit juice.

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แอร์กินไฟมาก เราควรปิดแอร์ถ้าไม่มีคนอยู่ในห้อง 

Air kin fai mâak, rao khuan pìd air thâa mâi mee khon yòo nai hôrng

Air conditioner consumes a lot of electricity. We should switch it off if there is nobody in the room.

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รถคันนี้ไม่กินน้ำมัน เติมน้ำมัน 1 ถัง 35 ลิตร วิ่งได้ 500 กว่ากิโลเมตร

Rót khan née mâi kin nám man, term nám man 1 thǎng wîng dâi 500 kwàa kilometre.

This car does not consume (a lot of) fuel (or it has lower fuel consumption); topping up its tank with 35 litres of petrol can last more than 500 kilometres.

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Nonetheless, you can still use ดื่ม//dèum in a context of drinking beverage. No soup. No cough syrup. No liquified meals.

Also, you might find this advertisement interesting. Ploy Cherman is indeed talented. Without much make up and props, with just one light, she can demonstrate different emotions perfectly. Cheers to Ploy!

Lesson 25 = Bòt Thêe Yêe Sìb Hâa = บทที่ ๒๕

Since this lesson discusses dress code, let’s take a break from many grammar points. This post I will be talking about how to dress like a Thai in many occasions.

School/University – A rule of thumb is that no bottom shorter than knee length should be worn when entering the campus. Some of you may say that, hey, what about that girl in her uniform with skirt exposing half her thighs? I would say, let her be. That is not the appropriate uniform that she should be dressing in. For ladies, sleeveless tops are fine, but no singlet, spaghetti strap, tube top. For guys, sleeveless tops are NOT ok. T-shirts, polo shirts, or anything with sleeves are acceptable. For both genders, denim jeans are ok too.

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Government office – Similar to what you would wear when entering a school. But you might want to avoid loud pattern – Stay with neutral colours.

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Wedding – Unless there is a specific theme set by the couple, here are the colours that should be avoided: white or cream (it resembles the bride’s gown, you surely do not want people to mistake you for the bride?), black (it resembles the colour preferred for the funeral), red (imagine yourself standing next to the bride in white, which one of you will be more outstanding?), purple (some Thai believe that the colour is for widowers). The best colours are anything pastel, maybe except pastel purple but the rest should work. For guys, avoid wearing only black & white. Try adding some colours to your necktie or get a pastel colour shirt.

Credit pic: here

Going to the temple – Sleeveless blouses are acceptable but spaghetti straps are not. Also, nothing above knee should be worn especially for ladies. We all know that once a woman sits down in her short skirt, it will become shorter. Loose fitting clothes are preferred.

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Funeral – Most of funerals are held at temples (due to the fact that majority of Thai are buddhists). As a result, dress code for the funeral is identical to the one for going to the temple. Only that it has to be in black.

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Wearing the appropriate clothes for the occasion is considered respectful. You respect the place, the people you are visiting, or even other people whom you might be walking by.

Thai Slang – เว่อร์//wer

This comes from an English word ‘over’. When something is over or going beyond the boundary, it is said to be going beyond the standard, the norm, or normal thing that people in general practice.

To be “โอเว่อร์//over” is to be exaggerating.

กระดาษบาดนิดเดียว ร้องเสียงดังโอเว่อร์จังนะเธอ

Kràdàad bàad níd diao, ráwng sǐang dang ‘over’ jang ná ther

It’s (just) a paper cut, and you had to cry so loudly?

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เขาขี้โม้ ชอบพูดโอเว่อร์ เกินความจริง

Khǎo khêe móh, chôrb phôod ‘over’, kern khwaam jing

He is boastful and always exaggerating about things.

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อย่าเว่อร์

Yàh ‘over’//‘ver’

Don’t exaggerate.

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ชุดแต่งงานของชมพู่สวยเว่อร์

Chúd tàeng ngaan khŏrng Chomphoo suǎi ‘ver’.

Chomphoo’s wedding gown is really very beautiful.

Credit pic: here

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หนังเรื่อง Jurassic World สนุกเว่อร์

Nǎng reûang Jurassic World sànùk ‘ver’.

Jurassic World the movie is really very entertaining.

Credit pic: here

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Father’s day #throwback

Father’s day has just passed. Do you know when Thailand’s Father’s day is? Anyway, Father’s day  is called วันพ่อ//wan phôr. Let’s take a look at the images below:

From left to right, top to bottom: วันพ่อ(wan/one phôr), ทูพ่อ(thoo/two phôr), ทรีพ่อ(three/tree phôr). Did you get the pun?