I speak Thai! Why don't you understand me?

German Version

When it comes to language learning, I knew from the beginning that learning Thai would be a challenge for me.

First of all, I remembered my grades in French (as a German who grew up in Saarland, this was my first foreign language at school) and English. I only really learned English when I needed it for my job after school.

I don't want to reveal my school grades in languages here now, because maybe my Thai nieces and nephews are reading this blog and they all go to schools with an "English program" :-) (but now I help them with math).

And then I also realized that you can't just buy a German - Thai dictionary, there was still the problem with the writing.

So I started as many tourists do, with a language CD, listening and repeating.

But then something happened that made me suddenly realize that it wouldn't just be a challenge, but a real adventure! What had happened?

Well, about 8 years ago I met my family for the first time in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Until then, I hadn't even seriously started learning Thai. But thanks to the language CD and two vacations in Thailand, I already spoke a few words. And I was really proud of that!

So on my first visit to my parents-in-law's house, one of my little nieces came up to me. She must have been about 4 years old at the time and looked at me with sparkling eyes. She hadn't often seen a real farang and this one was soon to become her uncle.

She had sweets in her hand and I thought it would be a good opportunity to start a conversation and break the ice. So I looked at her and asked "Aroy mai"? "Aroy" stands for "delicious" and "mai" for a question. A very simple sentence to ask if something is delicious.

To my great surprise, she didn't understand me! I was sure that I had pronounced it correctly. She looked at me questioningly. So a second attempt. I repeated again, "Aroy mai?", this time a little slower and probably a little louder. I could see the first signs of desperation in her eyes. She hadn't understood again. I was just about to start for the third time when Narisa, my current wife and then still my partner, came around the corner, laughed at us and asked her little niece: "Roy mai"? And lo and behold, she got a gleam in her eye and replied "Roy Mak Mak (very tasty)!

That was my first lesson in "learning Thai in the south won't be easy". I don't know if it's true for all of Thailand, but in the south people tend to be a bit lazy when it comes to speaking. So sometimes syllables (Aroy = Roy) or even whole words are swallowed. My little niece had never learned the word "Aroy" in the family and only understood the short version "Roy".

I have since got used to this and have learned a few "short versions" so that I am better understood in the south.

So that was the beginning of the "I'm learning Thai" adventure. I will reveal what else happened and what happens next in one of the next Blob posts.

Your Phi Mee