Simple Thai questions and the way to answer
I would like to explain about "Yes/no questions" first !!
Statements are transformed into
questions that require a simple yes/no answer by adding the question particles,
mai?, chai mai?, ru plao?, ru yang? or
ja …… ru yang?
Aa-haan Thai
arɔy ---> Aa-haan
Thai arɔy mai?
Thai food is delicious. Is Thai food delicious?
Khun Robert pen nakthurakit. -----> Khun Robert pen nakthurakit chai mai?
Robert
is a business man. Robert is a business man, isn’t he?
...mai? .....ไหม ?
~ mai? is an
information – seeking question particle used in neutral questions which do not
anticipate either a positive or negative response.
Baan
yuu klai roongrian. Baan yuu klai roongrian mai?
A house is
fat from school. Is a house far from school?
Kruu Wee pen khon jaidii. Kruu Wee pen khon jaidii mai?
Kruu Wee is a
kind person. Is
Kruu Wee a kind person?
Answers
to ~ mai? questions are formed as follows :
Yes: Adj./ Verb
No: Mai
+ adj./verb
Phuuying khon
nii suay
mai? Is
this lady beautiful?
Suay kh. Yes,
she is.
Mai suay kh. No, she isn’t.
If the
question includes more than one verb, the first verb is normally used in
responses.
Khun yaak
pai gap phom mai?
Do you want
to go with me?
Yaak kh. / Mai
yaak kh.
Yes.
No.
....chai mai? ....ใช่ไหม
~
chai mai?
question seeks confirmation of the assumption made in the question.
Khao
pen khon Yiipun.
Khao pen khon
Yiipun chai mai?
She/He is Japanese.
She/He is Japanese, isn’t she/he?
Answers to ~ chai mai? questions are formed as follows :
Yes: Chai.
No: Mai
chai.
...ru plao? ...หรือเปล่า
~
ru plao? questions,
although not as brusque as the English translation (‘…… or not?’) suggests,
demand a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
Khun
ja duum beer ru
plao? Are you
going to drink beer (or not)?
Kruu Wee suay ru plao? Does
Kruu Wee beautiful (or not)?
Answers
to ~ ru plao questions are formed as follows :
Yes: Verb
No:
Mai + verb / plao
Khun ja
pai ru plao? Are
you going (or not)?
Pai
kh. Yes, I am.
Mai pai / plao
kh. No, I’m not.
... (lεεw) ru
yang? ... แล้ว หรือ ยัง?
(lεεw) ru yang? questions ask whether
something has happened yet; the word lεεw (meaning
‘already’) is often omitted in spoken Thai.
Gin khaaw
(lεεw) ru yang? Have you eaten yet?
Khun
tεεng-ngaan (lεεw) ru yang? Are you married?
Answers to (lεεw)
ru yang? questions are formed as follows :
Yes : Verb +
lεεw
No : Yang /
Yang mai
dai + verb / Yang mai + verb
Kin khaaw
(lεεw) ruyang? Have you eaten yet?
Kin lεεw kh. Yes,
I have.
Yang mai
(dai) kin kh. No,
I haven’t.
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