#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Learn Thai Language >  >  Learn to read Thai in a day!

## The Fresh Prince

Well probably not a day but that's what the books called. :Smile: 

I saw an advert for a seminar that was held this past weekend at the Boulevard Amari Hotel, which was advertised as learning to read Thai in a weekend using advanced learning techniques / picture recognition, that kind of thing. I had to work all weekend so couldn't make it, but a quick google search found their website.

Rapid Language Learning

They're not claiming that you'll understand what your reading just that you'll be able to read it and use that as a base to improve you language skills.

Its kind of a lazy bastard technique which is perfect for me and also I already had a bet on with a mate that I'll be able to learn to read before him and the cut of deadline is Nov 11th 09. So hopefully he wont read this thread. :Smile: 

On the site is a free trial Ebook which I downloaded and worked through this morning. It took about an hour and I was picking up and being able to work out what words said by the end of it.

When you get to the end of the first section the rest of the ebook is locked and you need to pay 2,000bt to get a pin to unlock it if you think the books any good.

Has anyone else here learned from this book? I've pretty much decided already that I'm going to buy it, just wondering if anyone else already has.

P.s, Its a windows based ebook but mac users can install Crossover and then you can open it.

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## Nawty

can you send me the pin....and the book when you get it ?

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## baldrick

> *Try the demo.*
> 
> [Temporarily withdrawn for further development]


noice

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## The Fresh Prince

> can you send me the pin....and the book when you get it ?


Apparently it only works on one computer.






> Quote: Try the demo.  [Temporarily withdrawn for further development] noice


I cant find the page where I downloaded it from this morning. Hang on, i'll have a look.

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## The Fresh Prince

It was there when I downloaded it this morning at 3am. Maybe they are changing something after the weekend workshop.

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## somtamslap

This one worked for me..

Manee and Friends

22 lessons, 1 lesson a day ( 30-60 mins) and your off..

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## The Fresh Prince

Found it.

Learn Thai Online - Read Thai in a Day

Scroll down to the 'Try it for free' heading and then click on the 'download page'.






> This one worked for me..  Manee and Friends  22 lessons, 1 lesson a day ( 30-60 mins) and your off..


Cheers Somtam, gonna have a go at both.

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## DrAndy

Manee is free too!!

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## thethaireport

I've tried a lot of software. thai2english .com is by far the best in my opinion. It's $30USD or something like that but there's a free trial you can test. I don't know the developer; just a very happy customer!

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## The Fresh Prince

I'm getting on pretty well. I can read quite a lot of stuff on the street now but still get buggered up when companies change their font on their bill boards and signs. Deffo getting the hang of it though. :Smile:

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## benlovesnuk

I am a competent person in reading and yet terrible in speaking (tones kill me), there is a book that is gold mine written by a guy who is unfortunately no longer with us, but a study of his book and a real enthusiasm for about 2 weeks and you will be able to improve your thai reading vastly! give it a  month of self study and you should be able to read pretty much anything.......

I think this is the key to opening up Thai language in becoming easier. As Thai is spoken directly as is written (with all the information presented in speaking in the writing), once you can read and then get into the practice of speaking what you can read you are more likely able to ask someone what something is for explanation. In so increasing your vocab immensely!  

I will be back with the book when i find it!

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## hoosdathu

> I am a competent person in reading and yet terrible in speaking (tones kill me), there is a book that is gold mine written by a guy who is unfortunately no longer with us, but a study of his book and a real enthusiasm for about 2 weeks and you will be able to improve your thai reading vastly! give it a  month of self study and you should be able to read pretty much anything.......
> 
> I think this is the key to opening up Thai language in becoming easier. As Thai is spoken directly as is written (with all the information presented in speaking in the writing), once you can read and then get into the practice of speaking what you can read you are more likely able to ask someone what something is for explanation. In so increasing your vocab immensely!  
> 
> I will be back with the book when i find it!


hope u've found the book already?
learning the thai alphabet now  :Razz:

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## Bangyai

> This one worked for me..
> 
> Manee and Friends
> 
> 22 lessons, 1 lesson a day ( 30-60 mins) and your off..


Good link Somtam. I used stuff like this with my Thai step daughter when she was learning to read and falling behind a bit at school. She was soon back on track and reading without any problems.  :Smile: 


P.S. Havn't you finished painting the farmhouse yet ? About time for some pics and a progress report.

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## Camel Toe

I'm in no hurry.  I'm on the twenty-year plan.

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## Isee

I looked at the link in the OP and how they did this (before they pulled the demo) and to be honest, it made no sense to me what so ever. I just couldn't work out the value of using male, female and katoey worms bent around the thai script to help memorising techniques even though I know that its to show low-mid-high consonants. 

I've had a better result with this site simply because it made more sense 

  I suggest starting with him as it shows how simple it can be to learn to read thai and then move on to the consonants.  I'm now up to complex vowels which is taking a little bit more time in memorising and I have to find links on the internet (easy enough) where I can hear them being said.

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## good2bhappy

for some people it would take a groundhog day

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## bangkokbonecollector

I am sure it would take more than a day.

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## Bogon

> already had a bet on with a mate that I'll be able to learn to read before him and the cut of deadline is Nov 11th 09


So how did the bet go with your mate and how are your reading skills today?

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## Norton

> I've tried a lot of software. thai2english .com  is by far the best in my opinion. It's $30USD or something like that but  there's a free trial you can test. I don't know the developer; just a  very happy customer!


Their free online dictionary is quite good as well.

Thai to English dictionary, translation & transliteration - Thai2English

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## Smug Farang Bore

If you want to speak it learn how to read it at the same time.

Havin said that most of my sfuff is base slang, coz thats the type of people I mix with.. :Smile:

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## The Fresh Prince

> So how did the bet go with your mate and how are your reading skills today?


I won the bet. I can read but still reading like a kid and I struggle when different fonts are used but I'll keep trying. :Smile:

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## Bogon

^^ Cheers for the update.

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## Mr Brown

Hey FP

Kor Kwaii, sala ogu, Nor Noo, Tor Tahaan.

Don't have a thai keyboard here

It's not hard to read, it's understanding what you've just read outloud

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## vulture4856

Great links! I'm onto learning the basics in Thai language. Appreciate these links so much!Thanks

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## vulture4856

I learned so much on basics of Thai language. Thanks again.

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## marcmarc

wish i could read Thai,  i am sure i would be better of financially!, i read somewhere that to learn the Thai language you should start at the beginning?, where can i download the Thai ABC?, as "Manee & Friends" site doesn't seem to have the Thai alphabet or am i that thick?, lol, even the wife has tried but it always end's with the proverbial argument, yes up to me, up to you crap. 
in anticiptation.

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## The Fresh Prince

> as "Manee & Friends" site doesn't seem to have the Thai alphabet _or am i that thick?_, lol


In lesson 1 it gives you a few consonants and vowels to practice. :Smile:

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## Mordechai

I learnt to read Thai by watching many Thai karaoke videos on YouTube.
Of course, I had some basics nailed down but the videos made me read
much faster. And of course the lyrics are rubbish so the words are pretty 
simple for beginners.

Shalom

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## joannevel69

Rome wasn't built in a day and learning Thai isn't either. It's hard work.

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## bkkbear

> I've tried a lot of software. thai2english .com is by far the best in my opinion. It's $30USD or something like that but there's a free trial you can test. I don't know the developer; just a very happy customer!


agreed  :Smile:  this is the #1 most useful tool for learning thai on the internets! the number one most enjoyable is learning it from cute thai girls while slightly drunk with ur friends on a beach  :Very Happy:

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## peter2076

the best way to learn Thai si to spend a lot of time with your lady and be around Thais. meanwhile study your vocab and you will pick it up quickly

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## peter2076

i forgot. carry a small dictionary around with you and a pencil. write down new phrases you hear

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## rawky

Hi , its me again .
Just noticed your thread on the language .
I have tried the same download as you and found it very interesting .
There is a book out called Essential Thai by James Higbie which uses a very similar format but without the visual aids .

There are a lot of rules which you will need to remember when learning to read Thai but it really isnt as difficult as first appears .
Good luck

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## The Fresh Prince

Yep, agree with that, it's not so hard as it appears. Reading now is becoming natural. not in a day, for me its been about a year I think since this thread started but its coming together. Keep practicing. :Smile:

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## hippocampus

Could you suggest any specific book on Thai intonation, cos for me this is apparently th e most difficult part

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## dirtydog

Learn Thai Alphabet here TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum Learn the Thai Alphabet

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## Chairman Mao

> Yep, agree with that, it's not so hard as it appears. Reading now is becoming natural. not in a day, for me its been about a year I think since this thread started but its coming together. Keep practicing.


Yes, about a year of reading everything you see... buses, menus, roadsigns, shop fronts, posters, numberplates and it becomes natural. Plus of course practicing with magazines and books.

Good on ya.

I mainly learned from the Benjawan Poomsan Becker bookseries.

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## hippocampus

"ve been trying with this, thanks

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## The Fresh Prince

You can say that again William! :Smile:

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## ChalkyDee

I learnt to read with an AUA book, bought from their main office. Quite a few years back. I learned in one month - 1/2 an hour a day. It's really easy if you study.

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## who

> Originally Posted by thethaireport
> 
> I've tried a lot of software. thai2english .com  is by far the best in my opinion. It's $30USD or something like that but  there's a free trial you can test. I don't know the developer; just a  very happy customer!
> 
> 
> Their free online dictionary is quite good as well.
> 
> Thai to English dictionary, translation & transliteration - Thai2English


.
It seems designed more for a Thai speaker.

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## Chairman Mao

> I want to try this, but it is quite expensive!!


Go to any bookshop and look for an orange book by benjawan poomsan becker. It should see you reading in no time.

299b I think.

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## The Fresh Prince

> Go to any bookshop and look for an orange book by benjawan poomsan becker. It should see you reading in no time.  299b I think.


I've got that one if he wants to buy it fro me. It will have to be 399bt though because I've filled in all the writing sections, so all the hard work has been done for you.

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## Chairman Mao

I see you've read her Business logic for Thailand book too.

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## Mickmac

Hi,

I went to school in Chiang Rai (AUA) for 6 months and did "one on one" learning Thai with a Thai teacher. Well worth the money I spent. But I did a lot of studying at home using books and the great website "LearningThai.com" - Learning Thai the Easy Way
You will find everything you need to learn the Thai language here, and there are sections where you can click on a button and hear the word spoken in Thai (you need Adobe Flash enabled) and this is very handy when studying on your own.
I found a good way to learn the various sounds of the consonants and vowels is to pick each letter and find a commonly used word that includes that letter, write the word in Thai, then the word in English, then the sound that the Thai letter makes by using an English word _which can only be pronounced one way_, this is important as some words in English can be be pronounced in several ways.
For example : The Thai vowel อิ - กิน - "gin" with a hard g - as in "pin"
This way you not only learn the sound the vowel makes but a handy word as well.
It worked for me, and I was 48 years old when I started learning the Thai language. :bananaman:

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## rapidll

Hi, I'm the author of what used to be called "Read Thai in a Day"...

Well, maybe _one day_ was a little ambitious. We do it in two days now. The first day is basically to "download" (or upload) the letters into your head, _The Matrix_ style; and the second day is to practice and consolidate what you've learnt. The second day seems to make all the difference.

It's not for everybody. Some people prefer the plain-and-simple brute-force method of just repeating things over and over again until it sticks. I'm lazy. I prefer to find a short-cut, and that's what the 'Rapid' Method is.

BTW, even for those people who do study the Thai reading system the conventional way, they say it's still very difficult to figure out the tones. Some people who can already read have attended my workshop to understand this aspect of the Thai language (read my separate post "English is a Tonal Language too").

Please visit the website and sign up to the free Starter Course. You'll get a daily 10-minute lesson by email for 15 days. You'll learn to read quite a bit in that time.

The underlying principle for the 'Rapid' Method is that it's always easier to remember a story (especially if it's visual, as in a movie) than to try to memorize facts by repetition alone. 

Some repetition is required even with 'accelerated' approaches, but only two or three times - compared with dozens of times using a more conventional approach. The other advantage is that what you remember sticks indefinitely, maybe with a quick refresher after a few months. 

If you learn by rote then most of what you might have memorized is lost if you don't keep up your studies continuously.

I use boys, girls and ladyboys as a way of remembering the 'class' of each letter. You can use the same trick to remember the gender of German or French words. The concept of 'class' has no meaning, so is easily forgotten or confused.

But if you associate a personality (or better yet, a _sexual_) characteristic with each letter then it's a piece of cake. The _chicken_ is Thai is male *cockerel* (or rooster if you're American). 
This quickly and easily reminds you that ก (which kinda looks like a bird with a beak) is a _male_ letter - and it sounds like the "ck" inside the word "chi*ck*en".

How about บ, which looks like the English "U"? I have a picture of a U-Boat captain, looking out of the funnel of his submarine. This reminds you instantly - from the shape of the letter alone - that บ is a _male_ letter (captains are usually male) and that it sounds like "b" as in "boat".

So it doesn't take long to learn the entire alphabet, with its sounds and 'classes'. I then extend the story I've been weaving with all the alphabet characters to explain how the tones work in Thai.

But that's for another bedtime. It's lessons 13 and 14 in the Rapid Starter Course... Go sign up and check it out for yourself and let us know what you think.

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## rapidll

Sorry, I forgot to add a link to my website: www.LearnThaiOnline.com. You can watch the video and learn 13 letters in ten minutes, sign up for a free 'Starter' course and try out the method for yourself.

You can follow the course online in your own time. It can be done in two half-days a week apart, but most people do it slowly: one page a day (15 mins) for two months.

Or if you're lazy, come to one of the Rapid Read Thai intensive workshops.

*Upcoming Read Thai Workshops:*

*October 10-14*, _Chiang Mai_ - Mon-Fri 10am-3pm
*October 22-23*, _Ko Samu_i  intensive weekend
*Oct 31-Nov 4,* _Pattaya_ - "wakeboard week" 
*November 26-27*, _Pattaya_  intensive weekend
*December 5-9*, _Bangkok_ - Mon-Fri 10am-3pm

 Click here for more details and to register.

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## PeterPiper

Don't know why my previous reply was deleted, hmmm...
anyway, can you maybe explain why YOUR system is better than the THAI system where THAI words & characters are used instead of ENGLISH?
With your system, how can you spell a word to someone who isn't looking at your written word or how can someone 'spell' any word to you ?, U-boat, ahhh, tortoise???...

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## Little Chuchok

> 


That's just brilliant.Hope you do well.

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## rapidll

Peter, I read your (deleted?) post and tried to reply but there must have been some glitch  :Surprised: 

  I'm afraid you've completely missed the point when you say that it's important to learn to read Thai the same way as Thai children learn, using the Thai system, the Thai convention and the Thai names for the letters...

  Try looking at it from another perspective. Let's say you are Thai learning to read English. Is it really necessary to know the letters _aitch_, _ay_,_ pee_ and _wai_ to read "happy"? It makes more sense to a Thai person to read it as, say, _hua_ [head], _aepbeun_ [apple], _poh_ [father] and _eemayl_. How about a German word "zeitgeist" or a French word "l'amour"...? Do you know the German or French names of all the letters in the alphabet? More importantly, did you _need_ to in order to read and understand these words?

  Whatever you or I say, the proof is in the pudding. By following the minimalist 'Rapid' approach, my students have learnt to read (albeit slowly and without much understanding) in about 16 hours and be able to pronounce all the words accurately with the correct tone.

  I think most people who follow the conventional "the way the Thais learn" approach take around 150 hours over 3-4 months to read passably well, but still struggle to figure out the tones and are still confused about many subtle aspects of the Thai language. And they read even more slowly than those who've completed the 16-hour 'Rapid' course.

For those people who are diligent and self-disciplined enough to study alone, the course is available online also. There are also other fairly good courses, like HighSpeedThai and LearnThaiPodcast and Its4Thai. Often it's a matter of taste: if you enjoy immersing yourself in mountains of material and focusing on a more aural (as opposed to visual) approach then you will probably prefer these other courses.

The 'Rapid' approach takes a minimalistic "less-is-more" route, designed to fit into your busy lifestyle - usually not more than 15 minutes per day, but focused in such a way that you can achieve fluency in a fraction of the time... with minimal effort.

  It's true that you need to adopt a new paradigm of learning and set of conventions. I have trained Thai teachers to provide follow on conversational lessons by continuing the 'Rapid' approach. Not many teachers can do it.

(In reply to your latest post, it's completely irrelevant whether you can _spell_ a word out to a Thai person or not. The point of the 'Rapid' approach is simply to be able to read Thai and _use this as a basis_ for developing your understanding and conversational ability. Along the way, as part of building your vocabulary, you will learn the names of the letters - at least for the letters that have modern, meaningful names, like _chicken_, _child_, _soldier_. But it really isn't neccessary. 

There are only three occasions where you might need to ask for a word to be spelled out verbally: 1. When you're not sure you've heard a word correctly and you want clarification. 2. If you've heard a new word and you want to know how it's spelled so you can look it up - alternatively, just ask the Thai person to write it down for you. 3. You need to know how to spell someone's name, because these are usually fiendishly obscure. I think you'll agree that for a beginning or even intermediate student these situations are highly unlikely...)

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## PeterPiper

You say "I've completely lost the point" and there are only three times when you would need to 'spell out a word' verbally...  Scenario: 1. hit and run driver, you call 911 and give the license number of the vehicle, can you do it with your system? 2. You're on the phone trying to spell a word to the other party, etc., etc.... Personally, I think your system is too confusing and you said yourself, although your students learn in 16 hours to read there is little understanding. Not very convincing I'm afraid..  In my communication with Thai's I verbally use letters/characters (engineering & architecture) over the phone to clarify things. It would be impossible with the system you have. Many Thai words are very similar, Ma for instance has several meanings but are not spelled the same and have different accent marks (vowels, sala's, rising tones, etc., etc.) your system doesn't seem to address this at all. 
"Whatever I say, the proof is in the pudding"...hmmm...I would like to speak to one of your students, or better yet, You, over the phone, in Thai to see if, in fact, there is any truth "in the pudding".  If not comfortable talking to me you can talk to my wife, her English is probably just as good as mine but she's Thai so there shouldn'd be a problem understanding you. After our conversation(s), I will report the results on Teak Door...agreed?

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## rapidll

Peter, are you the same guy who tried to flame my system on ThaiVisa and similar forums? You seem to have the same gripes.

  It seems that you are already a fairly advanced speaker if you can talk to Thai people over the phone about engineering and architecture and spell out complicated terms, the Thai way.

  The point that you seem to have missed is that the Rapid Read Thai system is for people just starting out in Thai who want to become proficient and accurate - and eventually fluent - speakers without spending hundreds of hours in arduous study.

  So it really doesn't matter how they learn to read, so long as they can recognize words and sentences and pronounce them correctly.

  THE NEXT PHASE is then to build up understanding and fluency. This is done using the independent _Everyday Thai for Beginners_ first year university course as a basis, with a Thai teacher (face to face, or more conveniently via skype). The 'Rapid' approach requires a considerable amount of self-study. So even though you work with a Thai teacher, it's only one hour a week after already having prepared the lesson for an hour the previous day, and then followed by several days of mental imprinting and speech training, by yourself in your own time.

  I wonder why some people seem to nitpick about whether it's 16 hours or 40 hours - and whether it's with or without understanding. Surely, it's remarkable enough that in 12-20 hours you will be able to read accurately!?

  Just because it'll still be quite slow and without much understanding at this stage isn't an indictment of the method. Most people who attend a conventional read Thai course for 150 hours over 3-4 months don't even reach this level of competence.

  It's like learning to drive: after passing the test you know the basics, but you still need to develop a 'road sense' and drive without thinking. That's where  _Everyday Thai for Beginners_ comes in. And that's another 6 months of 'study' - but, again, compared to conventional methods, this is equally remarkable.

  The idea is to 'study' about 3 hours a week, but in a very different way from what you'd expect. 1: Prepare the lesson by yourself by reading through and trying to understand the text. 2: Spend an hour with your Thai teacher to master the concepts and practice conversational patterns. 3: For the rest of the week, spend about 10-15 minutes a day imprinting the vocabulary in your mind using Anki flash cards and practising the speech patterns verbally in an exaggerated manner (the muscle training aspect of the Rapid Method).

  In six months (compared with about two years of lessons, 4 hours a week, in the conventional approach), you should be able to participate comfortably in most everyday conversations dealing with basic everyday subjects like family, food, shopping, travel, etc. 

  Thank you for your invitation to participate in your investigation of my methods, but I suspect you are just looking for ways to shoot down the system (why you care I don't really know).

  Your skepticism and questions are valid, however. Other people may have similar thoughts, which is why I am replying to you. It certainly doesn't seem like you need my approach as you already know Thai rather well. Beginners are welcome to try out the Rapid Method for free and also to sign up for a free 'Starter Course' that will get them reading simple words after receiving 15 mini-lessons daily.

  If you want (or need) independent validation of the approach then please read the article published by the Bankok Post. The editor (fluent in Thai) and a native Thai reporter attended my weekend workshop last year. There are other published reviews of my course also, which you can read if you go to my website.

  You know what else? Everything I do is guaranteed. I provide 100% refund to students who feel that their expectations weren't met. So far, over the last 5 years, I've refunded two workshop attendees and about five people who felt the online course wasn't for them. That's a pretty good vindication, don't you think?  :Smile:

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## PeterPiper

No, I'm not the same guy. Looks like other people aren't sold on your revolutionary approach to learning the Thai language; and I don't think I'm flaming you, just commenting and asking questions.....and just this morning, we were on the phone with a client who gave us the wrong address for sending a package and it came back yesterday. On the phone the client had to verbally spell out the address, otherwise it would have been impossible.... in addition, most of the Thai words I've learned were verbally spelled out to me.. Impossible with your system.

Your "only three" circumstances for using the verbal spelling system is far from the truth as I use it daily in all kind of circumstances. In addition, I think your new-age system will create problems for those who get past (or stuck in) your system when trying to learn the Thai written language all over again....the proper way.

Basically, what I hear you saying is that the "Thai way" of learning the Thai language doesn't hold a candle to your advanced, super-speedy system. 
Your picture for sala ahh, a guy pissing is especially unique...

I'm sure you and your co-workers spent a lot of time making all the cartoons but in case you didn't notice, they've already been done, in Thai, for speaking, reading & writing the Thai language....Does your system include cartoons in ALL languages? Not everyone is fluent in English enough to understand your system.
Looks very much at a grave attempt of making a "better mousetrap" ....but I'm sure you'll get back everything you've invested....

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## rapidll

:smiley laughing:  you sound exactly like atyclb in thaivisa.com.

Nevertheless, it seems that you are primarily an aural learner - you like to hear words being spelled out to you rather than see them written down in print. So maybe this "revolutionary" new approach won't suit you. But I don't understand why you feel compelled to be so cynical, especially as you are plainly a fairly advanced Thai speaker already. You probably don't enjoy reading much either, preferring to chat with people instead, right?

Yes you are perfectly right: one of the failings of the system is that it only works for people who are reasonably fluent in English. I would have to devise a totally new set of pictures for each language. If there was enough demand for a Chinese or Japanese or French version then I'd do it. Saying that, I've had French, German and Italian students attend my courses - and with a bit of tweaking here and there they've managed to get it and still be thrilled with the approach.

Peter, I know how important it is for you to spell words verbally in Thai. I'm not saying it isn't important. In fact, I said very clearly that it is necessary "when you're not sure you've heard a word correctly and need clarification".

The pont that you keep missing - and it's the crux of the 'Rapid' approach - is that _for beginning students who are not yet fluent in Thai_, it is the easiest and quickest way to learn Thai - without having to spend hundreds of hours in arduous study. It means you can immediately start reading stuff and use this as a basis for building up your understanding of the language.

You are also right in pointing out that the traditional way of learning Thai sucks! It's the main reason why the majority of foreigners don't bother - it's just way too complicated and confusing. Even those who have slogged through several years of Thai lessons still find it baffling and arbitrary. I've had several people attend my course who are already fluent in Thai, but still couldn't get their head around reading it. One day was usually enough for them to "get it" and they went away very happy.

The 'Rapid' system is a _temporary_ scaffolding that disappears after a few months. In the process of learning Thai in the follow up phases, you will learn the meanings of words, some of which are used in naming the Thai letters. These names are only memorable if you _already know what they mean_ - which is why it works for Thai children and not for foreigners.

I do not know how to verbally spell words in German, French, Spanish, Hebrew or Russian. I don't even know all the names of the letters in Thai. Yet I can speak and read and write competently in these languages, despite my ignorance of their respective alphabets. I wouldn't even begin to consider learning the names of all the katakana or kanji characters in Japanese - I just look at them and recognise them on sight. Maybe because I tend to look up words I don't know in a dictionary, rather than ask native speakers how to spell them...

The Rapid Method is obviously not for you. For everyone else:"Thank you for putting together such a wonderful reading program.  I have completed it, and it is really amazing how much you retain using your method of learning.  I am very pleased." _April Eichholtz_ (a _German_ student, what do you know!?)

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