I'm beginning to understand how to read Thai, but there is one thing that keeps confusing me.
How the hell are you supposed to know when two consonants should be pronounced together and when they should be pronounced with an 'a/o' sound in the middle?
Some examples:
ถนน - thanon (street), a/o sound between all the consonants
ประตู - bradoo (door), no a/o sound between ป and ร
ใกล้ - glai (close), no a/o sound between ก and ล้
It seems random when to pronounce an 'a/o' sound in the middle and when not to. Is there some secret rule that I ought to know?