Learn to Speak Issan

[MrG]

I don't know about speaking Isaan, but the best site I've found for learning Thai is

http://www.thai-language.com/

Lots of resources: vocabulary, translation engines, alphabet, etc.

I've also been using Rosetta Stone. It's a total immersion system so there's not translations. OK as far as it goes, but I honestly don't think it would do me much good if my Thai wife wasn't around to translate.

[richie]

Just finnish off with doc.mai mee doc etc

[ocker692004]

Tone is the main thing i suppose.

[Jeremia]

That would be Suay

Yep it has been a long time for me but here are a few straight from my head ( rather than a cut and paste) I man plik hoy..



Plik hoy... forgot already ( hoy meaning already so I will miss it out. for the rest.)
man..not

man yuen teh.. not want
sawang..drunk
do nat? ...where you go
do dingabat..go shopping ( Also a Santana track!!)
moi. 1
beer. 2
by. 3
boon.4
pram.5
pram moi 6
pram beer. 7
pram by. 8
pram boon 0
dob 10..say pram pram as a joke it means boom boom..

pling ..rain

peu..drink
seesip..saysap
Arr Khun Teh..thank you..

As in "yuen peu saysap eng?" ( eng being the question)
Man yuen arr khun teh being the correct reply!!

Man meen ben ha..no problem..

I probably have plenty more buried at the back of my memmory bank but I moved from there 5 years ago

[Jeremia]

That would be Suay

Isn't that the language of the elephant trainers?

Yep..I took the family to the Pattaya Elephant park..The guy handed me a sun shade..I said "Man yuen ..man gaddow teh" meaning I don't want I am not hot..and he spent the whole trip trying to shout to his friend on another elephant "Parang yang kmer"!!

Tried the same thing in Lampang last month and no reaction...

[FarangRed]

Here's a handy little guide that should be memorised by anyone on their first visit to Thailand, some of these words are in the Isaan language and if you use them many Thai people will be surprised by your grasp of colloquial Thai.

Yet mae.............................What a beautiful day
Yet mang............................How are you?
Kuay..................................The sun is shining
Ai sa..................................Let's go
Kwai Maar...........................Handsome man
Hoop baak..........................I like you
Orn kuay............................Shall we eat?
I hayer..............................How much is that one?
Gengri...............................Delicious
Chong mang.......................No thank you
Ga-ree...............................Motorcycle
Loog-Ga-Ree.......................Motorcycle Taxi
Por Mung Tai.......................Train Station
Mae-Mung-Tai......................Bus Station
Yed Por..............................Where is?
Sudd-Na-Rok......................Very good
Tood-Muek.........................Fried Chicken
Gook Kuay.........................South-East Asia
Na-Hee.............................Over there
Ai Na Dad..........................Where are you going?
Dollair...............................Too expensive
Ra Yum.............................I'm hungry
Hee mah...........................What is your name?
Yet ped.............................Fried rice
Hee..................................Water
Baan poh mung...................I am from
Naa maw...........................Not right now
Chuk wow..........................I feel ill
Tob bed.............................Guesthouse
Hee mae mang...................Waterfall
Mai chawp khun, dag ling.......I'd like a beer please
Nah peeh...........................Lunchtime
Hua kuai............................I'm tired
Heeh men..........................What is his/her name
Mae mung .........................Noodles

See also: The Hungarian Phrasebook sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus

edited by dirtydog Warning, these are all actually swear words and you will most likely end up in hospital if you used these.

Hey DrBob the knob I had some kind of respect for the articles you wrote and your knowledge of the Thai culture but now you have let me down because everyone of them sayings is not just swaring is very low life and very rude, I bet you would never say any one of them to a Thai, ok chuk wow that's easy
Hey guys ignore everyone of them sayings unless you wanna end up hospital

[bart]

I know most of them I have to admit.

Although the standard greeting seems to be "bai nai" instead of "sabai dee bor".

bai nai = go where

[CaptainNemo]

KHAWP JAI LAI LAI ขอบใจหลายๆ Thank you very much.

Yeah, don't try that one on an adult, unless you're pointing a pistol at them... it's perfectly normal over the river in Louse, but pretty condescending in Isaan for some reason.

"Orn kuay............................Shall we eat?"

I'd write it as "Om kwei, om eng baw dai der!", usually followed by "Kawy yet jao jom hai met, noo!" and a "Yet doot kee gashoot!", and then some time later, a confident "Sai huwa, ORK, BPAI!" with a booming voice, heavy frown, and firm point towards the door.

(Don't try this at home folks, unless you want chilli powder in your undies!).

[farang nicky lao]

dag ling???....=Monkey ass!
chai.

[Norton]

dag ling=Monkey ass!

Wife's been calling me this for years. Always thought she was saying darling.

[Frankenstein]

One of the nicest features of the Isaan language is its ability to contain relatively substantial units of information in amazingly short statements.

"yet bor?" Would you surmise that the basic tenets of Schopenhauer's philosophy owe their allegiance to some aspects of Buddhist thought, in particular the teachings about dhukka, or suffering?

"yet!" - In fact, I do find that oft-repeated analysis overly simplistic, and moreover, the subject in itself is rather futile. I would like to suggest that examining the influence of Heraclitian musings on Hegel's theory of dialectical materialism be a significantly more fruitful topic of discussion.

[pescator]

You lost me, starting with Schopenhauer. Thought he was a composer or something. Yes, I did not go to sunday school.

On a different note, I`d like to argue that Isan language has the ability to supply the maximum amount of confusion in amazingly short statements.
Since the gentle inhabitants of Isan often refrain from using personal pronouns altogether, don`t bother to use auxilary verbs in tenses either, then I am all too often left profounded.
Just who the Heck are we actually talking about? And when did that occurance take place? Those questions are all too often my concern.

Even more frustrating is it to realize that the locals usually know exactly what is meant.
Well, back to the drawing table......

[Psykinsuff]

Be careful when you talk ishan, it can be very wrong. Na-rak = sweet is only used when talking about children.

[pescator]

Na-rak is not used in Isan/lao.
That is central thai.
Rak is Hak. There is no R sound.

[Big D]

Good one Dr Bob, I had to look twice at some of those.

Great thread dd.The easiest way to get rid of hawkers on the street is to tell them "no thank you" in Lao.You get a bigger smile than if you had bought something from them.Now at last I can work out how to say it properly.

So is "mai-yow" Thai for no thank you as a bar girl once told me, or have I been unknowingly pissing off hawkers with by saying something else?

[DrB0b]

Good one Dr Bob, I had to look twice at some of those.

Great thread dd.The easiest way to get rid of hawkers on the street is to tell them "no thank you" in Lao.You get a bigger smile than if you had bought something from them.Now at last I can work out how to say it properly.

So is "mai-yow" Thai for no thank you as a bar girl once told me, or have I been unknowingly pissing off hawkers with by saying something else?

Mai ao means "I won't take", should only really be used with people trying to sell you something (so it's fine for hawkers) or with close friends or kids, not very polite otherwise - also you should stick a "krap" on at the end . Ao is get or take something, as "ao bia" I'll take a beer - if you 'ao" something in a shop it's interpreted as meaning that you're committed to buying it. Kawr is better when you want something in a shop or restaurant (kawr gao song bai, I want two glasses). Yaak and yaak dai are more general words for want and can be used anywhere.

[Mandrake]

Good one Dr Bob, I had to look twice at some of those.

Great thread dd.The easiest way to get rid of hawkers on the street is to tell them "no thank you" in Lao.You get a bigger smile than if you had bought something from them.Now at last I can work out how to say it properly.

So is "mai-yow" Thai for no thank you as a bar girl once told me, or have I been unknowingly pissing off hawkers with by saying something else?

Mai ao means "I won't take", should only really be used with people trying to sell you something (so it's fine for hawkers) or with close friends or kids, not very polite otherwise - also you should stick a "krap" on at the end . Ao is get or take something, as "ao bia" I'll take a beer - if you 'ao" something in a shop it's interpreted as meaning that you're committed to buying it. Kawr is better when you want something in a shop or restaurant (kawr gao song bai, I want two glasses). Yaak and yaak dai are more general words for want and can be used anywhere.

Incorrect. Ao is to want a "noun." Yaak/yaak dai is to want (to do) a "verb."

"Ao bia khuat nung khap!" = I want a beer, one bottle.

"Phom yaak gin (informal/duam is formal) bia." = I want to drink beer.

[pescator]

Yaak dai is also a transitive verb.
So it is also used with an object exactly as "ao".