Speak Thai With Confidence: Teach Yourself

Summary:

We've all travelled abroad with the best of intentions when it comes to speaking the language, only to falter when it comes to the crunch. This quick and constructive course gives you the Thai you need to talk to the locals - and crucially, the confidence to put it into practice.

As well as providing essential vocabulary and phrases, the course also aims to improve your understanding of spoken Thai, so that you can feel sure of yourself in two-way conversations.

Based on the ten situations you are most likely to find yourself in while travelling abroad, the course builds your knowledge and understanding gradually, and is suitable for complete beginners.

A booklet is included, with the dialogues and their English translations. A glossary of the words and phrases used also provides you with a handy phrasebook while you travel.

By the end of this course, you will be at Level A2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions. Can communicate in simple and routine tasks.

• TEN REALISTIC CONVERSATION SCENARIOS - the words and phrases you'll need
• NO GRAMMAR - make progress fast, without learning boring rules or unnecessary vocabulary
• NO NEW SCRIPT TO LEARN - booklet uses romanized transliteration
• ALL-AUDIO COURSE - use anywhere
• LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PRACTICE AND REPETITION - improve your confidence
• HELP IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS SAID BACK TO YOU - strategies for understanding what you hear, so you can have true, two-way conversations and not be thrown by the replies you get

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Tones
Conversation 1: Introductions / greetings
Part 1: This is Sakiko, my wife
Part 2: Hello. Excuse me, what’s your name?
Conversation 2: Taking a taxi / tuk tuk
Part 1: Taking a taxi
Part 2: Taking a tuk-tuk
Conversation 3: Shopping
Part 1: Buying a t-shirt
Part 2: Buying fruit
Conversation 4: Asking where things are
Part 1: Where’s the …? Swimming pool, coffee shop, bus station
Part 2: Is there a bank/PO/toilet around here?
Conversation 5: Ordering and talking about food
Part 1: Can I have?
Part 2: Can you eat Thai food?
Conversation 6: Booking a bus/train ticket
Part 1: I want to book a ticket to …
Part 2: I want to get off at … Please tell me when to get off
Conversation 7: (Not) speaking Thai/making a phone call
Part 1: You speak Thai well
Part 2: I don’t understand/speak Thai
Conversation 8: How do you find Thailand/Bangkok?
Part 1: How’s Thailand?
Part 2: Do you come from Bangkok? (Initiating conversation with Thai)
Conversation 9: Health problems
Part 1: Do you have anything for …?
Part 2: I need to see a dentist
Conversation 10: Do you have any photos?
Part 1: Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Part 2: Do you have any photos?

About the Author(s):
David Smyth spent several years teaching at universities in Thailand before taking up a post as Senior Lecturer in Thai at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Readership:
adults with little or no knowledge of Thai; adults wanting extra audio stimuli for practice

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