Thai · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 13

นี่อะไรWhat's this?

nîi àrai

Ask the name of a thing with "àrai", which always sits at the end: nîi àrai (this-what?), nân àrai. Answer with "khʉʉ": nîi khʉʉ naalikaa. Mind the tones of object words — sʉ̂a (falling = shirt) differs from sʉ̌a (rising = tiger)! New words: naalikaa, pàakkaa, krapǎo, rôm, sʉ̂a, rɔɔŋtháao, náam, pratuu, nâatàaŋ, khɔmphíutə̂ə, ŋən, khɔ̌ɔŋ. Reading corner: object words with consonant clusters, at speed.

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เสื้อ ไม่ใช่ เสือ— A Shirt, Not a Tiger

  1. Somchaiเจมส์Jamesนี่nîiอะàไรraiครับkrápJames, what's this?
  2. Jamesนี่nîiคือkhʉʉเสือsʉ̌aครับkrápThis is a tiger. (slip: with a rising tone "sʉ̌a" = tiger; "shirt" is "sʉ̂a", falling tone)
  3. Somchaiฮ่าhâahâa"เสือsʉ̌a"ไม่mâiใช่châi"เสื้อsʉ̂a"นะครับkrápนี่nîiคือkhʉʉ"เสื้อsʉ̂a"เสียงsǐaŋโทthooHaha, "sʉ̌a" (tiger) isn't "sʉ̂a" (shirt)! This is "sʉ̂a" — falling tone.
  4. Jamesอ๋อɔ̌ɔนี่nîiคือkhʉʉเสื้อsʉ̂aครับkrápไม่mâiใช่châiเสือsʉ̌aOh, this is a shirt, not a tiger!
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นี่อะไร ไม่ใช่ อะไรคือนี่— nîi àrai, Not àrai khʉʉ nîi

  1. Jamesอะàไรraiคือkhʉʉนี่nîiครับkrápWhat is this? (slip: calques English word order — àrai must stay at the end: "nîi àrai")
  2. Maleeในnaiภาphaaษาsǎaไทยthai"อะàไรrai"อยู่yùuท้ายtháaiค่ะkhâพูดphûutว่าwâa"นี่nîiอะàไรrai"In Thai, "àrai" goes at the end. Say "nîi àrai".
  3. Jamesอ๋อɔ̌ɔนี่nîiอะàไรraiครับkrápOh — what's this?
  4. Maleeนั่นnânคือkhʉʉกระเป๋าkrapǎoค่ะkhâThat's a bag.
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นาฬิกาnaalikaa

nounclock, watch

ปากกาpàakkaa

nounpen

กระเป๋าkrapǎo

nounbag

ร่มrôm

nounumbrella

เสื้อsʉ̂a

nounshirt

รองเท้าrɔɔŋtháao

nounshoes

น้ำnáam

nounwater

ประตูpratuu

noundoor

หน้าต่างnâatàaŋ

nounwindow

คอมพิวเตอร์khɔmphíutə̂ə

nouncomputer

เงินŋən

nounmoney

ของkhɔ̌ɔŋ

nounthing, of

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àrai stays at the end

Explanation

àrai = "what" and stays "in place" — at the end of the sentence, after what you are asking about. It does not move to the front the way English does. Ask the name of a thing: nîi àrai (nîi + àrai = "this what?"), nân àrai. Answer with "khʉʉ": nîi khʉʉ naalikaa, nân khʉʉ rôm. (You met nîi/nân in ch8 — nîi = near thing, nân = far thing.) You can add "khʉʉ" in the question: nîi khʉʉ àrai — but àrai still stays at the end.

Examples

  • นี่อะไรครับWhat's this?
  • นี่คือนาฬิกาIt's a clock.
  • นั่นอะไรคะWhat's that?
  • นั่นคือคอมพิวเตอร์That's a computer.
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คำสิ่งของและตัวควบกล้ำ— Object words and consonant clusters

Object words + clusters + tone:

  • กระเป๋าkrapǎo — kra (low) + pǎo (rising)bag (kr cluster)
  • ประตูpratuu — pra (low) + tuu (mid)door (pr cluster)
  • เสื้อ / เสือsʉ̂a (falling=shirt) / sʉ̌a (rising=tiger)the tone changes the word

Read fast, keeping clusters and tones clear:

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