Halloween

It's the end of October. And it's Halloween! At present, the festival is pretty common here comapared to the past. People here are interested more and you can see many shops in town selling a lot of Halloween items including costumes.






The topic today then we will learn some more words from the festival.


Rúu mái wâa?
(Did you know?)


- The term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows' Even – e'en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening.

 "Halloween" (ฮัลโลวีน) maa jàak kham wâa "All Hallows' Eve"
maa jàak kham wâa = comes from the word (= derived from)


We celebrate this hoiliday on October 31.
(= chà-lĕrm chà-lŏng เฉลิมฉลอง)


The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead.
(= thêed-sà-gaan เทศกาล)






And when we talk about Halloween, what symbol do you think of?
symbol = săn-yá-lák (สัญลักษณ์)


"Jack-o'-lantern!"

Jack-o'-lantern bpen fákthawng gàe sà-làk, mii dtaa, jàmùuk láe bpàak
(Jack-o'-lantern is a carved pumpkin which has eyes, nose and mouth.)
Jack-o'-lantern เป็นฟักทองแกะสลัก มีตา จมูกและปาก




And the customary, the celebration that children love is "Trick or treat". Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money. In some parts of Ireland and Scotland children still disguise themselves as ghosts. In this custom the child performs some sort of show, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, in order to earn their treats.


- Trick or treat
(jà hâi rŭe jà hâi lòrk)
จะให้หรือจะให้หลอก

- costume
(krêuang dtàeng gaai)
เครื่องแต่งกาย

- disguise
(bplom dtua)
ปลอมตัว

- tell a ghost story
(lâo rêuang phĭi)
เล่าเรื่องผี


Halloween Characters

bat = kháangkhaao ค้างคาว
black cat = maewdam แมวดำ
ghost = phĭi ผี
monster = sàd-bprà- làad สัตว์ประหลาด
skeleton = khroong gràdùuk โครงกระดูก
witch = mâemód แม่มด


Information Source on Halloween:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#Trick-or-treating_and_guising

dtòk (compound noun)

Hello! See you again here :) Khun sàbaaidii mái khá?

It's late rainy season here now, but still it rains a lot in Bangkok! I hope that it will stop very soon ... During this time you may hear people say "fŏn dtòk" (It rains) everywhere.

There are many words that we use with the word "dtòk", so today let's learn more about this word and that you can increase a lot of vocabularies using in daily life.


"Dtòk" ตก


means:

to fall, drop (on/down onto/down into)
to fade, droop, set

 
Here is the story I made up. It starts with phonetics and follow by english translation, and under the story is the list of vocabularies again respectively for you to revise.

Now I'm "dtòk ngaan" (unemployed). My friend asked me if I want to go to see "náam dtòk" (waterfall) and "dtòk plaa" (catch fish). I said "dtòk long" (OK)

During the way, "fŏn dtòk" (it rains) but when we get there it stopped already. I told my friend that I "dtòk lŭm rák" (fall in love) with a woman in the office and that I "dtòk kàao" (miss the news) knowing later that she's already have a boyfriend. While we were talking for a while, I saw someone "dtòk náam" (fall in the water). I was "dtòk-jai" (startled).

Just when we saw the sun "dtòk din" (set = 0f the sun), we just realised that we were late and almost " dtòk ród" (miss the bus/ train). On the train I saw a news on TV. reporting there was a train was "dtòk raang" (derail) but nobody was "dtòk yòo nai an-dtà-raai " (be in danger).

When I was at home, my son told me that he "sòp dtòk" (fail an exam) again. I think to myself "What a day!" and went to my bedroom. I looked out of the window and saw "daao dtòk" (shooting star). I prayed that tomorrow is better than today...




dtòk ngaan = to be unemployed, be out of work ตกงาน
náam dtòk = waterfall น้ำตก
dtòk plaa = catch fish ตกปลา
dtòk long = to be OK, agree ตกลง

fŏn dtòk = rain ฝนตก
dtòk lŭm rák = to fall in love ตกหลุมรัก
dtòk khàao = miss the news ตกข่าว
dtòk náam = sink, fall, submerge ตกน้ำ
dtòk-jai = to be shocked, startled ตกใจ

dtòk din = to set (of the sun) ตกดิน
dtòk ród = miss the bus/ train ตกรถ
dtòk raang = to derail, go off the rails ตกราง
dtòk yòo nai an-dtà-raai = to be in danger ตกอยู่ในอันตราย

sòp dtòk = to fail an exam สอบตก
daao dtòk = meteor, shooting star ดาวตก



Try to make some either phrases or sentences with the words above :)


Example sentences:

- ródfai dtòk raang
(The train was derailed.)
รถไฟตกราง

- phŏm hěn ródfai dtòk raang mêuawaanníi
(I saw the train derailed yesterday.)
ผมเห็นรถไฟตกรางเมื่อวานนี้

Question words

I'm sure that you know some questions in Thai already from common phrases like "What's your name?" (Khun chêu àrai?) or "Where is the restroom?" (Hâwngnáam yùu thîinăi?). Did you notice where the position of these questions are?


Yes, mostly they are at the end of the sentence.



Now let's see how to say these question words in Thai.


- what = àrai อะไร
- where = thîinăi ที่ไหน
- when = mêuarài เมื่อไหร่/ เมื่อไร
- why = thammai ทำไม
- how = yangngai/ yàangrai ยังไง/ อย่างไร
- who = khrai ใคร
- whose = khăwngkhrai ของใคร
- which = ...(classifier).... năi ไหน





Pattern: verb/ phrase + question word?

 

WHAT


- Khun chêu àrai?
What's your name?
คุณชื่ออะไร

- Khun gamlang tham àrai?
What are you doing?
คุณกำลังทำอะไร

- Kháo thamngaan àrai?
What does he do?
เขาทำงานอะไร



WHERE

Note: It's more common in spoken language to drop the word "thîi"

- Khun yùu (thîi)năi?
Where are you?
คุณอยู่(ที่)ไหน

- Khun maa jàak (thîi)năi?
Where do you come from?
คุณมาจาก(ที่)ไหน



WHEN

Note: When can be put at the beginning if the speaker wants to emphasize it

- Khun jà maa mêuarài?
When will you come?
คุณจะมาเมื่อไร

- Mêuarài khun jà khâojai?
When will you understand?
เมื่อไรคุณจะเข้าใจ



WHY

- Khun thăam chán thammai?
Why did you ask me?
คุณถามฉันทำไม

- Thammai khun yàak thamngaan thîi meaung Thai?
Why do you want to work in Thailand?
ทำไมคุณอยากทำงานที่เมืองไทย



HOW

- Phŏm jà pai thîinán dâi yangngai?
How can I get there? (asking direction)
ผมจะไปที่นั่นได้อย่างไร

- Khun rúu dâi yangngai?
How can you know?
คุณรู้ได้ ยังไง/อย่างไร



WHO

- Khun jà pai gàp khrai?
Who will you go with?
คุณจะไปกับใคร

- Phûuyĭng khonnán pen khrai?
Who is that woman?
ผู้หญิงคนนั้นเป็นใคร


WHOSE

- Nân pen gràpăo khăwngkhrai?
Whose bag is that?
นั่นเป็นกระเป๋าของใคร


WHICH

- Khun châwp lêm năi? (talking about book)
Which one you like?
คุณชอบเล่มไหน

- An năi thùuk gwàa?
Which one is cheaper?
อันไหนถูกกว่า



Up to now, you may have a question about the position of a few question words that you've heard somebody asked by putting at the beginning.


Can you think of a sentence that question word is put at the beginning of the sentence?


How about "Who gave you this book?"


"Who" in this sentence, its function is as "Subject" who does the action which is "to give"


Therefore, we ask " Khrai hăi năngsĕu khun?" ใครให้หนังสือคุณ


How to ask "What is on the table?"


-----> àrai yûu bon tó? อะไรอยู่บนโต๊ะ


Now you can see that, some question words like "what" or "who" can be added either at the beginning or at the end which depends on its function (as Subject or object).



"Learning to speak for the fisrt time might be a bit difficult for you have to think of its position or structure, but once you know and practise and be able to communicate with other people in daily life, then you will be surprised that you can speak automatically. Be brave and let's speak Thai!!"

Chôok dii (^-^)/