นกน้อยทำรังแต่พอตัว

ńok-ńoi tham rang taà phoo tua

(Little birds build nests according to their size.)

This Thai proverb means one should adapt according to the resources available to himself.

It is equal to the English saying  “Cut your coat according to your cloth ”.

Example

คุณแดงเงินเดือนน้อยเลยใช้มือถือราคาถูกแทนที่จะใช้บัตรเครดิตซื้อโทรศัพท์ไอโฟน

Khun Daeng ngeen-duan noóy leey chaý muu-thuǔ raa-khaa thùuk than-thiî-jà chaý bàt-credit suú thoo-ra-sàn iphone.

Ms. Daeng has low salary, so she uses a cheap  mobile instead of buying an iphone by credit card

Vocabulary

ngeen-duan

เงินเดือน

salary

muu-thǔu

มือถือ

mobile

thaan-thiî-jà

แทนที่จะ

instead  of

thoo-ra-sàp

โทรศัพท์

telephone

Subject + Verb + ใคร khray (whom) ?

1.)   เขา khǎw ชอบ chôop ใคร khray ?

(He)         (likes)       (whom)

Whom does he like ?

2.)   เขา khǎw ชอบ chôop คุณ khun

(He)      (likes)          (you)

He likes you.

3.)   คุณ khun คุย khuy กับ kàp ใคร khray ?

(you)      (talk)      (with)   (whom)

Whom do you talk to ?

4.)   ดิฉัน dichǎn คุย khuy กับ kàp จอห์น joon

(I)               (talk)    (with)     (John)

I talk to John.

5.)   เขา khǎw ไป pay พบ phóp ใคร khray ?

(he)         (go)   (meet)       (whom)

Whom does he go to meet ?

6.)   เขา khǎw ไป pay พบ phóp ปีเตอร์ Peter

(he)         (go)    (meet)      (Peter)

He goes to meet Peter.

ใคร khray (who) + Verb + Object
1.)             ใคร khray มารับ maa-ráp คุณ khun

(who)    (pick up)          (you)

Who picks you up ?

2.)            จอห์น joon มารับ maa-ráp ดิฉัน di-chan

(John)     (pick up)             (me)

John picks me up.

3.)            ใคร khray (who) มาส่ง maa-sòng คุณ khun

(who)            (give a ride)             (you)

Who give you a ride ?

4.)            ปีเตอร์ pii-tee มาส่ง maa-sòng ดิฉัน di-chǎn

(Peter)      (give a ride)             (me)

Peter gives me a ride.

5.)            ใคร khray ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่นั่น thîi-nân ?

(who)         (work)                     (there)

Who works there ?

6.)            จอห์น joon ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่นั่น thîi-nân ?

(John)        (work)                      (there)

7.นักธุรกิจ nák-thú-rá-kìt ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ไหน thîi-nǎy ?

(businessman)                (work)                        (where)

Where dose the businessman work ?

8.นักธุรกิจ nák-thú-rá-kìt ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ thîi บริษัท boo-ri-sàt.

(businessman)                  (work)                       (at)    (company)

The businessman works at the company.

9.บ้านเขา bâan-khǎw อยู่ yùu ที่ไหน thîi-nǎy ?

(house)(his)               (is)        (where)

Where is his house ?

10.บ้านเขา bâan-khǎw อยู่ yùu ที่ thîi ถนนสีลม tha-nǒn Silom

(house)(his)                  (is)        (at)    (road)(Silom)

His house is at Silom Road.

Where does the doctor work ?

2.หมอ mǒo ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ thîi โรงพยาบาล roong-pha-yaa-baan
(doctor)    (work)                       (at)       (hospital)

The doctor works at the hospital.

3.ครู kruu ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ไหน thîi-nǎy ?
(teacher)  (work)                   (where)

Where does the teacher work ?

4.ครู khruu ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ thîi โรงเรียน roong-rian
(teacher)  (work)                    (at)      (school)

The teacher works at school.

5.คนเสริ์ฟ khon-sèep ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ไหน thîi-nǎy ?
(waitor)                    (work)                     (where)

Where dose the waitor work ?

6.คนเสริ์ฟ khon- sèep ทำงาน tham-ngaan ที่ thîi ร้านอาหาร raán-aa-haǎn
(waitor)                   (work)                      (at)      (restaurant)

The waitor works at the restaurant.

กว่าถั่วจะสุกงาก็ไหม้

(kwàa thùa jà sùk ngaa kô mây)

“The sesame gets burnt by the time the peanuts gets cooked” means “something is accomplished too late.” It is equal to English proverb, advice after mischief is like medicine after death.

For example

กว่าฝ่ายการตลาดจะคิดนโยบายใหม่ได้ บริษัทก็เสียลูกค้าไปหลายราย

Kwàa fàay kaan-ta-làat jà khít na-yoo-baay mày dây, boo-rí-sàt kô siǎ luûk-kháa pay lǎay raay

By the time the marketing department find out a new policy, the company has company has lost many customers.

Vocabulary

ฝ่าย faày = department

การตลาด kaan-ta-làat = marketing

นโยบาย ná-yoo-baay = policy

เสีย sĭa = lose

ลูกค้า lûuk-kháa = customer

วัวหายล้อมคอก

Wua haǎy loóm khoôk

“When losing a cow then building a stable.” Is equal to English provererb, “To lock the stable door after the horse is stolen”, which means “to prevent a problem after it has already happened”

For example,

รัฐบาลเริ่มคิดสร้างทางระบายน้ำหลังจากเกิดอุทกภัย

rat-tha-baan reêm khít saâng thaang rá-baay nám lǎng jàak kèet u-thók-ka phai

The government considered to construct the flood ways after flood disadter had taken place.

Vocabulary

รัฐบาล rát-tha-baan = government

สร้าง saâng = construct

ทางระบายน้ำ thaang rá-baay nám = flood way

เกิด kèet = happen, take place

อุทกภัย ù-thók-ka-phai =flood disaster

Asean sect gen says Thailand is moving too slowly in preparing for 2015 community

If we’re not prepared, we’re not qualified, we’re not able to compete while others are moving into the Thai economy and landscape. Asean has already concluded mutual recognition agreements(MRAs) for seven occupations – medical practitioners, dental practioners, nursing services, engineering services, architectural services, surveying qualifications, and accountancy services.

Professionals who are accredited as agreed in the MRAs will be recognised in all member countries, enabling them to work more easily in any member country.

According to the AEC’s blueprint for the free flow of skilled labour – allowing for managed mobility or facilitated entry for the movement of natural persons engaged in trade in goods, services and investments, according to the prevailing regulations of the receiving country – Asean is working to smooth the issuance of visas and employment passes for Asean professionals and skilled workers engaged in cross-border trade and investment-related activities.

“Our professionals can cross borders. Dentists from Thailand can open up clinics in Singapore. Accountants from the Philippines can practise in Malaysia. Malaysian architects can open up consulting companies in Brunei, crossing the border, because there wouldn’t be any economic borders between us anymore, 10 economies and 600 million people.

Without quality education or preparation, it is impossible to imagine the economic community of Asean.

“People in these seven professions are going across borders. The question is who will be able to cross borders? Will Thai engineers, nurses, doctors and architects be able to cross borders? Teachers, schools and institutions will have to ask, and the answer is no, we are not quite sure.

“So, education is critical, fundamental and a necessary condition for that economic community in 2015. We are promoting goods, investments and also professionals crossing the borders – but without preparation and quality some member states will lag behind others,”

The English language skills of Thai skilled workers were also a concern. It would be useless if a dentist cannot communicate with his or her patients speaking another language in another environment no matter how skilful he or she is in their profession.

“English is the working lan-guage of Asean. That’s what Thailand needs to do and do urgently. There is no interpreta-tion unlike the European Union where you have to translate everything into 12 or 13 languages. The most expensive part of the EU is interpretation/translation,”

However, a publication from Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre issued early this year said that despite mutual recognition, labour movement might not be so easy in practice.

Many countries still preserve rules and regulations that may prevent labour mobility from happening. For example, medical personnel who wish to work in Thailand will have to obtain a licence by passing an examination, some parts of which are in Thai. There are also other obstacles such as differences in language, culture and social acceptance.

Anyhow, it would be better if Thais prepared themselves for the changes in the AEC as Surin urged, rather than doing nothing.

– The Nation 2011-10-31

Khǎw khàp-rót rew mǎy ?

(he) (drive) (fast) (yes-no question)

Does he drive fast ?

8)      Yes = เร็วครับ/ค่ะ

Rew khráp/khà

(fast) (polite particle)

No = ไม่เร็วครับ/ค่ะ

mây rew khráp/khà

(not) (fast) (polite particle)

9)      อาหารไทยเผ็ดไหม

aa-haǎn Thai phèt mǎy ?

(food) (Thai) (spicy) (yes-no question)

Is Thai food spicy ?

10)      Yes = เผ็ดครับ/ค่ะ

phèt khráp/khà

(spicy) (polite particle)

No = ไม่เผ็ดครับ/ค่ะ

mǎy phèt khráp/khà

(not) (spicy) (polite particle)

11)      กรุงเทพอากาศดีไหม

krung-theěp aa-kàat dii mǎy ?

(Bangkok) (weather) (good) (yes-no question ?)

Is the weather nice in Bangkok ?

12)      Yes = ดีครับ/ค่ะ

Dii khráp/khà

(good) (polite particle)

No = ไม่ดีครับ/ค่ะ

mǎy dii khráp/khà

(not) (good) (polite particle)

ขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน

หมายถึง ลงทุนมากมายเพื่อทำงานเล็ก ๆ เท่านั้น ผลประโยชน์ที่ได้รับ จึงไม่คุ้มกับที่ลงทุน

Khii chaang jap tak-ka-taan

(Riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper)

Means to over invest in something much more than it worths, so , nothing in return to worth the investment. This proverb is equivalent to English idiom, Burn down the house to kill a mouse.

Vocabulary

Ride = khii = ขี่

Elephant = chaang = ช้าง

Catch = jap = จับ

Grasshopper = tak-ka-taan = ตั๊กแตน

Example

ประชุมครั้งนี้เหมือนขี่ช้างจับตั๊กแตน ใช้เงินจัดประชุมมากแต่หาข้อสรุปไม่ได้

Pra-chum khrang nii muan khii chaang jap tak-ka-taan, chay ngeen pro-chum maak taa haa khoo sa-rup may day

(This meeting is like riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper.We spent lots of money on it but there is on conclusion.)