Learn to Speak Thai
You will realize how useful it is to learn to speak Thai when you find yourself stranded in some unfamiliar part of Bangkok. It doesn’t matter how you got there. Point is, now you’re lost and you can’t find your way back home. Or picture another scenario when you’ve lost your wallet in a restaurant, or a more common one—when you want go somewhere by the BTS sky train but you don’t know which station to get off. More Thais are now able to speak English (especially in Bangkok), but many Thais still struggle with the language.
So if you are a foreigner who recently arrived in Thailand, it is recommended that you learn some Thai phrases. Even if you’re part of a tour group, wouldn't it be more fun to be able to go shopping on your own or with your friends instead of sticking with the tour guide to be your translator? Some Thai people may know a bit of English but they may not want to speak it because they are afraid that they might make a mistake. This is very common behavior in Thailand so if you’re new to the country, please don’t take offense if a Thai person avoids eye contact with you when he or she sees you approaching with a map. Thai people in general are nice and would like to help foreigners in need. However, there are those who are little shyer and may try to direct you to someone else to have your questions answered.
There are phrase books that can provide foreigners with the basic Thai phrases and conversations. However, it is better to have a local Thai or the tour guide teach you the correct pronunciation because speaking Thai is based mainly in the getting the pronunciation and tone right. For instance, the Thai word “num” (like in number) when pronounced in mid-tone means “to direct”, but when pronounced in high-tone it means “water”. Little differences in the tone and pronunciation can make a huge difference in the definition of the word. Mispronouncing a Thai word is not at all unusual especially if it’s your first time learning it. People may wonder whether it’s difficult to learn Thai, but like learning other foreign language the difficulty level really depends on what your mother tongue is to begin with. For example, someone from America may find it easier to learn Spanish than Thai whereas someone from China may find Thai easier to learn than Spanish.