ศาลาชุมนุม

[hhrh]

Hello ^^

I study Thai every day

I just want to know how to use ที่ properly, and ก็, seeing as my Thai friends seem to struggle to explain their use properly.

Also, how do you use the past tense properly? For example, saying something was something? 'I did not have fun, it WAS so boring!'
It just boggles me!

Any help would be appreciated !

Thankzzz!

[claude06thailand]

Using LOOKUP, up left, you will have many uses of ที่ and ก็
You can type TENSE or PAST too.
I think this site has nearly everything you need to learn thai !

When a TIME WORD is present, the verb will not change :

ฉันไปเชียงใหม่เมื่อ ๒ ปีที่แล้ว
"I went to Chiang Mai two years ago."

In this case, ได้ is the word to use, but you don't have to repeat the past since it has been specified in the first part of the sentence

'I did not have fun, it WAS so boring!'
ผมไม่ได้มีความสุข มันน่าเบื่อมากเลย

[hhrh]

aaaah all the time words and different tii's and die's aaah confusingggggg

[Monera]

Hellloooooo hhrh,

how do you use the past tense properly?

- Well, if you're asking about this-- I would say that in Thai language there's almost no difference or a changed form when you want to talk about the past. Just address where and when something happened. Unlike in English, there's no modulting of verbs for present and past tense in Thai. You 'd better provide the contexts which are confusing you and I will try to explain them. If you 're asking me to explain all about it I 'm not sure where to start and where to stop

[pensive]

Well, here is a simple hard question. แล้ว is frequently used for the past, and มา occasionally. But when would you use ได้. I hardly ever see it used for the past tense. Mostly when ได้ comes before the main verb, it means "to get to". For example, I would think ถ้าผมจะได้เจอคุณ could mean "If I could get to see you". ไม่ได้ you see a lot, but ได้ by itself not very much.

So, how would you know to use ได้ for the past tense?

[Nan]

So, how would you know to use ได้ for the past tense?

The word "ได้" is mostly used for past tense and present perfect tense.

Ex. ผมได้รับจดหมายจากคุณ - I've got a letter from you.

ผมได้เดินทางไปประเทศไทยเมื่อปีที่แล้ว - I traveled to Thailand last year.

ผมได้เดินทางไปทั่วโลก - I have traveled around the world.

ผมได้อธิบายให้คุณฟังไปแล้ว - I've explained it to you already.

[pensive]

I think I see a bit. You could say ผมรับจดหมายจากคุณแล้ว, but this would be past perfect. So, if you wanted to say, "I've received a letter from you and ...." you would use ได้ (or มา)? If you used แล้ว for "I travelled to Thailand last year", you would be saying that, perhaps, you are not going back, that it is over?

So I can ask a different question. Is there any difference between using ได้ and using มา? I think I can see มา in your examples:

ผมรับจดหมายจากคุณมา - I've got a letter from you. (Don't know where the "ma" is supposed to go here.)

ผมได้เดินทางไปประเทศไทยเมื่อปีที่แล้ว - I traveled to Thailand last year. (Can't use "ma" with an adverb of time, I guess.)

ผมเดินทางไปทั่วโลกมา - I have traveled around the world.

ผมได้อธิบายให้คุณฟังไปแล้ว - I've explained it to you already. (Oo, ได้ and แล้ว - can't touch that!)

[hhrh]

Oh my god it's so confusing! Well I'm going to admit an embarrassing fact...

Despite obtaining a grade B in my English GCSE's, I do not know what verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, all that lot even are! So it's even more difficult for me to comprehend how the word is changed when I don't even know what the word is! Hahaha.

I don't understand how using ไป or มา can change a word? Sure there's a simple explanation for that one.

I don't know how ให้ changes a word, for example ทำ is do or make, but ทำให้ is to cause or make something happen, so confused!

Thai grammar is extremely hard to crack!

[David and Bui]

Welcome, again, to Thai-language.com.

My advice to you is one that I follow personally: Do not worry at all about Thai grammar, parts of speech, or sentence structure. For many people grammar is merely a crutch to bridge the chasm from one language to another. You may not need the crutch. The key to understanding is to comprehend speech, utterances, signs, letters, emails, twits, and other writings in the target language, and not to worry about the elements of structure. Don't let the crutch get in the way of real understanding.

I am not being critical of nor do I disrespect the many folks on these forums who genuinely appreciate the niceties of grammatical structure; their's is a world of structure and order; parts of speech and sentence parsing. It is a very valid world to live in, but it need not be for you. You must, however, give up asking the "why" question. As soon as you ask "why" Thai is spoken or written in a certain way, you have re-entered that world of structure and grammar.

Just ask the "how" questions: "How do I say" this or that. You will go far and you will not be burdened by the barriers of order.

Best of luck in your learning.

[Richard Wordingham]

I don't know how ให้ changes a word, for example ทำ is do or make, but ทำให้ is to cause or make something happen, so confused!

Just extend the meaning of ให้ to transfer, as in transferring an effect, i.e. causing, or conferring permission, as in allow. It's not just a SE Asian idiom - the Ancient Egyptians used it as well.