ศาลาชุมนุม

[Lazypanda]

Hello
I'm quite new to Thai language.
To express a need or a desire, I've heard these three words, but I cannot feel the difference between them.
I hear people say ต้องการ or อยาก in restaurants or in shops, but I hear เอา in questions most of the time (เอาเบียร์ไหม).
Could someone explain me the difference between these words, and when it is better to use each of them?
Thanks !!

[orchidboy]

Hey Lazypanda,

i am also interested in your question. Well i am still not at all an expert in thai language.

Concerning to ต้องการ or อยาก, my expearience is like this, my thai teacher told me อยาก or even better อยากจะ to use, but in reality i heard ต้องการ more often than อยาก, but both of them.

The word เอา i think is more used in a sexually desired way, but not too sure, especially in combination with the word เบียร์ i would be interested too what this เบียร์ word is used for.

Are you sure with ไหม in this expression you use the right spelling?

best wishes
orchidboy

[pensive]

ต้องการ means want/need and a waiter would use it to ask what you want.

อยาก means want but it must be followed by a verb, so I guess it is "want to".

เอา means want and is followed by a noun, to want something. I guess it could be misconstrued. Informally it is used a lot and just means "want" but I guess it is difficult to use in public.

[R.E.G.]

ต้องการ means want/need and a waiter would use it to ask what you want.

อยาก means want but it must be followed by a verb, so I guess it is "want to".

เอา means want and is followed by a noun, to want something. I guess it could be misconstrued. Informally it is used a lot and just means "want" but I guess it is difficult to use in public.

It is interesting to look at the Thai definitions. They are all verbs.
ต้องการเงิน; ต้องการไปโรงพยาบาล
อยากได้เงิน; อยากไปโรงพยาบาล
The same depending on context I think. you might need money to pay a debt; you might equally decide that it would be nice to have money for the same reason.

เอาเบียร์ไหม; เขาไม่ได้เอาเบียร์มา

เอา is a different matter, if you say it to someone it means 'advance' we say 'take forward'.
If asked เอาไหม you are being asked 'shall I bring' translated as 'do you want'.
เอานี means 'take this forward'.
เอาเบียร์ means 'bring me beer' translated as 'want beer' which is correct but not necessarily impolite, which is why I like to think of เอา as not meaning ต้องการ.

Now it is time for us to get the Thai speakers in and see if we can work it out properly.

[JingJo Thames]

Hello
I'm quite new to Thai language.
To express a need or a desire, I've heard these three words, but I cannot feel the difference between them.
I hear people say ต้องการ or อยาก in restaurants or in shops, but I hear เอา in questions most of the time (เอาเบียร์ไหม).
Could someone explain me the difference between these words, and when it is better to use each of them?
Thanks !!

generally i would say
ต้องการ is more formal
อยาก(จะ)/อยากได้ less so [note first is with verb, second for nouns]
เอา is most familiar

but let more experienced and nuanced pundits give you the definitive answer

as for...

The word เอา i think is more used in a sexually desired way, but not too sure, especially in combination with the word เบียร์ i would be interested too what this เบียร์ word is used for.
orchidboy

เอา can indeed be used in a sexual way. specifically, it is an informal verb describing the act of. however, it can be, and is, also used generally - especially when ordering food or drinks as in the example given and later explained further by คุณ Pensive and คุณ REG.

hope it helps

โจ้

[Rick Bradford]

My take on this (non-native speaker):

เอา could be equated to the verb 'take' as used casually "I'll take one of those seafood specials, a coupla beers.."

ต้องการ, I've always thought as being at the junction of 'want' and 'need' - thus we might say to the post office staff: "I want to send this document to the IRS", but our meaning is perhaps closer to 'need'.

อยาก, a basic 'want', as in 'I don't want to go to the park'

[copy]

Here's my shot:

เอา, I don't think, really means "want"; I think it more means "have", as in "I'll have a beer". If you're stuck in the middle of a dessert—no beer for miles—and you happen to be craving beer, you're not going to say เอาเบียร์/"I'll have a beer"—there's no beer for you to have. You'd say instead อยากกินเบียร์/"I want to drink a beer", and you would ต้องการน้ำ/"need water". What I mean is, I don't think you can เอา anything that isn't readily available for you to have, and unless it's being offered to you, you can't เอา it without coming off as rude. Otherwise, เอา is perfectly polite.

If you were at a bar, you could have this conversation with a bartender (I think):

Bar: ดื่มอะไรดีครับวันนี้/What would you like to drink today?
You: วันนี้อยากดื่มเบียร์พี่ มีเบียร์อะไรบ้าง/Today I want to drink beer. What beers do you have?
Bar: มีแต่สิงห์ครับ เอาไหมครับ/All we have is Singha. Will you have it?
You: เอาครับ เดี๋ยวกลับมานะ ต้องการใช้ห้องน้ำก่อนพี่/I'll have it. I'll be right back though—I need to use the restroom.

Thoughts?

[pensive]

Thanks for the insight.

[David and Bui]

Is the word "ขอ" appropriate in this context? That is, "ขอเบียร์สักขวดครับ".

[Nan]

Bar: ดื่มอะไรดีครับวันนี้/What would you like to drink today?
You: วันนี้อยากดื่มเบียร์พี่ มีเบียร์อะไรบ้าง/Today I want to drink beer. What beers do you have?
Bar: มีแต่สิงห์ครับ เอาไหมครับ/All we have is Singha. Will you have it?
You: เอาครับ เดี๋ยวกลับมานะ ต้องการใช้ห้องน้ำก่อนพี่/I'll have it. I'll be right back though—I need to use the restroom.

Do you often add the word พี่ at the end of sentence to refer to the bartender?

This conversation should be;

Bar: ดื่มอะไรดีครับวันนี้/จะรับอะไรดีครับ/What would you like to drink today?
You: วันนี้อยากดื่มเบียร์ มีเบียร์อะไรบ้างครับ/Today I want to drink beer. What beers do you have?
Bar: มีแต่สิงห์ครับ รับไหมครับ/All we have is Singha. Will you have it?
You: เอาครับ/รับครับ/ได้(ok) เดี๋ยวมานะ ขอไปห้องน้ำก่อน/I'll have it. I'll be right back though—I need to use the restroom

Is the word "ขอ" appropriate in this context? That is, "ขอเบียร์สักขวดครับ".

Yes, it is. - ขอเบียร์ขวดครับ / ขอเบียร์ขวดนึงครับ /ขอเบียร์สักขวดครับ