| Let's look at the sentence pattern. |
| Do you remember how the character said, |
| "I'll take the BTS to Thonglor." |
| เดี๋ยวผมจะขึ้นรถไฟฟ้าไปทองหล่อ (dǐiao phǒm jà khûen rót-fai-fáa bpai thaawng-làaw.) |
| เดี๋ยวผมจะขึ้นรถไฟฟ้าไปทองหล่อ (dǐiao phǒm jà khûen rót-fai-fáa bpai thaawng-làaw.) |
| This sentence follows the pattern here: |
| Subject + จะ + ขึ้น / นั่ง + means of transport + (ไป + destination) |
| Subject + jà + (khûen / nâng) + [means] + bpai + [destination] |
| "[Subject] will take [transport] to [place]." |
| We focus on two essential travel verbs—ขึ้น (khûen) and นั่ง (nâng) |
| You'll use ขึ้น (khûen) when you talk about big or public transportation like buses, boats, or the BTS skytrain, because you have to "get on board." |
| For smaller or private transportation, like cars, taxis, or tuk-tuks, you'll use นั่ง (nâng), because you usually "sit in" these vehicles. |
| Thai speakers often use ขึ้น and นั่ง interchangeably in daily life. But as a beginner, let's try to stick to this simple rule. This will help you speak more clearly and confidently. |
| Let's see how the line from the dialogue uses the pattern. |
| เดี๋ยวผมจะขึ้นรถไฟฟ้าไปทองหล่อ (dǐiao phǒm jà khûen rót-fai-fáa bpai thaawng-làaw.) |
| "I'll take the BTS to Thonglor." |
| Let's break it down: |
| เดี๋ยว (dǐiao), meaning "in a moment" or "soon," is commonly used to indicate something will happen shortly. |
| ผม (phǒm), the pronoun meaning "I," used by male speakers, |
| จะ (jà), meaning "will," showing the future tense, |
| ขึ้น (khûen), meaning "to get on" or "board," used for large or public transportation, |
| รถไฟฟ้า (rót-fai-fáa), meaning "BTS," the electric skytrain in Bangkok, |
| ไป (bpai), meaning "to go," |
| ทองหล่อ (thaawng-làaw), meaning "Thonglor," a popular area in Bangkok. |
| Let's look at another example from the dialogue. The character says: |
| ผมจะนั่งรถแท็กซี่ไปครับ (phǒm jà nâng rót-tháek-sîi bpai khráp.) |
| "I'll take a taxi." |
| This sentence follows the same sentence pattern, but this time it uses นั่ง (nâng), because the speaker is choosing a taxi, which is a smaller, hired vehicle where you "sit in." |
| Let's break it down: |
| ผม (phǒm), the pronoun meaning "I," used by male speakers, |
| จะ (jà), meaning "will," marking a future action, |
| นั่ง (nâng), meaning "to sit" or "ride (as a passenger)," |
| รถแท็กซี่ (rót-tháek-sîi), meaning "taxi," |
| ไป (bpai), meaning "to go," |
| ครับ (khráp), polite ending particle used by male speakers. |
| By following this simple structure, you can easily talk about where you're going and how you'll get there—whether it's by train, taxi, or tuk-tuk. |
| In this lesson, we also learn important verbs that help you describe how you travel in Thai. |
| Some verbs like เดิน (dooen), "to walk," and วิ่ง (wîng), "to run," don't need a vehicle. |
| When you drive something yourself, you use ขับ (khàp), like ขับรถ (khàp rót), "drive a car." |
| For smaller vehicles you control, like bicycles or motorcycles, you use ขี่ (khìi). |
| When talking about public transportation or getting on a vehicle, we use ขึ้น (khûen), for example, ขึ้นรถไฟฟ้า (khûen rót-fai-fáa), "take the BTS." |
| นั่ง (nâng) is used when you ride as a passenger, like นั่งรถเมล์ (nâng rót-mee), "ride the bus." |
| For boats, Thai people commonly say ลงเรือ (long ruuea), "get on the boat." |
| These verbs help you be specific about both the action and the transportation type. |
| Now let's look at some speaking examples. |
| ภรรยาของผมจะนั่งรถไฟฟ้าไปตลาดครับ (phan-rá-yaa khǎawng phǒm jà nâng rót-fai-fáa bpai dtà-làat khráp) |
| "My wife will take the BTS to the market." |
| Can you see how the pattern applies here? |
| Let's break it down: |
| ภรรยาของผม (phan-rá-yaa khǎawng phǒm), meaning "my wife," |
| จะ (jà), meaning "will," showing the future tense, |
| นั่ง (nâng), meaning "to sit/take," used for transport, |
| รถไฟฟ้า (rót-fai-fáa), meaning "BTS," the electric skytrain, |
| ไป (bpai), meaning "to go," |
| ตลาด (dtà-làat), meaning "market," |
| ครับ (khráp), polite ending particle for male speakers. |
| So altogether: |
| ภรรยาของผมจะนั่งรถไฟฟ้าไปตลาดครับ (phan-rá-yaa khǎawng phǒm jà nâng rót-fai-fáa bpai dtà-làat khráp) |
| "My wife will take the BTS to the market." |
| Technically, ขึ้น is more precise for public transport like the BTS. However, Thai speakers often say นั่ง in casual conversation, especially when focusing on the act of sitting rather than boarding. |
| Here's another example |
| ผมจะขี่จักรยานไปโรงเรียนครับ (phǒm jà khìi jàk-grà-yaan bpai roong-riian khráp) |
| "I will ride a bicycle to school." |
| ผมจะขี่จักรยานไปโรงเรียนครับ (phǒm jà khìi jàk-grà-yaan bpai roong-riian khráp) |
| "I will ride a bicycle to school." |
| Let's try one more, |
| พ่อของผมจะขับรถไปทำงานครับ (phâaw khǎawng phǒm jà khàp rót bpai tham-ngaan khráp) |
| "My father will drive to work." |
| พ่อของผมจะขับรถไปทำงานครับ (phâaw khǎawng phǒm jà khàp rót bpai tham-ngaan khráp) |
| "My father will drive to work." |
| รถ means "a car," together, ขับรถ means "to drive a car," but in English, we usually just say "drive," since "car" is understood from the context. |
| Now you know how to talk about transportation in Thai. |
| ...and now let's move on to the practice. |
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