Saying What You Want in Thai - Grammar

Learn to talk about what you want in Thai

Lesson Transcript

Let's look at the sentence pattern.

Do you remember how the character said,

"but I'd like a different one"

แต่ผมอยากได้ภาพอื่นครับ (dtàae phǒm yàak dâi phâap ùuen khráp)

This sentence follows the pattern here:

SUBJECT[Subject] + อยาก + ได้ + NOUN PHRASE[Noun Phrase] + ค่ะ/ครับ

SUBJECT[Subject] + yàak + dâi + NOUN PHRASE[Noun Phrase] + khâ/khráp

I + want/would like + to get + noun + sentence ending polite particle

This key pattern will help you clearly say what you want in Thai.

The phrase อยากได้ (yàak dâi) can mean both "want" and "would like," so it's useful in everyday conversations when asking for things, whether you're being casual or more polite.

Let's see how the line from the dialogue uses the pattern.

แต่ผมอยากได้ภาพอื่นครับ (dtàae phǒm yàak dâi phâap ùuen khráp)

"but I'd like a different one"

Start with แต่ (dtàae), meaning "but" — this introduces contrast.

Next, ผม (phǒm), the subject pronoun meaning "I" for male speakers.

Then we have อยาก (yàak), meaning "want to,"

followed by ได้ (dâi), which means "to get" or "to have."

After that, ภาพ (phâap), the noun meaning "picture" or "painting,"

and อื่น (ùuen), meaning "other" or "different."

Together, ภาพอื่น (phâap ùuen) is a noun phrase meaning "a different picture" — with อื่น placed after the noun, as is typical in Thai.

Finally, ครับ (khráp), the polite ending particle for male speakers.

Altogether, it literally means: "But I want to get a different picture." But in our dialogue, in natural English, it means: "But I'd like a different one."

This sentence fits the pattern SUBJECT[Subject] + อยาก + ได้ + NOUN[Noun] + ค่ะ/ครับ and is useful when expressing what you'd like to have.

Now you know how to express what you want in Thai!

Now let's introduce a second, slightly more detailed pattern:

SUBJECT[Subject] + อยาก + ได้ + NOUN[Noun] + ที่ + ADJECTIVE[Adjective] + ค่ะ/ครับ

SUBJECT[Subject] + yàak + dâi + NOUN[Noun] + thîi + ADJECTIVE[Adjective] + khâ/khráp

This structure means "I want" or "I'd like" to get a NOUN[noun] that is ADJECTIVE[Adjective].

Let's see how this appears in our dialogue:

ผมอยากได้ภาพวาดที่น่าสนใจครับ

(phǒm yàak dâi phâap-wâat thîi nâa-sŏn-jai khráp)

"I'd like a painting that's interesting."

Here, ผม (phǒm) is the subject pronoun meaning "I" (male speaker),

อยากได้ (yàak dâi) means "want to get" or "would like to have,"

ภาพวาด (phâap-wâat) is the noun meaning "painting,"

ที่ (thîi) functions like the relative pronoun "that,"

น่าสนใจ (nâa-sŏn-jai) is the adjective meaning "interesting,"

and ครับ (khráp) is the polite particle used by male speakers.

This pattern lets you describe exactly the kind of thing you want.

It's perfect when shopping, making requests, or talking about preferences.

Now let's look at some speaking examples.

ดิฉันอยากได้เพื่อนใหม่ค่ะ (dì-chăn yàak dâi phûean mài khâ)

"I'd like a new friend."

Can you see how the pattern applies here?

Let's break it down:

ดิฉัน (dì-chăn) is the pronoun meaning "I," used by female speakers.

This is followed by อยาก (yàak), which means "want to."

Next comes ได้ (dâi), meaning "to get" or "to have."

Then we have เพื่อน (phûean), the noun meaning "friend,"

followed by ใหม่ (mài), the adjective meaning "new."

And finally, ค่ะ (khâ) is the polite ending particle used by female speakers.

Here's another example

ผมอยากได้รถญี่ปุ่นครับ (phŏm yàak dâi rót-yîi-bpùn khráp)

"I'd like a Japanese car."

ผมอยากได้รถญี่ปุ่นครับ (phŏm yàak dâi rót-yîi-bpùn khráp)

"I'd like a Japanese car."

Let's try one more,

ดิฉันอยากได้คอมพิวเตอร์ที่เร็วค่ะ (dì-chăn yàak dâi khawm-phiu-dtôoe thîi reo khâ.)

"I'd like a computer that is fast."

ดิฉันอยากได้คอมพิวเตอร์ที่เร็วค่ะ (dì-chăn yàak dâi khawm-phiu-dtôoe thîi reo khâ.)

"I'd like a computer that is fast."

Now you know how to say what kind of thing you want in Thai.

...and now let's move on to the practice.

Comments

Hide