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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Jessi: Top 25 Thai Questions You Need to Know - Lesson 4: "What do you do for a living?" in Thai. In each lesson of this 25 part series, you'll master a common question for Thai learners, and then learn how to answer like a native speaker. You'll learn how these key phrases work by breaking them down into each component. Then, through repetition and new vocabulary, you'll expand your understanding of the question, its answers, and any variations.
In this lesson, you'll learn how to respond to the common question "What do you do?" In Thai, this is...
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá
Jessi: The first word in the question "What do you do?" is...
Pim: khun
Jessi: meaning "you" in English.
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) khun
Jessi: Listen again and repeat.
Pim: khun
{Pause}
Jessi: This pattern of first introducing a word at natural speed, providing the translation, breaking it down, and then giving it again at natural speed will be repeated throughout the series. Try to speak aloud as often as possible. The next word in the question is-
Pim: tham
Jessi: meaning "do"
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) tham
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: tham
{Pause}
Jessi: Listen to the first two words of the question and repeat.
Pim: khun tham
{Pause}
Jessi: And after that...
Pim: ngaan
Jessi: meaning "work"
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) ngaan
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: ngaan
Jessi: Listen to the first three words of the question and repeat.
Pim: khun tham ngaan
{Pause}
Jessi: And next...
Pim: à-rai
Jessi: meaning "what"
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) à-rai
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: à-rai
{Pause}
Jessi: Listen to the first four words of the question and repeat.
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai
Jessi: And next...
Pim: khâ
Jessi: which is a polite ending particle for female speakers for questions and requests
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) khâ
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: khâ
{Pause}
Jessi: Listen to the entire question and repeat.
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá
{pause}
Jessi: Remember to change the final khá to khráp if you’re a male speaker.
Jessi: You will hear this common question again and again throughout your studies. Master the following pattern and responses to the question "What do you do for a living?"
Pim: dì-chǎn bpen khruu khâ
Jessi: "I'm a teacher." Again slowly. Repeat the phrase.Repeat the phrase.
Pim: (Slow) dì-chǎn bpen khruu khâ
{pause}
Jessi: Let's break it down from the beginning. The first word is...
Pim: dì-chǎn
Jessi: means "I" used by females
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) dì-chǎn
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: dì-chǎn
{Pause}
Jessi: And next,
Pim: bpen
Jessi: meaning "to be."
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) bpen
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: bpen
{Pause}
Jessi: And after that...
Pim: khruu
Jessi: meaning "teacher."
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) khruu
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: khruu
{Pause}
Jessi: And next...
Pim: khâ
Jessi: which is the particle added at the end of the sentence or phrase in order to increase the level of politeness when the speaker is a female.
Pim: (Slow, by syllable) khâ
Jessi: Now repeat.
Pim: khâ
{Pause}
Jessi: Listen to the speaker say "I'm a teacher." and then repeat.
Pim: dì-chǎn bpen khruu khâ
{Pause}
Jessi: This is how you would say "I'm a teacher." if you are a female; if you are a male, simply replace the word dì-chǎn with the word phǒm, meaning “I” in English.
Now, listen to the entire response as you would say it if you’re a male, and repeat.
Pim: phǒm bpen khruu khráp
Jessi: To use a different phrase, replace "teacher" with "doctor."
Pim: mǎaw
Jessi: "doctor"
Pim: (slow) mǎaw (regular) mǎaw
Jessi: Listen to the phrase again, this time with "doctor."
Pim: dì-chǎn bpen mǎaw khâ
Jessi: We mostly say the same, simply replace the word "teacher." Say, "I'm a doctor."
{pause}
Pim: dì-chǎn bpen mǎaw khâ
Jessi: Remember, this is how to answer the question if you’re a female. If you’re male, use phǒm instead of dì-chǎn. Now let’s try it with a male version.
Jessi: To make a different phrase, replace replace "doctor" with "engineer."
Pim: wít-sà-wá-gaawn
Jessi: "engineer"
Pim: (slow) wít-sà-wá-gaawn (regular) wít-sà-wá-gaawn
Jessi: Listen to the phrase again, this time with "engineer."
Pim: phǒm bpen wí-sà-wá-gaawn khráp
Jessi: We replace the word for "doctor" and use the male version of the sentence. Say, "I'm an engineer."
{pause}
Pim: phǒm bpen wí-sà-wá-gaawn khráp
Jessi: To expand on the pattern, replace "engineer" with "businessman."
Pim: nák-thú-rá-gìt
Jessi: "businessman"
Pim: (slow) nák-thú-rá-gìt (regular) nák-thú-rá-gìt
Jessi: Listen to the phrase again, this time with "businessman."
Pim: phǒm bpen nák-thú-rá-gìt khráp
Jessi: We replaced the word for "engineer" and use the male version of the sentence. Say, "I'm a businessman."
{pause}
Pim: phǒm bpen nák-thú-rá-gìt khráp
Jessi: Now it's time for a quiz. Imagine you're visiting Thailand and a female speaker asks what you do. You’re a teacher. Respond to the question.
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá (five seconds) dì-chǎn bpen khruu khâ
Jessi: Now imagine you're a female doctor. Respond to the question.
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá (five seconds) dì-chǎn bpen mǎaw khâ
Jessi: Now imagine you’re a male engineer. Remember to think about the gender of your words. Answer the speaker’s question.
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá (five seconds) phǒm bpen wí-sà-wá-gaawn khráp
Jessi: Now imagine you’re a businessman. Respond to the question.
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá (five seconds) phǒm bpen nák-thú-rá-gìt khráp
Jessi: Now you want to learn what that person does. Ask the feminine version of that question.
(5 seconds)
Pim: khun tham ngaan à-rai khá
{pause}
Jessi: This is the end of Lesson 4.

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