These are given in English, Thai and an approximate pronunciation of the
Thai.
*"Yes" and "no" are often also indicated by simply
repeating the verb. So if the question was "Do you want to go ?",
it would be answered by saying "want" or "don't want",
rather than "yes" or "no". Chai is an general word
for "yes", but it's less used than it's English equivalent. Men
can also use krap, and women ka, to indicate agreement.
These are the same words used at the end of sentences to
be polite.
**Pom is the polite way of saying "I / me" for a
man in Thai, di-chan is the equivalent for a women. You're never likely
to offend anyone by using either of these words, but there are also a lot
of other words for 'I/Me' that can be used
depending on the situation.
There's a similarly large amount of words
for "you". Khun is the most common, and is a safe word to
use when speaking to just about anybody. Tan is a very respectful word,
used when talking to someone of markedly higher status than you in Thailand
(e.g. a high court judge, or a Buddhist monk). Ter is more informal
than khun, it's used when talking to friends.
Sa-wàt dee is the general all purpose greeting in Thailand, the
English distinctions of "Good morning", "Good afternoon"
etc.. do exist but are almost never used. It's also almost always followed by
kráp (for a man) or kâ (for a woman) to
be polite.
