Language/Thai/Grammar/Tenses

Thai Conjugation: Tenses

สวัสดี! Thai Learners! 😃

➡ In today's lesson we will learn how to conjugate verbs in Thai.

Happy learning!

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Thai Classifiers, Gender, Negative Sentences & Object Pronouns.

The verb in Thai is invariable.

Time is expressed either by context or by a small word placed before or after the verb.

The Present Simple Tense in Thai

How to construct Present Simple Tense in Thai

This is the easiest, since the verb is used without any additives.

Since it is invariable, it is used directly:

• I'm eating / changin / ฉัน กิน

• I'm going / chanpaï / ฉัน ไป

The Present Continuous Tense: Kamlang กำลัง

How to construct the Present Continuous in Thai

Kamlang กำลัง placed before the verb means in the process of ...

• I'm going to Phom / Djan Kamlang Pai Krap / Kaa ผม / ฉัน กำลัง ไป ครับ / ค่ะ

The Present Perfect Tense in Thai

How to construct the Present Perfect Tense in Thai

The English present perfect tense is used for some action in the past that could already have been completed or may still be going on. It would sometimes require additional words as explanation of when something occurred. Thai would almost always need words in the sentence that would explain it more fully.

Example of words used for the Present Perfect

• Many times

บ่อยครั้ง

bòi kráng

• Already today

วันนี้… แล้ว

wan-née … láew

• Throughout the week

ตลอดสัปดาห์

dtàlòt sàp-daa

Sentenses

• He has played football (many times).

เขาเล่นฟุตบอล (บ่อยครั้ง)

kăo lên fút bon (bòr-yá-kráng)

• He has never played football.

เขาไม่เคยเล่นฟุตบอล

kăo mâi koie lên fút-​bol

• I have eaten (already) today.

วันนี้ฉันทานข้าว (แล้ว)

wan-née chăn taan kâao (láew)

The Future Simple Tense

How to construct the Future Tense in Thai

The future is marked by the little word จะ dja, placed in front of the verb.

• I will eat / chandjagin / ฉันจะกิน

• I will go / chandjapaï / ฉันจะไป

The Past or Future intention: Kamlang Dja กำลัง จะ

Kamlang Dja กำลัง จะ placed before the verb means the intention to do the action.

• I'm going to go to Phom / Djan Kamlang Dja Pai Krap / Kaa ผม / ฉัน กำลัง จะ ไป ครับ / ค่ะ

• I was going to go to Phom / Djan Kamlang Dja Pai Laew Krap / Kaa ผม / ฉัน กำลัง จะ ไป แล้ว ครับ / ค่ะ

The Past Simple Tense

How to construct the Past Simple Tense in Thai

The past is marked:

• by the word แล้ว lèo (already) placed after the verb, at the end of the sentence,
• either by the auxilliare ได้ daï always placed before the verb,
• simply by the context of the sentence.

Note: lèo is used if there is no notion of date, contrary to dai.

lèo is never used in negative forms which is logical since it means already.

I ate translates as changinlèo which literally means I am already eating.

if we pass the sentence in negative it becomes:

• I did not eat: chanmaïdaïgin

Attention: maïdaï placed after the verb means "cannot":

Changinmaidai = I cannot eat.

For the negative form passed, maïdaï is always in front of the verb.

Here are some examples of past sentences:

• I went to school / chanpaïrong rieanlèo / ฉันไปโรงเรียนแล้ว

• Yesterday, I went to school / meua wanchanpaïrong riean / เมื่อวานฉันไปโรงเรียน

Here is the context that marks the past.

Conjugation in all Tenses: to eat

1. Present Simple: เรากินที่ร้านอาหารแห่งนี้ประจำ "raow gin tee rahn ahaan haeng nee pra-jam" We regularly eat at this eatery.
2. Present Continuous (progressive):ฉันกำลังกินอาหารเช้าอยู่ "chan gamlang gin ahaan chaow yoo" I am eating breakfast.
3. Present Perfect: วันนี้เราได้กินสองมื้ออาหารแล้ว "wan nee raow dai gin song meuw ahaan laeow" We have already eaten twice today.
4. Future Simple: เราจะไปกินที่นั่นวันพรุ่งนี้ "raow ja pai gin tee nan wan prong-nee" We will eat there tomorrow.
5. Present Continuous Tense for Future: เรากำลังจะกินอาหารเย็นกัน "raow gahm-lang ja gin ahaan yen gun" We are going to eat dinner together.
6. Past Simple Tense: ฉันกินแล้วจึงไม่หิวเลย "chan gin laeow jeung mai he-oh ley" I ate so I'm not hungry at all.

Sources

• http://www.thailande-guide.com/zone-thailande/cours-thai-temps.html
• https://www.apprendrelethai.com/lecon-9-temps/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KefeaoC23Mw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g4VJ_R7B-s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TFh4E2XDRM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdVw-s5jGmE
• https://aseannow.com/topic/14302-expressing-verb-tenses-in-thai/

Other Lessons

• Questions
• Thai Classifiers
• Adjectives
• Personal pronouns
• Negation
• Future Tense
• Nouns
• Conditional Mood
• Plurals