Language/Thai/Grammar/Future-Tense

Thai Grammar - Future Tense

Hi Thai learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about the future tense in Thai language. We will cover the basic concepts, illustrate them with cultural information and interesting facts, and provide plenty of examples to practice.

Introduction

The future tense is used to talk about events that will happen in the future. In Thai language, the future tense is formed using auxiliary words or sentence structures that indicate future time. The Thai language doesn't have a verb tense system like English.

Let's see some examples:

Thai	Pronunciation	English
พรุ่งนี้	phrûng-níi	tomorrow
จะ	jà	auxiliary word for indicating the future tense
ไป	bpai	go
กิน	gin	eat
ข้าว	khâao	rice
กับ	gàp	with
เพื่อน	phûeuan	friend
เสร็จ	sèt	finish
แล้ว	láew	then
?	?	What will you do tomorrow?

In the example above, the sentence starts with "พรุ่งนี้" (tomorrow), followed by the auxiliary word "จะ" (jà), and the verbs "ไป" (bpai) and "กิน" (gin) which mean "go" and "eat" respectively. The object of the sentence is "ข้าว" (khâao) which means "rice", and it is followed by the preposition "กับ" (gàp) which means "with". Finally, the sentence ends with the noun "เพื่อน" (phûeuan) which means "friend", and the verbs "เสร็จ" (sèt) and "แล้ว" (láew) which mean "finish" and "then" respectively. The question mark "?" stands for the English question "What will you do tomorrow?".

In this example, we see that the future tense in Thai is formed by combining an auxiliary word with a verb in the present tense. The auxiliary word "จะ" (jà) indicates that the action will occur in the future.

Now let's see how to create negative and interrogative sentences in the future tense.

Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence in the future tense, we simply add the particle "ไม่" (mâi) before the auxiliary word:

Thai	Pronunciation	English
พรุ่งนี้	phrûng-níi	tomorrow
ไม่	mâi	negative particle
จะ	jà	auxiliary word for indicating the future tense
ไป	bpai	go
เที่ยว	thîaao	travel
กับ	gàp	with
เพื่อน	phûeuan	friend
?	?	Won't you go travel with friends tomorrow?

In the example above, we simply add the particle "ไม่" (mâi) before the auxiliary word "จะ" (jà) to create the negative sentence "ไม่จะไปเที่ยวกับเพื่อนพรุ่งนี้" (mâi jà bpai thîaao gàp phûeuan phrûng-níi), which means "Won't you go travel with friends tomorrow?".

Interrogative Sentences

To form an interrogative sentence in the future tense, we simply add the question particle "ไหม" (mai) at the end of the sentence. It works for yes-no questions. We can also use other question words like "อะไร" (à-rai) which means "what", "เมื่อไร" (meûa-rai) which means "when", "ทำไม" (tham-mai) which means "why", and "ไหน" (năi) which means "where":

Thai	Pronunciation	English
พรุ่งนี้	phrûng-níi	tomorrow
คุณ	khun	you (polite)
จะ	jà	auxiliary word for indicating the future tense
ทำอะไร	tham à-rai	do what
?	?	What will you do tomorrow?

In this example, we ask "คุณจะทำอะไรพรุ่งนี้ไหม?" (khun jà tham à-rai phrûng-níi mai?), which means "What will you do tomorrow?".

Now let's see some interesting facts about the Thai language and culture related to the future tense.

Cultural Notes

In Thai language and culture, the future is not always certain. Thai people tend to use the phrase "ประเด็นใจ" (bprà-dèn-jai), which means "subject of the heart", to express their uncertainty about the future. This phrase is often used when someone is asked about their plans for the future, as a way of saying that they haven't decided yet or that it is too early to tell.

Another interesting aspect of the Thai language is the use of the word "สิ" (sì) at the end of sentences to express politeness, friendliness, or emphasis. This word doesn't have a clear meaning but it is often used to soften the tone of the sentence and to make it more friendly. For example, instead of saying "คุณจะทำอะไรพรุ่งนี้" (khun jà tham à-rai phrûng-níi), you can say "คุณจะทำอะไรพรุ่งนี้สิ" (khun jà tham à-rai phrûng-níi sì), which sounds more polite and friendly.

Now let's see some examples in context, in the form of a dialogue:

• Person 1: พรุ่งนี้ไปเที่ยวกับเพื่อน มาด้วยไหม? (phrûng-níi bpai thîaao gàp phûeuan maa-dûuai mai?) (Are you coming to travel with friends tomorrow?)
• Person 2: ไม่ ไปไม่ได้ค่ะ เพราะฉันมีงานติดตั้งที่บ้าน (mâi bpai mâi-dâi khâ chăn mii ngaan dtìt-dtăng thîi bâan) (No, I cannot go because I have to install something at home.)
• Person 1: พูดแบบนั้นเหรอ ดูเธออยู่บ้านเลย? (phûut bàep nán rǎw duu thooi yùu bâan looei?) (Really? Are you going to stay home like that?)
• Person 2: ต้องเตรียมตัวอย่างดีก่อนนะ ไม่อยากไปแบบที่อยู่ไม่ไหว (dtông-dtriiam-dtuua yàang dii gòrn ná mâi-yàak bpai bàep-thîi yùu mâi-wăi) (I have to prepare well before going. I don't want to go like that.)

Now you try! To improve your Thai Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Thai_language
• Thai_grammar
• Thai_phonology