Language/Thai/Grammar/Adjectives

Thai Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Thai learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about Thai adjectives.

Introduction

Adjectives in Thai are words used to describe or modify a noun. They usually come before the noun they modify.

For example:

• รถยนต์แดง (rót-yon-dɛɛng) means "red car".
• ห้องน้ำสวย (hɔ̂ng-nám-suǎi) means "beautiful bathroom".

Thai adjectives do not change their form based on the number, gender or case of the noun they modify. For example, รถยนต์แดง (rót-yon-dɛɛng) can be used to describe one red car or many red cars.

In this lesson, we will learn about the different types of adjectives in Thai and how to use them correctly.

Types of Adjectives

1. Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are used to describe a quality, feature or characteristic of a person, object, or situation. They come before the noun they modify.

Examples:

น่ารัก (nâa-rák)	/naː ɾák/	cute
สะอาด (sà-àat)	/sàʔ àːt/	clean
เท่ (thêe)	/tʰê/	cool
น่าเบื่อ (nâa-bʉ̀ʉa)	/naː bɯ̀a/	boring
แพง (pɛɛng)	/pɛːŋ/	expensive

2. Color Adjectives

Color adjectives are used to describe the color of an object or person. They come before the noun they modify.

Examples:

เขียว (khǐao)	/kʰǐaw/	green
ม่วง (mʉ̂ang)	/mûaŋ/	purple
ชมพู (chom-puu)	/t͡ɕʰom pʰuu/	pink
เทา (thao)	/tʰaːw/	gray
เหลือง (lʉ̌ang)	/lɯ̌aŋ/	yellow

3. Size Adjectives

Size adjectives are used to describe the size, length, height or width of an object. They come before the noun they modify.

Examples:

ใหญ่ (yài)	/jàj/	big
เล็ก (lék)	/lêk/	small
ยาว (yaao)	/jaːw/	long
สูง (sǔung)	/suːŋ/	tall
กว้าง (guǎang)	/kwáːŋ/	wide

4. Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to indicate which particular thing or person is being referred to. They come before the noun they modify.

Examples:

นี้ (née)	/níː/	this
นั้น (nán)	/nán/	that
เหล่านี้ (làao-née)	/lɛ̂:w níː/	these
เหล่านั้น (làao-nán)	/lɛ̂:w nán/	those

5. Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives are used to indicate the amount or number of something. They come before the noun they modify.

Examples:

สอง (sɔ̌ɔng)	/sɔ̌ːŋ/	two
หนึ่ง (nùeng)	/nɯ̂ŋ/	one
หลาย (lǎai)	/lǎj/	many
ไม่มาก (mâi-maak)	/mâi màːk/	not many
น้อย (nɔ́ɔi)	/nɔ́ːj/	few

6. Adjective compounds

Adjective compounds are made up of two or more adjectives, which are used together to describe a noun. The last adjective is the main adjective and agrees with the noun in gender and tone.

Examples:

• ห้องน้ำสวยงาม (hɔ̂ng-nám-suǎi-ngaam) means "beautiful and gorgeous bathroom".
• ลูกน้อยใช้การคิดได้ดี (lûuk nɔ́ɔi chái gaan-kít dâi dii) means "a clever and smart child".

Usage

In Thai, adjectives come before the noun they modify. They do not change based on the number, gender or case of the noun they modify.

Examples:

• กระเป๋าสวย (krà-bpao-suǎi) means "beautiful bag".
• ผมชอบทะเลสวย (phǒm chɔ̂ɔp tá-le seǔuai) means "I like beautiful beaches".

When multiple adjectives are used to describe a noun, they usually appear in a specific order: 1. Size, shape, or age 2. Color 3. Origin or nationality 4. Material 5. Qualitative adjective

For example, ไพ่เล็กแดง (phai lék dɛ̄ng) means "small red cards", while รถยนต์ขาวใหญ่ (rót-yon-dɛ̀ɛ-khǎao-yài) means "big white car".

Dialogue

A: แต่งตัวสวยดีเลย (tàeng-dtuua-suǎi-dii-ləəi) (B: บ้านคุณก็สะอาดอยู่เสมอเรื่องนี้ (bâan kun gôr sà-àat-yùu sěmor rûueang níi) A: โอเคค่ะ ขอบคุณนะคะ (ôok-khà khɔ̌ɔ-bpun ná-khà)

A: ดูเหมือนว่าเธออ้วนลงไปนิดเดียว (duu mǔean wâa tur ûan long pai nít-diaw) B: งั้นจะต้องออกกำลังกายเยอะๆเลย (ngán jà dtɔ̂ng òk gam-lang-gaai yə́ə yə́ə ləəi)

Conclusion

Thai adjectives are an essential part of the language and allow us to describe the world around us in more detail. By mastering Thai adjectives, you can also express your feelings, opinions, likes, and dislikes more accurately.

Remember that practice makes perfect, so use Polyglot Club to connect with native Thai speakers and practice using adjectives in context.

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