Real Thai Language from Real Thai People.. You won't find in books

What You Won’t Find in Textbooks or AI: Real Thai Language from Real Thai People. 

By Adel Elsherif 

Living in Bangkok and interacting with everyday working-class Thais has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. 

These are some of the kindest, most hardworking, and genuinely friendly people I’ve ever met.

 And while textbooks and AI might teach you “correct” Thai, they often miss the beauty of how it’s actually spoken on the streets, in homes, and among friends.

Here are my personal observations—authentic, unfiltered, and full of heart:

🗣️ Real Thai Speech Patterns

1. English Proficiency  

   Instead of saying ผมไม่สามารถพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้, most will simply say พูดภาษาอังกฤษไม่เป็น or ไม่ได้.

2. Family Terms  

   พ่อแม่ (parents) is used more often than ครอบครัว (family).

3. Eating Expressions  

   You won’t hear ผมกำลังกินข้าวอยู่ much. It’s just กินข้าวอยู่.

4. Agreeing or Confirming  

   ใช่ isn’t used as frequently as you might expect. You’ll hear ครับ, ค่ะ, เหรอ (with a rising tone), or just อืม.

5. Pronoun Usage  

   ผม and ฉัน are often dropped. Some prefer เรา instead.

6. Gender-Neutral Pronouns  

   Both men and women use ฉัน casually.

7. Talking to Children  

   Kids—whether their own or others’—are lovingly called ลูก.

8. Question Forms  

   หรือเปล่า is rare in casual speech. You’ll hear รึยัง, เหรอ, or หรือไม่.  

   (Note: Mr. Ussawiruk Srichana points out that หรือเปล่า is still used in normal speech—worth considering!)

9. Pronunciation Nuances  

   The word ปลา (fish) is pronounced with a strong stress on ป, unlike the soft pronunciation you might hear from Google or AI. Always imitate native speakers!

10. Drinking Verbs  

   กิน is used for drinking too—ดื่ม feels overly formal.

11. Adverbs and Repetition  

   Instead of using อย่างดี, they’ll say ดีดี. Same goes for เร็วเร็ว, ช้าช้า. The word แบบ is also commonly used.

12. Third-Person Pronouns  

   พวกเขา is rarely used. You’ll hear เขา, พวก, or even มัน, พวกมัน when referring to strangers.

13. Passive Voice  

   โดน is much more common than ถูก in everyday speech.

14. The Word ต่อ  

   While textbooks teach ต่อ as “connect” or “next,” locals use it after verbs to mean “continue”—like นอนต่อ, กินต่อ, ทำงานต่อ.

15. Referring to Others  

   เธอ is often used instead of คุณ. And เขา is used for both “he” and “she.”

16. Talking About Spouses  

   Many men refer to their wives as เมีย rather than the more formal ภรรยา. Be aware: เมีย can sound impolite depending on context.

17. Giving Instructions  

   ไม่ต้อง is preferred over อย่า when speaking to adults. อย่า can come off as harsh or commanding.

These are just a few of the many beautiful quirks and patterns I’ve noticed. Thai is a living language, shaped by culture, warmth, and everyday life. If you’ve spotted other patterns or disagree with any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s keep learning from the people—not just the textbooks.