I am fluent only in English. I grew up with Cantonese spoken in my household, and it’s one of my regrets not to have attained fluency in Cantonese. So one of my goals in mini retirement is to learn Thai. Two years into my stay here, I can say I’m still a Beginner. I can order drinks and food – and or give some basic direction to my Grab driver or masseuse – but that’s pretty much where I’m at. All of this to say: I’m still learning and this post is certainly a work-in-progress.
I want to share three tips I have picked up in language learning. Note that this post covers only conversational / spoken Thai, not reading or writing (which I believe to be completely different). I have focused solely on speaking/listening, so that I can make basic conversations in the few years I have lived here.