Lesson 1 - Thai Tones

[@rabrojonel]

I am starting to learn Thai, and I learned some Lao previously which makes it easier. :) What made tones finally click for me was thinking about them as different intonations in English, which this video using the word "hi" is very close to. For example, think of the MID tone as a incomplete thought, perhaps the way you would greet someone if you're concentrating very hard and don't want to be disturbed, as in "Hi..." The FALLING tone is more of an "excited" sound, like exclaiming "hi!" to someone you are excited to see. The LOW tone sounds like the way you say hi as a formality, just to get on with the rest of your statement - "Hi. I'm calling about..." The HIGH tone is like a lead-in to a question, as in "Hi, are you there?" And the RISING tone is like a prompting question - I imagine a parent saying to their child, "Are you gonna say hi?"

[@SpeakThaiPossibleWithNaam]

I totally agree with you. that is a very good way to train tones for english speaker or non-tonal language speaker. I tried to train my german bf and his dad that way as well with pretty much the similar method and now they both almost be able to differentiate when i say maa in 5 tones. I find 5 words in german that sounds close and let them use those words as ' a word tuner' to find a tone when they hear it :)

[@guenstigvegan]

Thanks for that inspiration!

[@Snazjazz17]

thank you so much for that comparison to english

[@jmb1805]

This is really helpful. Thank you.

[@raline5596]

This is very helpful. Thank you

[@ChicaArgentina48]

I studied english phonetics three years, and I learned different names for the tones Mid - Level tone High - Rising tone Rising tone - Fall rising tone Low - Falling tone Falling tone - Rise falling tone The concepts are the same, but the names are different

[@eli_manguala]

English has tones??

[@winkblink8636]

Eli Manguala yes it does although the change in tone does not change the meaning of the word like in Thai but it helps us sound more natural. When native Thai or Chinese learn English they tend to sound more monotone because they are not used to being able to express tone freely without limits.

[@danielgrodriguez2598]

Those names make SO much more sense.

[@ForeverCellist]

As a Mandarin Chinese learner the names of these tones really confused me haha. It's funny you mentioned using your hands to help guide the tone, that's what I used to do (and sometimes still do) when saying words I was struggling on tones with, especially when speaking a sentence because the tone goes all over the place..

[@davevoetberg]

ForeverCellist Getting to a place where tones feel natural can be quite a climb. And Chinese seems even trickier than Thai to me! Great job stepping up to the challenge there.

[@vokha3870]

I speak Vietnamese which is also a tonal language but this is quite weird and uncomfortable for me

[@user-yt2fz7um2x]

Best video ever about tones!! I've studied many tonal languages but never found a video this helpful, thanks for that.

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome. Glad its helpful.

[@멘주-t3q]

I can learn Thai and practice English(listening) both ! Thank you teacher Dave :)))) 555

[@davevoetberg]

minju You're welcome. ยินดีครับ

[@Leafling2023]

I just started learning Thai and this is so helpful!!

[@davevoetberg]

ザミナ Great! Glad your helped by it.

[@justscrollthru84]

Wanna exchange contact?

[@fatimanadaa]

@@justscrollthru84 I wanna T-T

[@handybanana2274]

Are you fluent yet?

[@Leafling2023]

@@handybanana2274 sadly no I stopped learning but in the future I want to learn Thai properly again

[@emero3665]

Tones 1:51 - Mid 2:46 - Low 3:47 - Falling 4:49 - High 5:39 - Rising 6:44 - Review

[@davevoetberg]

Thanks.

[@xj3130]

Very helpful video! So basically it’s the four tones of Mandarin plus the falling tone. Thanks! (Mid=>1st tone in Mandarin, High=>2nd tone, Rising=>3rd tone, Low=>4th tone)

[@ryannchang1052]

Wow that's a great tip

[@yorgunsamuray]

I think that the 4th tone of Mandarin has a shorter and more abrupt ending than the Thai low tone. But the rising tone and Mandarin's 3rd tone is the perfect match. That came to my mind as soon as I learned about Thai tones.

[@Spikespeak]

My family arrived here in 1967. Our housemaid taught us all these tones. Now, it’s just really natural. Good job on your lesson.

[@davevoetberg]

Thank you sir.

[@Borrelaas]

One thing that really confused me when learning thai is the name of the tones, i kept confusing falling with low, since the low is also falling. It clicked in my head when i stopped thinking of the "falling" tone as falling, but as rising then falling.. and the low tone as falling

[@davevoetberg]

Markus Rubach Yeah, the names can get confusing. Whatever works, as long as the tones are being pronounced in the right direction.

[@1ex1uger-prank-calls]

Just remember that the ones that end with "-ing" drop and rise, or rise and drop. They're the tones with opposite inflections.

[@danielgrodriguez2598]

That's because the names don't truly describe what's actually happening.

[@RiveRokers]

Ok here i am, i saw your video for alphabet part 1 and love it, so I'm ready to learn, my foreign language is Spanish and and to take an extra challenge I want to learn Thai using English, thank God I found you

[@davevoetberg]

Rive Rokers Thanks a lot.

[@ghearoy9452]

This one helped me a lot. I've been practicing the tones lately and used ครู Waree's tip which is to move your head following the tone 😁

[@dakloos316]

try observing the flow of air while speaking out loud. You will notice you're pushing air more to the nose for the falling and high tones. By the way, thank very much for the video, it was really really helpful.

[@dncl1519]

I'm from Romania and I really want to learn Thai language. Sadly, I couldn't find a teacher who can help me here and was struggling by myself....but your videos are so easy to understand. Thank you so much

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome. Glad to help.

[@seetmeiling6380]

For a beginner, this makes the most sense. Thank you.

[@jadeshabaron4661]

I just started learning Thai and was struggling with tones. Thank youuuuuu so muchh!!!!!!!

[@davevoetberg]

Jade Saren Baron You're welcome.

[@asmazaffarshaffaq1893]

I'm confused in consonants with same pronunciation . Please help me

[@iandashb]

When a lot of the resources for learning Thai tones are in a Thai womens vocal range, to hear an English male voice is very useful for a man learning Thai. Thank you.

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome. Glad it's helpful.

[@sarahmorgan2097]

Just started learning Thai - this video helps! Thank you!

[@davevoetberg]

sarah morgan Great Sarah. You're welcome. Hope the Thai learning goes well.

[@dgbch.topbutterfly442]

เก่งมากครับ 👍👍👍 Good at guy. I'm Thai and I like to watch about foreign people teach my language.

[@davevoetberg]

ขอบคุณมากครับ

[@samhmmmm]

Uh thank you! This makes it so much easier to wrap my head around! Thank you.

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome.

[@tomweber4890]

Well done man. This is an awesome video for beginners like myself.

[@davevoetberg]

Tom Weber Thanks Tom. Glad it helped!

[@haxyablues6240]

This is so easy to follow, thank you:) can't wait for more lesson from you

[@davevoetberg]

HaxyaBlues You're welcome. Glad it was helpful. I have a playlist of Thai lessons on my channel that I will be looking to add videos to as I get them done. You're welcome to check more out there.

[@adrianlong6701]

I really love these videos. I’m moving to Thailand in a few years so having some language skills will be very helpful. You are a great teacher

[@davevoetberg]

Adrian Long Thanks Adrian. I appreciate that. Glad the videos are helpful :)

[@janjyxzlcrisostomo5599]

This is one of the best videos that can help you learning thai

[@davevoetberg]

Jan Jyxzl Crisostomo Thanks. Glad it was helpful.

[@janjyxzlcrisostomo5599]

@@davevoetberg Thank you very much for making this kind of videos, I'll recommend it to my friends to watch it.

[@นวลฉวืศรีสุนาครัว]

I have another idea to share for tones. Use ka ka' Ka^ka/ ka v .The leaner can see the words, easy to understand .Thank you for your helping.

[@davevoetberg]

นวลฉวื ศรีสุนาครัว Thank you. And you're welcome :)

[@นวลฉวืศรีสุนาครัว]

คุณสอนเข้าใจง่ายกว่าคนไทยนะคะ ..ขอให้พูดช้าลงอีกนิดนะคะ ...please I don't understand ...the word ' sonorant'...waiting for your answer thank you.

[@bpin5191]

kā kà kâ ká kă

[@rebeccad8568]

Hi David can you point me in the direction for advanced tone info. I’m getting so confused, here’s an example why: How was your day today? วันนี้เป็นไงบ้าง. The first time ้ is used as high tone. Why? The same thing again: I am free ฉันว่าง. Why is ่ sounding like falling tone? Do you know anything about this? I can’t find info anywhere 😕

[@davevoetberg]

Hi Rebecca, Lessons 4 & 5 in the series should be of some help in this area: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHTThGemmp59b5o

[@ricetreechronicle]

Just a suggestion...when teaching tones, can you place the tonal marks (not the same as in Thai script) above the words? For me it seem clearer...thank you

[@HanaAirisu]

For now it does kind of resemble my language (Dutch), since we can say words (for example hi) with all these tones too, which then don't change the meaning indeed, but do indicate a certain way of "hidden meaning" I guess.. It's so hard to explain.. but if you'd say hi with a rising tone, it's like you didn't expect the other to be there. If you'd say it with a rising tone, it sounds enthusiastic, with a low tone disappointing etc. I hope it works like that in Thai too xD

[@วรวีร์พัสโสดา-ม4ฝ]

อาเมน Amen 🙏 ขอพระเจ้าอวยพระพร God bless you My friends

[@jesuisbenoit]

Wow, this is impressive. The low tone can be a bit lower. Other than that, it is perfect. I love it. The high and the rising are extremely clear. Tks for the good work.

[@davevoetberg]

Great, thanks for the tip Ben.

[@rayai.3857]

you should use these sound /g/ / j/ /d/ /t / /b/ /Bh/ /-aw/ as the beginning consonants to demonstrate thai tone coz they are mid-sound alphabets. It is easier and clearer to tonal diversion.

[@FrauSchneider555]

ทำดีมากค่ะ คุณครู

[@davevoetberg]

ขอบคุณมากครับ

[@AdrianaSpain]

I'm trying to learn thai, with no pressure, I'll study it only if I want to, if not I'll let it go. For sure I'll learn something and that's welcome, it's worth it, not a waste of time for me. And studying this I'm improving my English as well. So here I am. About the topic of this video, I find it difficult to perceive the difference between the tones but it might be because this is new for me, let's see how it goes. Thank you :)

[@jayg.1734]

Are you still studying it?

[@yasmin_the_asian]

Hi David. First of all I wann do a big compliment for your Thai speaking skills. U R the first ฝรั่ง I've seen, who's able to speak/teach Thai language like a nativ. I also learning about 1 year already and it's sometimes very sobering... 😓 Especially of listen to understand. I think I'll never get it, but now I've seen U and I got a new inspiration. I have one question: When did you start learning Thai or rather how long you needed to reach a native/pro level of speaking? THX + Greetz from Yasmin

[@Anya_Boo]

great explanation but... when i listen to Thai all these tones are gone and it all sounds just like middle tone :(

[@davevoetberg]

Hang in there. Some have a harder time with it than others. Go as slow as needed would be my encouragement.

[@ShivaniSharma-ws4wz]

First you tell this that how much hard was that for you to get clear? ☺️

[@pelo7pelo7]

David, I love your videos. I'm still a newbie at Thai, as I haven't even learned the whole alphabet, but your videos have helped me start to make sense of all the rules. I couldn't help but think I found a version of myself, as I have a channel teaching Mandarin. The name of the channel is pelo7pelo7. God bless you!

[@bobbiegoestopattaya4239]

Fantastic thank you so much

[@davevoetberg]

Robert Norris You're welcome.

[@fasteyfastey5354]

This was the best vedio i watched , well explained

[@davevoetberg]

Thanks. Glad it was helpful.

[@edgregory1]

For tones I go by ear.

[@j_junfiltered]

thank you for saving my life bls are taking over my soul lol

[@jpmauryapharm]

you made by day dear..... so difficult made so easy... many thanks....Cheers

[@davevoetberg]

Jai Prakash Maurya Great! Glad to help :)

[@Josh_009]

Hi I think the video was good :) what books do you reccomend to start with when reading? What do u think is the best way to learn to read?

[@davevoetberg]

Daffy Duck Thanks. I recommend 'Learn Thai for Beginners' by Benjawan Poomsan Becker. It may be a bit tedious, but I would take a letter a day & memorize/write out each letter of the alphabet & then go on to the vowels, etc. Focus in on getting good pronunciation of every letter. Really pays off in the long run in my opinion.

[@Josh_009]

@@davevoetberg @dave voetberg thanks for getting back to me, thats a good idea and I'll do that. I'm going through that book atm and I have her pronunciation trainer also. I have the old fundamentals of the thai language book I'm working through as well.

[@polyky]

So helpful! Thank you 🙏

[@badguyastrorap1466]

Thank yu sooooo much

[@davevoetberg]

BadGuy AstroRap You're welcome.

[@malak5824]

That was very helpful thank you so much!💖

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome.

[@sofquiwal570]

So helpful!! Thanks

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome.

[@hmubyalfredt]

thank you. it helps a lot

[@leonguyen5215]

I am Vietnamese .Thai Tones are basically the same as Vietnamese

[@johnheng1040]

Thanks!

[@davevoetberg]

Johnlong cendana teh You're welcome.

[@johnheng1040]

dave voetberg hi. Just a quick question. Is it possible to learn thai without learning the tone rules?(all the alphabet classes and how they create different tones just confuse me) so maybe i can just learn new vocabulary by regular listening practice? I know how to write btw.

[@davevoetberg]

Sorry for just now responding. I think you can get by without learning them on some level, but I wouldn't recommend doing so. I would definitely encourage working at the tone rules so you're speaking can be as accurate as possible. It will really help to clear up confusion if you're planning on talking to other people. Taking the time to learn the tone rules will in the long run be less painful then skipping learning them and having confusion throughout your conversations with people. Laying a good foundation now will really serve well later.

[@johnheng1040]

Thank you so much for replying! How long have you been learning thai? Do you plan on making vidoes on the tone rules though? I find your videos very interactive. 😊

[@davevoetberg]

I've been learning Thai for almost 7 years now. I do plan to get into reading rules after these alphabet videos. Thanks!

[@malerunwaymodels8951]

Very helpful. I took my 1st class last week, and I was struggling with the tones. Lmao😃 Thanks for sharing.

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome.

[@matt06sg]

You are confused with your falling tone and low tone. Low tone maintain the entire intonation. It doesn't drop. If it does drop, it's the falling tone.

[@davevoetberg]

Matthew Jason Could you clarify? You're saying I'm confusing the names or the actual sounds?

[@matt06sg]

@@davevoetberg At 2:20, you are trying to explain Low tone, even the indicator mark seems like it's a falling tone. It's not, like Mid-Tone, Low tone remains constant, doesn't change the pitch of the sound throughout the entire syllable. Only Rising and Falling tones, change respectively throughout the entire syllable. Basically, Low Tone doesn't drop throughout the entire syllable.

[@matt06sg]

@@davevoetberg Just watched your entire video. I don't want to appear rude but I suggest that you to review your knowledge of Thai Tones. Except Rising and falling tones. Mid, High, and Low tones do not change note throughout the entire syllable. It's like singing, Mid, High, and Low tones maintain the entire note.

[@davevoetberg]

@@matt06sg Are you Thai Matthew?

[@matt06sg]

@@davevoetberg What's the relevance? Are you a linquist?

[@choochoo7848]

Great video and Thank you.

[@davevoetberg]

choo choo You're welcome. And thank you :)

[@mikedaniels3009]

Dear Dave, hello after a while. Awesome body of work, but if I may put in my 2 cents in edgewise: I've come to believe that for sincere Thai learners. aspiring to conquer even the basics, let alone become native level speakers, ONLY a loving, kind hearted, devoted, loyal, and PATIENT Thai wife & OUR study discipline will do. And that's a fact. Wife, not gf, for gfs think competition and will not have your fluency at heart. Unfortunately that goes for many Thai wives too whose husbands of 20 years are still ILLITERATE today. Whaddayathink? BTW I've discovered your Bible videos today. Great find.

[@iapplethis]

Thank you!

[@davevoetberg]

You're welcome.

[@marry.mebitc.h3279]

were you wearing pijamas

[@davevoetberg]

no 😄

[@hehasrisen1990]

U live in Bangkok?

[@hehasrisen1990]

My brother used to live there and said it was a concrete jungle. What do u think about it? He likes Chang Mai and the outskirts more. Seems like a neat place to visit. Are u finding many people are interested in Christian faith there? I’m from ND, live in California now, but God called me to Thailand years ago. Just been afraid this whole time. Now finally starting to pray into it..

[@davevoetberg]

@@hehasrisen1990 Hi there. I do live in the Bangkok area now, though I didn't at the time this video was filmed. Not my favorite place to live, due to traffic mainly, but it has been an avenue of fellowship with other believers, which has been nice. There has been some interest in the gospel, though we always want to see more 🙂 May The Lord give wisdom and direction as you pursue future steps concerning your involvement in Thailand.

[@hehasrisen1990]

@@davevoetberg good to know. Thanks

[@davidjustdavid3955]

Interesting and possible . 🤐👍🏻🧐

[@ChefRafi]

Way too many tones for me!

[@SpeakThaiPossibleWithNaam]

very good explanation :)

[@davevoetberg]

Thank you!

[@pisitdathong4424]

im thai

[@davevoetberg]

pisit dathong Awesome :)

[@saichapman5153]

The echo is soooo bad

[@foongpedq2238]

I'm Thai, very very close :)

[@davevoetberg]

ขอบคุณครับ

[@pavlina_kha]

3:47 illuminati confirmed :)

[@HokkeeKun]

God damn! they all sound the same :(

[@farshimelt]

You may be tone deaf. Take a test for tone recognition, there are several on the internet.

[@cornelisadrop]

Yi ik ben je 1.666 ste lid oeps

[@Noonegonfindme]

U know this is gonna be difficult when u aint hear the difference. T^T

[@arouaellaili1378]

Same here 😂

[@farshimelt]

Take a test to find out if you are tone deaf.

[@vindowmaker5819]

nope, i heard no difference. Screw this, im going to Japanese... so glad that its not tonal

[@davevoetberg]

Vindow Maker Try giving it some time. Takes a while. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@farshimelt]

As I've said to others, take a test to find out if you're tone deaf.