How to become fluent in Thai - if I'm doing it then you can do it too!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Learn 150+ languages with quality native-speaking teachers on italki🎉. Buy $10 get $5 for free for your first lesson using my code LANTA5: Web: go.italki.com/sweetlifelantanov App: italki.app.link/sweetlifelantanov ---- After last week's video "Speaking only Thai for 24 hours" it is time to tell you guys how I became fluent in Thai. Please let me know if you have any questions and like, comment and share for support! Love to all around the world, Maayan

[@ThBKK]

ที่จรืงแล้ว คุณไม่ต้องกังวลกับเสียงวรรณยุกต์เกินไป แม้คุณจะออกเสียงผิด แต่คนไทยจะเข้าใจ เนื่องจากตีความตามปริบทของประโยคนั้นครับ .... และเมื่อคุณออกเสียงถูกต้อง นั่นทำให้คนไทยจะชมว่าคุณพูดไทยเก่ง 👍😁

[@MimHus-sn7vy]

คนขายตัว กับคนขายตั๋วก็ใกล้ๆกันอยู่นะ จะเข้าใจผิดได้555

[@TheWaveSon]

​@@MimHus-sn7vy 😂555

[@MalMilligan]

I'm a year into learning Thai and I'm glad you said 3 to 4 years. I'm great with computer stuff but traditionally bad with foreign languages so it's been a big challenge. I'm making good progress finally. Thanks for taking the time to put this on YT !! I'm impressed and motivated by this video. Cheers -

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Awesome thanks! 3-4 years just to start to get fluent! And then I took a few more years to reach the level I'm in now, so yeah, take your time. And the more work you do, the more it pays off for sure. In January I will post another video about learning Thai. I will interview various Thai language learners about their Thai learning Journey. Hope to see you again soon!

[@jamiestinnett9872]

I agree, I've seen a lot of "speak Thai" videos and this one I really connected with and now I feel motivated too! Let's do it!

[@tayloranette6647]

I only speak English but I just moved to Bangkok, Thailand and want to be able to connect with the locals easier. Thank you for sharing what you have learned!

[@kalasingirl]

excellent video! i met my thai wife 23 years ago in switzerland. i then travelled thailand with her for my first time. nobody of the family could speak english and i wanted to communicate with them. so i started to pick up word after word and put them together. unlike in other languages this is possible in thai and most sentences even make sense. the hard thing about learning thai is that thai people are too kind and so happy if you speak just a little bit of thai. you can come up with a terrible phrase and pronunciation and they will say: "geng mak" :-) ! 555 Swiss people will correct you every time you say something wrong and will probably break your motivation with it. What i love about the thai language are the difficult pronunciations which allow a lot of funny word games and hillarious conversations. Keep up the good work. Best regards from Switzerland

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Haha love your comment! Not sure why I missed it before. You're so right about Thai people always just happy with whatever Thai that comes out of your mouth. I had some staff members who always correct me immediately and directly and I'm so grateful for that. I have made another video recently where interviewed foreigners who are fluent in Thai, have you watched it already?

[@yoursbsumbody]

When you say "Khao", I remember the actor named "Khaotung" and realise his name is iconic. Btw, this video is very useful for me. I love to learn languages and currently I can speak 4 languages (Burmese, English, Korean and Japanese). And I love to watch Thai series and everyday I watch and learn speaking from series. I don't have any Thai class cuz of my studies, however my love for Thai is never changed. I swear I'll be fluent in Thai one day and reside in Thailand. Thanks for this video. Your pronunciation is narak and I want to say su su na in upcoming learning ❤

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow so nice to get a message from you! Where do you live now and which language is your mother tongue?

[@yoursbsumbody]

@@SweetLifeLanta currently, i live in Myanmar and Burmese is my mother tonuge.

[@nt4409]

Wow! I love ur passion and I hope you get to come to Thailand soon.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

​@@yoursbsumbodymingalaba! I actually lived a few years in Yangon and can speak some of the language. I was able to read before but forgot most of it without practicing...

[@yoursbsumbody]

@@SweetLifeLanta oh... mingalaba! glad to know you here

[@UncleDougDeli]

OMG, we didn’t see, hear or even feel where are your presence for so long. I was thinking why the absence and silence for so long. I was thinking about posting this question on your older video but I told myself I understand the family and relatives back home is going through some tense time and this must have affected you badly. ( Yet to see your today’s video ) Take care Maayan. Shalom 🙏

[@ไมเคิลอาร์นสตีน]

Great video! I love it when other foreigners speak Thai at a high level. One thing you didn't mention that makes speaking Thai difficult is that Thai has both long and short vowels. I used to record myself speaking Thai, and was shocked at when I realized I wasn't speaking how I thought I was speaking. Now I speak at a fairly high level and continue learning by watching Thai news daily and reading Thai subtitles.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Yeah I do know what you mean! I'm from Israel originally and we don't have long and short vowels but I moved to the Netherlands when I was 12 and there I was struggling so much with this issue! So I totally get it. And wow! Watching news daily is great! I'm sure you learn a lot from that!

[@handsomeman-pm9vy]

As opposed to Chinese were all the vowels are short, but the Mandarin tones are similar.

[@dcottr]

Do you have any suggestions on where to find Thai news?

[@andrewdunbar828]

I find the tones on the short vowels 10x harder to differentiate than the tones on the long vowels.

[@lakewoodmontessori4353]

I love your video! You're amazing that you can read and write in 20 days. I am trying to learn Thai right now. I'm completely lost with the different tones.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Thank you! I toooooook my tiiiiiimeeee. Also for the tones. It just takes time. Do you live in Thailand?

[@lakewoodmontessori4353]

@@SweetLifeLanta Hello, I live in Seal Beach, California. I don't have anyone to practice with. How many hours and days a week are your Thai lessons?

[@LearnThaiRapidMethod]

Well done, Mayan! I’m impressed. Especially since you learnt Thai the hard way. You obviously worked really hard at it. You’re absolutely right about learning to read. It makes it so much easier to build up vocabulary , to speak clearly and accurately (with the correct tones) and to hear what people are saying (even though most people speak indistinctly*). The tones are the same as in English or other Western languages. They are not “rising” or “falling” except in a very superficial way. It you talk the way tones are taught, you won’t be understood. Use the “tones” from your own language. In fact, the monotones in Thai are hardest for us, because we rarely speak in a monotone. For those who say that the tones changes the meaning of a word in Thai, try saying this sentence in two different ways to give opposite meanings: “I didn’t think she was so clever.” In the Rapid Method, we start with reading and pronunciation before speaking or understanding. Completely the opposite of nearly every other course. It doesn’t take long. You did it in a month, which is very impressive- but no doubt it took you several more months to be able to read all the words you came across and be able to figure out what the tones are from the spelling, right? Once you can read, you can gain understanding by picking up vocabulary and phrases from the menus and street signs in your surroundings. And reading out loud develops your muscle dexterity so that you gradually speak more and more accurately and fluently. It takes about a year to reach basic conversational Thai (2-3 hours per week) if you follow Everyday Thai for Beginners. And another year to be fairly fluent (in colloquial, not academic Thai) after reading through a romance novel, like Sydney Remember. * neurological research in speech comprehension shows that your brain needs to be “primed” to be able to hear what someone is saying (or singing) clearly because people do not speak/sing distinctly. Being literate is probably the best way for adults to achieve this. It’s super easy for Thai because it is such a consistent language. But it’s almost impossible for learners of English!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow interesting! Thanks so much for sharing your method. Who are you btw? A Thai person or foreigner? Feel free to connect on Instagram and we can get to know each other. I'm definitely planning to make more videos about this Thai langauge as it has my interest.

[@glenn7douglas]

I'm on holiday in Thailand and I wanted to learn a few thai words and came across your video, I must say your story has inspired me to try harder to learn dutch as I currently live in the Netherlands thank you

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wat goed! Ik ben Nederlands en ik wens je veel succes met Nederlands leren!

[@Yuna_David]

When I just started watching lakorns Thai sounded absolutely impossible to pronounce. But now the more I listen and watch the more I’m adjusting to it and also I can decipher words I already know and learn new ones through context and subtitles. I haven’t started learning Thai properly but I feel like listening will definitely help me since I’m already familiar with it

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow amazing! It's a shame I cannot stand lakorns 😂😂😂 but I wish I did because it's definitely really helpful for learning Thai! Good on you!

[@ubiquitousdiabolus]

The way I learned to speak Thai reasonably well without living in Thailand is by learning to read Thai. Then I started with basic kids books and worked my way up to adult novels. Google translate was helpful in the process.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Oh yes! I do believe reading Thai is the way to go. At least for me and for you. Thanks for sharing! 🥰🥰🥰

[@fionahamilton2060]

Looking forward to seeing you back on KZbin. Hope your family and friends are safe.

[@rosenancy3382]

It's good to see your 2 friends again. I loved the videos u did with them on how they met their Thai partners!

[@บีสุราษ-ล2ฮ]

คลิปนี้ดูแล้วได้แรงบันดานใจเลย เพราะ กำลังเรียนภาษาอังกฤษอยู่ อาทิตย์กว่าแล้ว ระดับฝึกอ่าน ออกเสียงอยู่ นะแอด เอาะ สต.เคยไปเที่ยวเกาะลันตาเมื่อ 6 เดือนที่แล้ว ชอบ ๆๆ

[@thaichuansaejung3096]

เคยสอนคนมาเลเซียออกเสียงวรรณยุกต์ไทย ด้วยการกดเสียงเปียโน บางทีก็ดีดสายกีตาร์ ผมสังเกตว่าเสียงภาษาไทยเป็นเมโลดี้ โดยให้คนที่เรียน ออกเสียงตามตัวโน็ตก่อน แล้วค่อยใส่คำตามโน็ตตัวนั้น

[@Nova-uo5rs]

ครีเอทมาเลยค่ะ

[@BeeGirlz]

Love this video! You are an inspiration for those of us living in another country and learning the language. It makes a huge difference to learn the language and be able to communicate with the locals. And they really do love and appreciate that. In the beginning I felt so tired and bored every time I would go somewhere with my husband, and everyone was talking and laughing and I had no clue what was going on. I am not fluent yet, but I can understand quite a bit and answer. But I speak slow. I am still in the process of taking in what someone says and asks and putting the sentence together in my head and then figuring out the words to respond. I teach myself, watch YT videos, and use Google translate. My husband actually isn't very helpful. We speak English every day. But there are two languages for me to learn here. Bahasa Indonesia is what I study and speak. But the island language is Sasak which is difficult for me and there is no help from Google translate. It does not recognize that language. So, sometimes I use both languages in one sentence! Many of the older people cannot speak Bahasa Indonesia so I cannot communicate with them - with words, anyway. I adore my Indonesian grandmother and we always hang out and just hold hands or she will put her hand on my leg and we just smile, laugh, hug, and kiss one another. When my partner and I met he spoke no English, and I was learning basic Bahasa. Somehow, we fell in love with the help of Google translate. 💞 Sending you all lots of cinta (love) from Indonesia. 🥰😘

[@missmaeploy]

Lovely! I really appreciate when foreigners speak Thai because it is hard for them but they can so I very appreciate and yes, we can connect more ❤

[@katjafarbenfroh8646]

amazing ... that language sounds like "unlearnable" to me so it`s really impressive that you can speak it and even write! Chapeau Maayan! I learn to get better in english so I watch yt videos about my favorite hobby and it works. The two other languages I lost it and have no practice anymore... Much love from Germany

[@karisaraba]

Congratulations on your level of Thai language, it is really great. I've only been to Thailand once and not as a tourist. But I was very enchanted by Thai people and Thai culture. When I returned to Poland, where I come from, I started learning Thai mainly from KZbin. After a few months, I found a native teacher. I have had lessons 2 hours a week since last year. Unfortunately, I feel like I'm going to give up. The Thai language is too difficult for me... probably more difficult than the Polish language. Everything is completely different. And there are no Thais in Poland and there is no one to talk to. There are a lot of Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese but no Thais. Even though I listen to a lot of songs and watch Thai series on Netflix, I can hardly say a simple sentence correctly... except "what is it" or "where are you going" and "what is your name?" I still miss Thailand, but I guess I'm destined to be a foreigner who only says "hello". I greet you warmly and I would like to say once again that I admire you very much. Karolina from Poland.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hi Karolina, thanks for sharing your story. I think it's pretty incredible that you tried to learn Thai in your own country because you fell in love with the country. I'm not sure if I would be able to do that, probably not. Like I mention in my video, my Thai took a really long time to get that good. About 4 years of living in Thailand every day and hearing Thai all around me a lot. So I get what you're saying. It's really so different and I guess requires (most of) us to be exposed to the language a lot. Maybe one day you will have a chance to come and spend more time here and truly emerse yourself in the language and your hard work will be rewarded.

[@Amore_more1000]

I really love learning foreign languages! I'm a native speaker of Ukrainian and russian languages. I also speak English and learning Polish and Spanish languages at present. My plans are to study Turkish as well. It's so amazing to speak many languages!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

In a few weeks I will post another videos with westerners who speak Thai fluently. Thanks so much for watching!

[@ivankamau2846]

I've been in Thailand 3 months now. Up to this point I've been rather lazy about learning to speak the language....now it's time to get serious! Thanks for this video!

[@GigiAtGraceAndJoy]

So happy to see your video today. Sending blessings to you and all of your family

[@Mita-l2g]

Thank you Mayan for making me understand what the Thai language is about 😊 seems interesting to learn ❤

[@davidslchan]

I have a short cut. I am Chinese by ethnicity. Cantonese has two more tones than Thai so getting the tones down pat onlyvtook me one day. And the grammar of Cantonese and Thai are so similar that, if I speak Chinese in my head and utter it in Thai with the correct tone, I get away with being Khon Chiang Mai 80% of the time.

[@dylanyodgee4302]

You’re Thai is amazing. Just learning the little bits I did whilst in Thailand made my experience so much more fun. I’m still determined to learn and get better at Thai.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Awesome!

[@anjevogt2927]

Awesome vdo especially the part about the different tones! 😅 Thank you for the Italki code ... I speak Thai and am trying to learn French but when I try to speak French Thai comes out! I will take classes on Italki

[@belphegor_dev]

I speak French and I just started learning Thai. Best of luck to us both!

[@anjevogt2927]

Chok Dee( good luck )Thank you for the well wishes for me too with French!

[@rie20100]

Thank-you Mayaan, this was really interesting. I loved your humor and fun! Much love to you & your family!❤️🇨🇦

[@traceygilligan1201]

I love love your video's Mayaan. You are such a creative person, you make great content, and you make it so straight forward, and interesting. I really appreciate how much time, and effort you put into being a fabulous creator. Best wishes from London UK 🇬🇧 xx

[@borapronh3430]

Oh how I miss watching your videos Maayan. Thank you for sharing this video with us. I love it. ❤❤❤ Can’t wait to see more videos soon.

[@TeheaC77]

I am currently checking italki after your video 👍 very interesting 🤔 thank you 🙏

[@BarbaraC02]

So good to see you!!!❤❤❤Great topic, thanks.✨🌵✨🌷🙏

[@nunnaabunbun1071]

When I listened to foreigners' perspectives, I felt very proud. Thank you for loving my language. Please be happy to the fullest in this house.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Thank you so much. I love Thailand and Thai people (and Thai food, and Thai culture and the nature and and and 😂😂😂)

[@anna_m59]

I am just happy to see you back. I still very much love your hair style. Not much positive thoughts about learning Thai. I am in Chiang Mai running the second months and I will spend a one month in Koh Samui before leaving Thailand.So it is really no point to learn Thai more then saying thank you and hello.. your Thai is impressive Maayan! PS: I speak 5 languages 😊

[@bluemountain4164]

This was so helpful (and hilarious!). I Iearned English when I was in Israel and Egypt as a foreigner; somehow I was not as intimidated to practice learning it there because I knew that it was not their native language (didn't matter if I messed up:). I would clam up when I spoke with a native English speaker. I came home 6 months later speaking English with a heavy Middle East accent.Thanks for this video, it made me laugh when my heart was heavy

[@vrittaumm3689]

I do phd here and want to learn Thai language to get closer with society. Thanks share this content

[@belphegor_dev]

Thai is my fourth language. I also speak English, French, and Tagalog. Awesome video!

[@belindaschafer1593]

Very interesting. Youre a very good teacher. As well as Mon. Youre learning so many things to help teach others🎉❤Good job.

[@stevens8785]

Too tough for me. I've been around the language for 28 years here in Oz and progressed zero!! I know a few words and that is about it. Janette summed it up perfectly 😂🤣😂 Having said that, well done Maayan. The main beneficiaries are the two kids that will (if not already) be fluent in two languages as well as yourself and Mon. A huge bonus for them as they grow up and (hopefully) take advantage of their knowledge and maybe pursue careers where being bi - lingual would be beneficial. Nice video guys 🤩

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hahahahhah. I get you. Also I think it's impossible to learn if you don't live here and don't get to practice every day with people around. It's different with your spouse right?

[@stevens8785]

It is all about location for sure. When you are surrounded by a certain language 24/7 I think you are destined to learn it in the end. Whilst my family speak Thai amongst themselves for the best part I was at work speaking English, around them for a few hours in the evening asking for translations then sleeping. Once I retired nearly 5 years ago I should have focused more on gradually picking it up but, like Janette, too old, too hard. Not the right attitude I know but the grand kids speak English with me and that is the main thing for me :) @@SweetLifeLanta

[@betsylindsay8480]

Great video, as always! Your “can do” energy is infectious, much like the engine in the old classic children’s book “ Little Engine That Could”. Desiring to learn something, investing time, energy, and resources into it, and having a consistent “I think I can, I think I can” attitude goes a long way in leading a meaningful life. You are living it! 🐾🐾

[@rithearybenny3319]

❤❤❤❤! Missed you,Mon and the boy&girl. Stay safe and peaceful

[@vilaijacobsen8031]

I am so proud of you as a Thai speaker, congratulations!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

So sweet, thanks!

[@wandelingenoptexel9649]

Zo leuk! I’m Dutch and learning Thai from home since a year and I’m enjoying it so much. I love learning about Thai language and culture. It’s also a great challenge for my brain. Thank you for all your amazing videos.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

@@wandelingenoptexel9649 wat leuk! Ik zie nu pas je bericht! Wat voor content kan ik voor jou maken? Want ik vind Thai language content heel leuk. Dus voel je vrij om wat inspiratie te geven...

[@wandelingenoptexel9649]

@@SweetLifeLanta voornamelijk de alledaagse gesprekjes op de markt en in restaurants of interviews met locals bijvoorbeeld.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

@@wandelingenoptexel9649 leuk! Gaat allemaal komen! En bedankt voor het kijken!

[@breadgarlichouse2265]

glad you made this video … I think many months ago I had asked you in the comment section to make a video about your Thai language learning journey. And finally you did!!!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Awesome! And did you enjoy this one? Is there anything you wanted to know that I didn't answer yet?

[@acrovoyage777]

This video was awesome! Really motivated me to start taking my Thai more seriously. I am at a very basic level but really want to become fluent like yourself. Your Thai is exceptional. Also fellow KZbinr family here living in Isan. I have visited Ko Lanta once before. So beautiful.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hi there! So nice to hear from you! Why did you decide to come and live in Thailand? I will definitely check out your KZbin channel!

[@tovaisrael1]

היי מעיין קודם כל אני רוצה להגיד שאני צופה אדוקה ונהנת מהתוכן שלך מאוד, תמיד יצירתי ומרתק. ראיתי מה רשמת לגבי המלחמה וזה עצוב שאנשים מסוגלים להאשים אותך ולקרוא לך במילים כל כך קשות כמו "בוגדת" ו"אחראית לטבח", ברור שאלו אמירות פוגעניות ומיותרות וגם לא נכונות שהרי את לא אחת ממקבלי ההחלטות. בכל מקרה אני רוצה להגיד לך שאני אישית כן התאכזבתי מהתגובה שלך, כמובן שאני לא מאשימה אותך בדברים קשים כמו השאר אבל כן הרגשתי את האכזבה. אני בטוחה שראית מה שקרה- את הטבח הנוראי והשואתי שקרה ב7.10 וגם את עליית האנטישמיות בעולם. כמובן שהעזתים חיים בעוני מחפיר, בתנאים לא תנאים ועכשיו גם נפגעים ומתים אבל קריאה אחת הגיונית של הדברים בשטח ואת כבר יודעת שהסיבה העיקרית לסבל שלהם הוא שלטון טרוריסטי איסמליסטי משיחי. הם לא יכולים ויודעים כדי להפיל את אותו שלטון כתוצאה מפחד משתק ולכן עובדים ברשתות החברתיות שנים על הנרטיב הפלסטיני הקורבני שמציג אותנו רע מאוד בלשון המעטה. רק ישראלי ובתור אחת שנולדה פה והייתה פה את יודעת כמה הצבא הוא מוסרי, כמה אנחנו חותרים ומאמינים בשלום וכמה שקרים יש במדיה. רק עכשיו אנחנו מנסים לתקן את העוול שנעשה לנו ולעבוד על ההסברה הישראלית כל כך קשה בשביל שנוכל בכלל להמשיך לחיות פה, כרגע אנחנו בסיכון קיומי! לכן אני חושבת שעדיף שלא היית מביעה דעה בכלל, כי כשאת כותבת דבר כזה בתור ישראלית ויהודיה זה מצדיק את הדיעה של האחר שאכן יש צדק לפגיעה כזאת קשה בנו. בכל המערכות ואפילו המלחמות לא אמרתי דבר, ולא ציפיתי מישראליי ויהודיי העולם להגיב, אבל כיצד ניתן לשים באותה משוואה פגיעה של אזרחים בעקבות מלחמה שהם פתחו וגם זה רק בגלל שביתם משמש כבסיס לארגון הטרור לבין כניסה של טרוריסטים לבתים של אזרחים, הרג של כל דבר חי שהם רואים, בנוסף להתעללות בלתי נתפסת, אונס, שריפה בחיים, שריפת הרכוש, בזיזה שנעשתה ע"י אזרחים (דרך אגב רוב חברי הקיבוצים שהם חדרו אליהם אם לא כולם, האמינו בשלום מוחלט והיו פעילים בקבוצות בהן שומרים על זכויותיהם של הפלסטינים). חברים שלי שהלכו למסיבת טבע בגילאי ה20 לחייהם בכדי לחגוג "peace" בכדי לרקוד ולחיות ונהרגו ע"י rpg, רוססו כמו חיות וכל הבנות הושפלו ונאנסו. אני מצטערת, המשוואה היא לא הגיונית, וגם אם את חושבת שכן, בגלל הקושי שנוצר עכשיו במדינה בגלל הפחד שאנחנו חיים בו, בגלל שיהודי העולם מפחדים לצאת לרחוב מחשש שזאת תהיה הפעם האחרונה שהם יצאו לרחוב, עדיף שלא תגידי כלום. מאכזב מאוד. מאכזב ועצוב.

[@mayamily]

אם הבנתי נכון, מעין הבהירה שכואב לה מאד על הסבל הנוראי שניגרם לחפים מפשע משניי הצדדים, וחשוב מכך, היא ציינה במפורש שאין ברצונה לדון בנושא בערוץ זה. חבל שאת לא מסוגלת לכבד את בקשתה ולא יודעת להרפות. אם קשה לך כרגע לצפות בדברים שלא קשורים לסיכסוך הישראלי פלשתיני, ולמאורעות הקשים שליוו ומלווים את הסיכסוך, זה בסדר גמור, ואני מאחל לך הרבה שקט נפשי ואהבה בהמשך הדרך.

[@KukiatKokit]

Can u see very well how many israel ppl are dead and palestine are dead . Can u see how is ur home looks now and home of palestines ? 😢 Israel fighting with terrorist group or with all palestine nation

[@SweetLifeLanta]

My calling in this life is not to express my thoughts on war. If it is yours, then please go ahead and do it yourself. My calling right now is to make positive content that inspires people around the world and bring a smile to their face. The situation is extremely delicate and can be seen from many different points of views. Me myself identify as an Israeli but moreover, I identify with all citizens of the world, no matter the nationality, religion, color of the skin or language. Truly. It's maybe because I moved abroad at a younger age or because the way I was raised. I understand and accept your disappointment. But it doesn't change my feelings about the matter. The feelings that I wish, every human would be able to live in freedom, free of oppression, free of war. That includes you, me and the rest of the citizens in the world, including your neighbours next door.

[@Vonsat]

You are amazing, Mayan! My German friend asked me "How could NEAR and FAR be the same word" (in Thai)? 🤣🤣🤣 That's so hilarious. BTW, I speak Thai, English and Japanese with a tiny bit of French and Chinese.

[@suarsivapong9311]

ใน ภาษา ไทยใต้ จะใช้ คำที่แตกต่างกัน คือ Near แค่แค่ และ Far ไกล

[@handsomeman-pm9vy]

That is easy. "Far" is a mid tone and "near" is a falling tone. There is also a childrens trick where "far" is said twice to avoid confusion (glai glai).

[@yaleen9947]

ผมเป็นคนไทยและผมก็อยากเรียนภาษาอังกฤษให้เข้าใจแต่ผมคิดว่ามันยาก เพราะวิชาภาษาอังกฤษผมสอบตกตลอด

[@afrocarib1840]

Great info! I'm going to Thailand with some friends for the first time next year and I'm trying to learn some basic conversational Thai. I heard about italki before, but after seeing your vlog, I think I'm going to give it a try ! I love Thai culture, food and people. So I'm looking forward to being able to communicate a little more with them when we go there next April! Thanks again!👍🏾

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Yeah I totally love italki. And I'm also thinking I want to use it to learn some basic language when I go traveling. At the moment I dream of traveling to Japan!

[@darwinstubbie860]

Mayan you are an incredibly blessed person to have the ability to learn this language. I am soo envious. After 3 minutes I was even more discouraged to even hope that I will get it one day. I have no idea what a conversation is all about (except when numbers or names are mentioned), let alone speaking which must be 100 times harder. I accepted the fact that I am completely useless. As a German born I never had these problems learning English. Just listening to News and Movies was good enough to get fluent.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hahaha... It is definitely possible that you are less talented in learning a language, but I'm sure you're more talented in other areas haha! I do believe everyone can learn anything. But it might take much more effort to do. I get it. I tell you a funny story, my German just got so much better just because I learn Thai. Do you know why? Because as a young student I always thought German was so difficult. But when I got to learn Thai, I realized, what??? German is not difficult at all! And just thinking this made my German so much better 😂😂😂😂😂😊 if you can imagine... 😅😅😅

[@darwinstubbie860]

@@SweetLifeLanta Thanks for your answer. I am a great believer in Everything is happening (or not) for a reason. Maybe it is better for me not to be good in Thai.

[@klausg]

Nice presentation and overview of the learning possibilities with regular practice. Then, practice some more. Thank you

[@talsapir]

เร็วเกินไปที่จะเรียนภาษาไทย.......... lovely video, but I'm going back to sleep. Love you❤❤❤

[@patsanansangiampun6079]

Maayan, you are amazing and hilarious!- I admire you to take an effort to learn thai language and you can make it very good.

[@UncleDougDeli]

Mother will do what it takes for their children 👦

[@sandy-sandraherewini5295]

Love this! Thank you for the inspiration to keep learning and sharing how you did your learning.

[@blueyomogi]

I understand a fair bit of French, Spanish but would say my speaking abilities have dropped considerably. I’m currently studying Italian and like the previously mentioned Romance languages, am building my passive understanding quite quickly (listening and reading). I’ve studied Thai and Japanese but not with the commitment I need. My goal is to write in Thai one day because I find the writing so beautiful and sentence structure intriguing to my western mind.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

I'm sure you can make it happen. It's much less complicated than I thought it would be.

[@pauljamesharper]

But you are Dutch! You are able to become fluent in English after watching a couple of episodes of 'The A-Team'. 😉 In all seriousness I am learning Arabic with iTalki. It is an excellent way to get real practice with a native speaker in your target language.

[@little_engine_goes_to_Thailand]

I am thinking of learning Arabic ( Egyptian) because of there is a lot more learning material available, is that true? What form are you learning ?

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hahah so true. Actually I'm Israeli so my mother tongue is Hebrew. When I was 5 my dad met his second wife, a Dutch lady, so then I started hearing English at home a lot. And then I moved to The Netherlands, and learned Dutch, and then I learned a few more languages... maybe I should do a video about that too...

[@Ned88Man]

for me, it's hard only because I don't have a lot in common with the average Thai. There is only so much that we can talk about because the commonalities and interests really are very different. I speak Thai decently well, I just don't really have much of a use for it outside of regular everyday activities. There is certainly not ever a time where it's used for deep discussions. That is just me though.

[@twinflowerfioretta]

Fantastic video Maayan the Intro is hilarious ! i have a Thai friend, she gave me and my sis. yrears ago lessons in speaking "phu thi thai" when ever we visited her, but i speak only "nit noi" Thai, lol ! Great content, and b.t.w., i speak a very little bit Burmese language🙏💛

[@little.pixiedoll]

Im laughing so hard because I'm SUFFERING learning Thai but I have no choice, I already like their art/film too much so I can't turn back.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

I understand! Next weekend I'm posting another video that I think you're gonna love. It's an interview with several fluent Thai speakers who are foreigners about how they did it. Really awesome.

[@MatildaAndDam]

Great video! 😍 Yeah the “trick” is to put in the time and don’t be shy and just talk right. I’m still shy I have to work on that one! Me and Dam often say that we’re going to speak Thai but then there is some word I don’t know so we say it in English and then we just forget about speaking Thai and just speak English again..

[@SweetLifeLanta]

And learn how to read and write. It's a game changer! I wouldn't be able to do it without that.

[@MatildaAndDam]

@@SweetLifeLanta Yes that’s true so much easier when you can read to understand how to pronounce words, for me it’s much easier to read then to speak tho 😂

[@Kikifriedmann]

I was thinking about Janett and why she did not learn Thai but was frustrated that she could not have conversations with her husband. She is living in Thailand for quite some time now and even with 55 you can learn a new language. Especially if you want to have deeper conversations with the loved ons! Maayan you can really be very proud of yourself what you have achieved I am sure it was not easy! 🥰🙏💙🩵🧡

[@SweetLifeLanta]

@kikifriedmann4210 Hi Kiki, Jeanette just likes to say things as they are, straightforward and direct. But the truth is, she's actually studying Thai very hard and trying her best to learn it, even with 55. She was actually at my house that day to learn the Thai alphabet...😂😂😂

[@Kikifriedmann]

​​​@@SweetLifeLantaWow this is nice to know!👍🙏🥰 By the way this Video is really very nice and you have such a good humor!

[@vannakr25]

Congratulations on mastering the sound! Just watched the full video. Will use the code later

[@vannakr25]

Thai Alphabets are easier to learn unlike the Khmer alphabets.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Thank you so much! And welcome to my channel!

[@sittichaineamtong7143]

Amazing ! You inspired to explore and learn the new language. Thanks from all my heart.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow! So cool! I'm happy I made the video just to inspire you!

[@neilgarbutt3530]

It’s our first time in Thailand, and we been up as far as the golden triangle and now in Koh Lanta , it’s a beautiful island ..there’s something magical when you look at a Thai person and smile .. 99% of them smile back , I can’t put my finger on the feeling I get from a Thai person smiling .. they have warm eyes .. anyway what ever it is , I’ve never experienced it anywhere else .. also part of me wonders that not being able to communicate through language actually enhances the magic .. I don’t know .. maybe I’m talking bollocks 😂😂😂… but having said that, I’d actually love to be able to speak Thai and to live somewhere like here would be lovely .. I feel like Thailand is teeming with life .. at home everyone either stays in after tea or goes to the pub .. out here people come out at night .. the markets .. we’re in Saladan now and ate at the market tonight .. loved it 😻… Bravo to you learning to read , write and speak Thai 👏.. oh and the warm sea .. somebody stop me 😂😂😂😻😻👌👌👌👏👏👏🙏☀️☀️☀️☀️☕️☕️🌴🙈

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Learning Thai is so much fun! I definitely recommend it, even if it's just for fun and training your brain.

[@simo787c]

Amazing level, Mayan. I feel tempted to try Italki for my own improvement of Thai language skills.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Italki is a great platform to learn any language so please try! But please know that my level of Thai is due to many years of hard work, doing many different things to learn, which I will talk more about in a another video soon.

[@htetakyaw]

Wow! It's truly inspiring!

[@rithearybenny3319]

OMG!!! Maayan I'm watching now,I'm laughing & laughing about the tone &the accent. You're amazing and making my day!!! I give you 4 thumbs up👍👍👍👍💝💖🇮🇱🇹🇭🇺🇸🏆🏅

[@chris777-o8g]

Cantonese , Mandarin , English and Dutch and I really respect you because Thai language is very different 🧡🌷

[@dreamysol]

I am not learning Thai, but I saw this video and I had to watch. I love seeing other people learning new languages. Right now i'm learning Spanish and I'm almost to a low intermediate level, which makes me so happy because I tried a few times to learn Spanish but I got burnt out when I didn't see any progress. However, I think I've found a method that works the best for me. Anyway, I congratulate you on your level in Thai, I know that most have been very difficult but congrats to you :)

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow so nice that you watch my video just because you love people learning new languages. Love KZbin, meeting so many different people!

[@abnormia]

Omg I've had a lesson with Kru Jane! She's amazing! Too bad my degree started and so I couldn't keep going ㅜㅜ hoping to start again soon! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Amazing! That's so good to hear!

[@s96822]

the easiest way to recognize different words that may sound the same/similar is to read them in thai characters as you will see they are clearly written differently.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Agree 💯

[@ดอกกล้วยไม้-ฌ7ฌ]

พูดผิดไทยก็พยายามทำความเข้าใจ ไทยภูมิใจที่คุณพยายามเพื่อสื่อสารกับเรา❤❤❤😊😊😊

[@knowledgeforyou2024]

I studied Thai for 6 months and was able to export coconuts from Chumphon to sell in Europe and most Thai people already understand Eng. I think Thai is not very difficult because it has many words like English. 😍😍🙏🙏🍻🍻👍👍✔✔

[@shooshhzx]

Great video. I'm half Lebanese and half British. I speak my mother tongues Arabic and English, as well as Dutch, which I learned for 4 years when I arrived in Belgium 17 years ago - and I speak French because I took it in school and then improved it when I moved here. I also took Spanish as a minor at university in the US. It's rusty but gets better after a few days in Spain. And now I'm taking Hebrew classes because it's another Semitic language like Arabic and I love discovering the similarities and differences! :)

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow so interesting! How did you encounter my video? Just by accident or do you have any interest in Thai? We have 4 languages in common that we both speak! Any idea which ones?

[@joeritchie2]

@@SweetLifeLantaNice video. And I think this reply indirectly confirms my hunch that your first language might be Dutch, which is also one of my languages….Now if only I can make half as much progress learning Thai! Between the tones and the alphabet, I’m really struggling….maybe your iTalki tip might help? My Thai wife doesn’t help much either!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

​@@joeritchie2 het klopt van Nederlands! Woon je in NL of in Thailand?

[@joeritchie2]

@@SweetLifeLanta Ik woon sinds juli in Thailand. Heb nooit in Nederland gwoont, slechts vaker bezoek, en ook de nederlandstalige delen van de Karibik (spelling?), dus die zes eilanden, en 50 jaar geleden ook Suriname. (That’s a long story.)

[@macinhiodasilva]

I'm Austrian living in Laos. I can have basic conversations in lao and thai. During covid I studied thai online, but I find lao easier. I also lived in thailand a while and always love to go back for holidays. Knowing basic thai helped me a lot with Lao language. I spend lots of time with only lao locals here who can not speak english, so within one year I learned a lot. Never had a lao teacher, but really wanna learn to read, write and get fluent. When making mistakes with the tones, its just funny for them, so I enjoy it and hopefully can kick my own ass to also get myself a teacher to take my lao (and thai) to the next level. Languages definitely connect you with the people of a country and even when I travel somewhere I try to at least learn a few words, it makes locals smile :) thanks for that inspiring video 🙏

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your story! And what do you do in Laos if I may ask? We visited Laos back in 2013 and it was just one of the most amazing countries and people I've ever been.... dying to go back ever-since.

[@TM-vo7ct]

คุณเป็นคนที่ฉลาดและไวพริบดีมาก

[@น.ธ-ท1ฉ]

😅😅😅 มันก็ออกเสียงยากจริงๆ แหละนะ

[@sabrinaehnert2062]

You are so inspiring! 😀 สวัดีค่ะ🙏😀 ฉันเรียนภาษาไทยตั้งเเต่หนึ่งปีครึ่งเเล้วค่ะ อ่านเเละเขียนไทยฉันสอนตัวเองก่อนเเล้วก็ฉันเรียนพูดไทยกับครูคนไทยค่ะ ปีนี้ฉันจะไปเที่ยวประเทศไทยเวลาเเรกเเล้วค่ะ ขอบคุณมากๆเล่ยค่ะที่คุยกับเราเกี่ยวกับชิวีดของคุณค่าาา~ ฉันข้อให้วันที่ดีค่ะ เจอกันค่ะ ซาบรีน่าจากเยอรมนี 😊

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Wow amazing! You study Thai but you've never been here before? What made you want to study Thai?

[@sabrinaehnert2062]

@@SweetLifeLantaHi! ~ Study thai language helps me in the hardest time of my life. ♡ Love the culture and the people. เพราะว่าคนไทยเป็นคนน่ารักมากๆเล่ยค่าาา ~ Wish you a nice day!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

​@@sabrinaehnert2062ใช่แล้ว มายันก็เห็นด้วยจริงๆ

[@maneejukkuchan6903]

Ik bewonder echt je inspanningen om Thais te leren. Want als je in Thailand in het Thais kunt communiceren, wordt het leven met de mensen om je heen leuker.

[@ranidaponbuddhichai9507]

Jij hebt gelijk! Ik garundeer jouw idee. :)

[@Незабудка-ф9я]

Cool! 👍 The story of your success with the Thai language is amazing. Also have heard many people have difficulties with Thai tones, many found themselves in funny situations because of that)))

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hahaha that absolutely also happened to me, many times hahaha

[@fingerprint5511]

I practice Thai forest Tradition Buddhism and only know about 3 words in Thai, but the Thai language and pali written language which is the pali canon the Dhamma, is very similar apparently. I know Thai is tonal, one word can mean many things depending on tone.

[@gabriellekelly4211]

Well done to learn Thai language ❤😊

[@Xubuntu47]

VDO นี้สนุกมากครับ! ผมได้กลับบ้านอเมรีกานานแล้ว ก็ลืมคำไทยยื๊อมากเลิย I lived in Thailand in the 1980's and 1990's, and used to speak Thai pretty well, but I've forgotten so much...thank you for your channel 🙏 I started out with the FSI (Foregn Service Institute) Thai course, which begins with four hours of pronunciation practice before they even teach you to say "hello" - they call that "A Programmed Introduction to Thai Phonology". I highly recommend it, you can probably find it online for free. I had to deal with a government beauracracy and a bunch of cassette tapes, it was the 1980's yo. The rest of the course is dated and really formal, so it might not be so good for daily conversation. Even though I now work harder at learning Japanese than I did at Thai, my Thai is still better, even after slowly deteriorating for 25 years. I'm a native English speaker, but I find that anime dubbed in Thai is easier to understand than the original, isn't that insane? I guess there is no replacement for immersion. I live where hardly anyone speaks Japanese, but in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, I was surrounded by my target language 24/7. And if you think written Thai is hard, Japanese is harder. Thai at least is reasonably phonetic. Once you figure out the overcomplicated rules, you can get by.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Totally agree! I heard Japanese is so much more difficult. I would still like to study some one day.

[@Piczos]

Im starting too ! :) My thai wife helps a lot , but i choose to learn reading and writing first. Only issue is a husband walking and speaking kwaaai , kai etc all time 😂

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hahaha that's great! So happy for you!

[@kaunglin8447]

i am listening all five tones but in my head they are the same. Think my head is gonna blow ;)

[@TeerawutNumChuchuaysuwan]

this is so inspiring for me even I'm Thai who's already know English maybe I will learn new language like Chinese soon.

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Great!

[@pakawanmalayavech101]

Happy Saturday ka beautiful family.🌺💐👬👧👶

[@ponbounket8057]

Thank you for sharing!! Love all your videos!!

[@vannakr25]

I was in the Netherland back in December 1999 for a few days - Dutch language or most Germanic related languages are very tough to pick up for a non-native English speaker like I am. I have found out that I can pick up Hindi better than Mandarin/Cantonese b/c of the Sanskrit - Pali. There are some words that sounded phonetically the same as Thai, Lao, et Khmer such “Suriya - the sun”

[@rc....]

Language teachers make the best language students too, just makes perfect sense doesn't it?

[@Darkangel-A-c8z]

I speak Swedish (native), English first foreign language, German and a bit of Spanish, French and Portuguese

[@Yearite84]

Omg 😂😂😂 you speak so good Thai! Seriously, it’s really good. Very funny to watch 😂

[@farangeddie]

I speak 3 languages, English, Spanish and Afrikaans, but I hope that I can add Thai in the next 2 years to include some translated interviews on our travel channel! This was awesome thanks for the comedic learning experience

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Amazing, thanks for watching!

[@jessikafuser]

I loved the video, I started to be interested in Thai and I don't think anything is Portuguese/Thai, so I practiced my English more hahaha

[@CarolinaCliffe]

Interesting 🧐 much to learn for sure 😂❤

[@aykutakar]

Maalesef ben Türkçe dilinden başka hiç bir lisan bilmiyorum.😢 Çok sevindiğim konu ise İsviçre'li eşim 5 lisan biliyor. Kızımız şimdilik 2.5 nasıl olur diyorsanız 😅 Baba dili Türkçe okuldan İngilizce anne dili Almanca ise yarım, böylece toplam 2.5 lisan. Güzel videonuz için çok teşekkürler, İstanbul Bakırköy'den selamlar. 👍🙏❤

[@belindaschafer1593]

❤This one will be a big hit🎉🎉🎉

[@SweetLifeLanta]

❤️❤️❤️ hope so!

[@vannakr25]

Enjoy watching your videos so far…

[@joannelauterjung7967]

Yes, thanks for an inspiring video!! Yes, I'm trying to learn Thai!! We moved to Thailand 2.5 years ago, after living in Myanmar for 10 years. I spoke some Burmese, but Thai seems so much harder. We have tried learning from 3 different teachers, and I think finding the right teacher makes a difference. Our current teacher is teaching us only reading and writing - we haven't learned any new conversational Thai yet. I'm 61, and I think it does get harder as I get older, and life is busier so the commitment is in competition with so much else going on. But the little bit I do speak goes a long, long way. English is my native language, and growing up in the US we weren't introduced to a foreign language until high school. I took 3 years of Latin! LOL. I studied French in college, and learned to speak Turkish and German because I lived in those countries. Turkish was so easy. German was harder, but more familiar to my ear. It's hard for a lot of white Americans - even if you study, going somewhere to practice it is expensive and not easy. Yes the price of privilege . . .but it's never too late to try, it's a sgn a respect for the culture you're in, and people appreciate it so much. I won't give up on Thai!

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hi Joanne! Nice to meet you! I'm so excited you lived in Myanmar for 10 years. I lived in Yangon from 2011 to 2014! Sounds like we were there around the same time right? Any chance we know each other? What were you doing there? Anyways, would love to know more about you. Thanks for watching our channel and talk again soon!

[@joannelauterjung7967]

@@SweetLifeLanta Hi! Yes, we were there at the same time, I don't think we ever met. We moved there in 2011 when my husband took a teaching job at ISM, and I worked (still work) for NGOs teaching about dialogue and communication skills. We met you and Mon very briefly last April when we came and took a cooking class from Mon. 🤩 We loved it - really fun. We'll be back in Ao Nang in March and April for smokey season. Maybe see you if we make it to Koh Lanta again?

[@SweetLifeLanta]

@joannelauterjung7967 oh! That's why your photo was so familiair! Thanks for watching the channel. So great. Yeah, would be amazing to see you again! Big hugs 🫂

[@OM3N1R]

You just gained a follower. I have lived in BKK and Chiang Mai over 15 years total. I am fluent in speaking and reading, and not terrible at writing (I always forget where tone marks go on certain words, even after 15 years!!!) I gotta say 2:13 is hilarious! I often try to come up with these types of ludicrous sentences with the same syllable and different tones in my head.😂

[@handsomeman-pm9vy]

How can you forget where tone marks are placed when they are always placed above the initial consonant of a syllable?

[@OM3N1R]

@@handsomeman-pm9vy I misworded that. WHICH tone marks go on certain words, not where they are placed

[@SweetLifeLanta]

Hahaha thanks so much! Yeah on Instagram and Facebook that video went totally viral with more than 1 million views. I never expected that. So I definitely plan to make more, as you know, it's pretty easy to come up with funny combinations like this Kai and gai, glai and glai, hahahahahha... nice to meet you and thanks so much for subscribing!