Simple repitition of adjective

Hi everyone,

One thing that Thai language is different from other languages is we use “reduplication”

Reduplication (the repetition of a word, either in part or full) is another common method of modifying the meaning of adjectives in Thai.

The two main forms of adjectival reduplication are simple repetition of the adjective and repitition of the adjective with tonal change.

In this blog I will talk about ‘simple repetition of the adjective’.

One function of this type of reduplication is to make the meaning less precise, corresponding approximately to the adjectival suffix -ish in English;

sĭi dam dam       = a blackish colour

สีดำๆ

aa-hăan pèt pèt  = spicy-ish food

อาหารเผ็ดๆ

nám yen yen      = coolish water

น้ำเย็นๆ

This type of reduplication sometimes indicates that the preceding noun is plural:

năng-sŭe dii dii = good books

หนังสือดีๆ

pûu-yĭng sŭay sŭay = beautiful girls

ผู้หญิงสวยๆ

And when you tell or ask someone to do something, the adverb of the sentence is often repeated.

For example;

พูดช้าๆ ได้มั้ย [pûut cháa cháa dâi-mái?] = Can you speak slowly please?

เดินเร็วๆ สิ [dern reo reo sì] = walk quickly!

นวดเบาๆหน่อย [nûat bao bao nòi] = please massage gently.

Now you can put this into practice and start speaking like Thais 😉

If you would like to learn more Thai one-to-one or learn Thai via Skype, please contact me at adjima_t@hotmail.com

kop kun ka

Mod

www.learnthaiwithmod.com