The pattern used to ask for help or ask someone to do something for you as in English ‘Could you…?’ is below:
ช่วย chûai + do something + หน่อย nòi + ได้มั้ย dâai-mái
NOTE: In colloquial speech you can omit either the phrase ช่วย chûai or หน่อย nòi or ได้มั้ย dâai-mái when speaking to someone who is close to you such as your family members or close friends.
More examples:
Could you speak slowly please?
ช่วยพูดช้าๆหน่อยได้มั้ย
/chûai pûud cháa- cháa nòi dâi mái?/
Could you speak again please?
ช่วยพูดอีกทีหน่อยได้มั้ย
/chûai pûud ìik-tii nòi dâi mái?/
Could you open the door please?
ช่วยเปิดประตูหน่อยได้มั้ย
/chûai bpèrd bprà-dtuu nòi dâi mái?/
Could you turn off the music please?
ช่วยปิดเพลงหน่อยได้ไหม
/chûai bpìd pleeng nòi dâi mái?/
Could you lower the music volume please?
ช่วยเบาเพลงหน่อยได้ไหม
/chûai bao pleeng nòi dâi mái?/
NOTE: ช่วยด้วย /chûai dûai/ means “help me” generally and it is only used when you really need help urgently and you can shout it out loud i.e. if someone snatched your bag, then you can yell ช่วยด้วย /chûai dûai/.
The pattern ‘do something for someone’ in Thai is
“do something + ให้ /hâi/ + someone”
For example;
เค้าทำอาหารให้แม่ของเค้า /káo tam aa-hăan hâi mâe kŏrng káo/
He/She cooks for his/her mom.
ผมชอบนวดให้แฟน /pŏm chôrp nûat hâi faen/
I like to give my girlfriend a massage (THAI PATTERN: I like to massage for my girlfriend)
แม่ค้าลดราคาเสื้อให้ลูกค้าขาประจำ/mâe-káa lót raa-kaa sûea hâi lûuk-káa kăa bprà-jam/
The female seller lower the price of the shirt for her regular customer.
BE CAREFUL! We use a different pattern between “asking someone to do something” and “asking to have something”. If you would like to ask to have something, learn how to ask with another lesson here.
thank you khun mod, this was an excellent lesson.
Hi Mod. Another great video. 🙂
In the examples you give below the video, you use อีกที for ‘again’. Could you explain a little more about this term. Can it be used anywhere that you would use ‘again’? Is it different to อีกครั้ง?
Thank you for your help.
ขอบคุณครับ
อีก means ‘more/again’ ที means ‘time’ the same meaning as ครั้ง. อีกครั้ง and อีกที means the same thing, but we commonly use อีกที
I just wanted to say thanks for making these. Finding book audio is very hard where I live.
I am glad to hear you found my lessons useful in your Thai learning. Thank you for watching my videos, and hope you continue to watch my lessons in the future as well. kop kun ka:)
Hi Krou Mod, Just wanted to let you know how informative and interesting your site is. Having lived in Thailand for 12 years these lessons would have been invaluable back then. I lived 9 years in the south{Koh Samui, Phuket} and two years plus in Chiang Mai I would guess that your Thai is from Bangkok and you must have gone to a very good university there. I did not here proper Thai often but regognize that this makes you a very good teacher! Anyhow Hats off to you and your site and wish you all the best in your future endeavors….or as you say…”Shock dee na”. 555
Sawatdee ka kun Marc,
Thank you for your kind words. I am from Nakhon Si Thammarat neighboring Surat thani actually, but went to the University in Bangkok:) Hope you continue to follow my videos in the future as well. kop kun ka:)