I received a question on my website and I thought it would be useful for many of you as well. You can learn a few things from this one minute lesson.
Question: How do I say in Thai “I am vegetarian. Could you please wash the pan before cooking my food?”
USEFUL VOCABULARY:
มังสวิรัติ /mang-sà-wí-rát/ = vegetarian
ล้าง /láang/ = wash
กระทะ /grá-tá/ = pan
ก่อน /gàwn/ = before
ทำอาหาร /tam aa-hăan/ = to cook
Understand Thai Verb ‘to be’
I am vegetarian ผมเป็นมังสวิรัติ /pŏm bpen mang-sà-wí-rát/ (for male speakers) or ชั้นเป็นมังสวิรัติ /chán bpen mang-sà-wí-rát/ (for female speakers)
From this question you can learn how to form a sentence with “I am, she is, he is, they are, we are”. Please click here to learn more about Thai verb to be.
Making a Polite Request
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 dâi-mái?
So the sentence “Could you please wash the pan before cooking my food?” in Thai would be
ช่วยล้างกระทะก่อนทำอาหารหน่อยได้มั้ยครับ/คะ
chûai láang grà-tà gàwn tam aa-hăan nòi dâai-mái kráp/ká?
More example for making a polite request:
Could you speak slowly please?
chûai pûud cháa- cháa nòi dâi mái?
ช่วยพูดช้าๆหน่อยได้มั้ย
Could you speak again please?
chûai pûud ìik-tii nòi dâi mái?
ช่วยพูดอีกทีหน่อยได้มั้ย
Could you open the door please?
chûai bpèrd bprà-dtuu nòi dâi mái?
ช่วยเปิดประตูหน่อยได้มั้ย
I hope you find this lesson useful. If you would like to improve your Thai with the guidance of a teacher, we provide lessons via Skype. Please find further details via the link below:
https://learnthaiwithmod.com/skype-training/
Thanks for posting this video Kru Mod. Can’t say I’ve ever seen someone teach a language laying down on the beach, you guys always find a way to make things interesting.
My favorite vegetarian restaurant in Bangkok is a small local restaurant near Wat Santi Asoke, the Vegetarian Society. The staff are Asoke volunteers. Prices are very good as they sell for little or no profit, they live by a different value system – making merit rather than making money. One thing the Asoke sure know how to do well is cook vegetarian. I don’t think too many tourists know about the place.
Cheers,
Paul
Sawatdee ka Khun Paul,
Thank you for watching my lesson. I was on the beach so I felt like laying down. 555
I lived in Asoke before and now I am one station away from Asoke but I have never heard of the Vegetarian Society restaurant. I will check it out. Thank you for sharing this information with us. 🙂
Kop kun ka,
Mod
Hi, Mod!
From:
https://www.happycow.net/asia/thailand/
“Eating vegetarian” in Thai is pronounced “Mang-Sa-Wi-Rat”, though this term is not always easily understood by locals who speak only Thai. When some English is spoken at the restaurants, be sure to tell your server “no fish sauce,” a very common ingredient in Thai cuisine.
Fish sauce is called “nam pla”.
“Gin che” [“kin jay”], a much more common expression for “eating vegetarian,” conveys a stricter vegetarian diet – it means no eggs, onions, or garlic is consumed.
Useful Thai Phrase:
I am vegan. I do not eat animal products…
ฉันเป็นนักมังสวิรัติแบบวีแกน ไม่กินเนื้อสัตว์…
Also the last (1 Nov.) story about one vegetarian restaurant (ร้านอาหารเจ) in Bangkok from Khaosod:
https://www.khaosod.co.th/special-stories/news_1766188?fbclid=IwAR1hYNmYh7RhZt2hQOoRDaxr_m00Zc68MYn1HDwE_Dhbbkb7n-JjaJHcjpw
ลัทธิมังสวิรัติ หรือลัทธิกินอาหารผัก (อังกฤษ: vegetarianism) คือ…
https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4
The word of Pali-Sanskrit origin มังสวิรัติ sounds too formal for everyday speech.
The word มังสวิรัติ is actually commonly used. You can also say it short ผมกินมัง /pŏm gin mang/.
Hi, Mod!
Can we say “I am vegetarian” like this: ผมเป็นคนกินอาหารผัก or ผมเป็นคนกินเจ? What is more natural for everyday speech?
The first sentence is not correct. The second sentence is very close, you can just say ผมกินเจ. 🙂
กินเจ literally translates “eat vegan”. ผมกินเจ is used to say “I am vegan” in everyday speech.
Thank you!
1. Why do I ask this, because the word มังสวิรัติ (with Pali-Sanskrit origin) looks some formal.
2. ลัทธิมังสวิรัติ หรือลัทธิกินอาหารผัก (อังกฤษ: vegetarianism) คือ…
https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4