In this lesson you will learn the everyday Thai greeting สวัสดี and the farewell ลาก่อน. You will also learn how to make your greeting polite by adding ครับ if you are male or ค่ะ if you are female, and how to greet someone in the morning with สวัสดีตอนเช้า.
Objectives
- Greet someone in Thai using สวัสดี, and say goodbye using ลาก่อน.
- Add ครับ or ค่ะ to a greeting or farewell to sound polite.
- Greet someone in the morning with สวัสดีตอนเช้า.
Phrases
Hello. / Goodbye.
The standard Thai greeting. It is neutral in formality and can be used both when meeting someone and when leaving.Hello. (polite, male speaker)
สวัสดี with the polite particle ครับ, used by a male speaker.Hello. (polite, female speaker)
สวัสดี with the polite particle ค่ะ, used by a female speaker.Good morning.
A morning greeting. You can add ครับ or ค่ะ at the end to make it polite: สวัสดีตอนเช้าครับ or สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ.Goodbye.
A common farewell. It is neutral and can be used in many situations. To make it more polite, add ครับ or ค่ะ: ลาก่อนครับ or ลาก่อนค่ะ.Explanations
สวัสดี: the standard greeting
สวัสดี is the standard Thai greeting. You can use it when you meet someone and also when you leave. It is neutral in formality, so it works with friends, strangers, and elders. When you say it, a polite smile and a slight bow with the hands together (a wai) are common, but the spoken word itself is the main point here.
ครับ and ค่ะ: polite particles
ครับ and ค่ะ are polite particles. A male speaker adds ครับ; a female speaker adds ค่ะ. They come at the end of the greeting: สวัสดีครับ (male) or สวัสดีค่ะ (female). These particles make the greeting more polite and are especially useful with elders or in formal situations. They do not change the basic meaning of สวัสดี.
สวัสดีตอนเช้า: good morning
สวัสดีตอนเช้า means 'good morning'. ตอนเช้า means 'morning'. You can use this when greeting someone in the morning. It is still polite to add ครับ or ค่ะ at the end if you want: สวัสดีตอนเช้าครับ or สวัสดีตอนเช้าค่ะ.
Dialogue
Hello. (polite, male speaker)
Hello. (polite, female speaker)
Good morning.
Goodbye.
Pronunciation
Listen carefully to the recording for each phrase. Repeat after the recording, copying the rhythm and the tones as closely as you can. Thai is a tonal language, so the same sounds said with different tones can mean different things. Focus on matching what you hear rather than on any written description of tones. Practice saying each phrase several times until it feels comfortable.
Common mistake
Using สวัสดี by itself in a situation that calls for extra politeness, such as greeting an elder, without adding ครับ or ค่ะ.
Add the polite particle that matches the speaker: สวัสดีครับ for a male speaker or สวัสดีค่ะ for a female speaker.
Practice
You meet a friend in the morning. Greet them politely as a male speaker. Say the phrase you hear in the recording.
Use the polite male form of the greeting: สวัสดีครับ.
Show answer
สวัสดีครับสวัสดีครับ is the polite greeting for a male speaker. It matches the recording for this exercise.
You meet an elder in the morning. Greet them politely as a female speaker. Say the phrase you hear in the recording.
Use the polite female form of the greeting: สวัสดีค่ะ.
Show answer
สวัสดีค่ะสวัสดีค่ะ is the polite greeting for a female speaker. It matches the recording for this exercise.
You are leaving a friend's house. Say goodbye in a general way. Say the phrase you hear in the recording.
Use the general farewell: ลาก่อน.
Show answer
ลาก่อนลาก่อน is a general way to say goodbye. It matches the recording for this exercise.
Use สวัสดี to greet someone or to say goodbye, and ลาก่อน as a general farewell. Add ครับ if you are male or ค่ะ if you are female to sound polite, and use สวัสดีตอนเช้า to greet someone in the morning.
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