Pronouns and forms of address
Choose words for I, you, he and she, and learn when to leave them out.
The everyday third-person pronoun เขา doesn't show gender: it can mean he or she. The word a speaker uses for I usually does. Men typically say ผม, women typically say ฉัน, or ดิฉัน in formal speech. The polite particle at the end of a sentence shows the same choice: ครับ for men, ค่ะ for women.
Who's who
More important than which pronoun to pick: Thai often leaves it out when it's clear who's meant. ไปไหน is a complete question, Where are you going?, and it sounds more natural than the full version.
I'm Russian.
ผม shows that the speaker is a man.
He's my friend. / She's my friend.
Where are you going?
Where are you off to?
No pronoun at all: this is the most common way to ask.
In everyday speech, Thai people often refer to themselves and the person they're talking to by relative age rather than with a pronoun. พี่ is someone older, น้อง someone younger. Calling a waiter น้อง is more natural than คุณ, and using your own name instead of I is perfectly normal.
Common mistake
Using มัน, it, for a person sounds rude or contemptuous, except among close friends who joke that way. If you're not sure how to address someone, คุณ is always safe.
Practise
Kai says
The g in the app's transcription is an unaspirated k sound, not the voiced g in English go. The recording is your guide to the difference.