Asking and ordering

In a café, a shop or a taxi, most of what you need to say is a request. Thai has no special verb form for it, and the phrasebook word for please is rarely heard in conversation. The first word sets up the request, and there are three main ones: ขอ, เอา and ช่วย.

ขอ asks for something. The thing you want follows: ขอน้ำ, ขอเมนู, ขอบิล. Literally it's “request water”, which may look blunt in English, but it's the normal way to order at a street stall and in a hotel restaurant. ขอ can also come before a verb, and then it means may I: ขอดู, let me have a look, ขอลอง, may I try it on.

เอา means take. You use it to choose from what's already in front of you: the seller has laid out the goods, so you point and say เอาอันนี้. The difference from ขอ: ขอ asks for something you don't have, and เอา names your choice from what's offered. You can order food with either, but you don't ask permission with เอา.

ช่วย means help, and it starts a request for someone to do something. The verb follows. หน่อย goes at the end; without it the request can sound a bit curt. The topic “Politeness and softening” explains หน่อย and why ครับ or ค่ะ often comes last.

กรุณา is the please from phrasebooks, but you'll mostly see it on signs and hear it in announcements: กรุณาถอดรองเท้า at a temple entrance, กรุณารอสักครู่ on the phone or at a station. People rarely use it in conversation. An everyday request uses ช่วย and หน่อย.

• ขอkɔ̌ɔrequestเมนูmee-nuumenuหน่อยnɔ̀ɔia littleครับkráppolite particle

  Could I have the menu, please?

• ขอkɔ̌ɔrequestลองlɔɔngtry onหน่อยnɔ̀ɔia littleครับkráppolite particle

  May I try it on?

  A verb follows ขอ, so this asks for permission, not for a thing.

• เอาaotakeอันนี้an-níithis oneครับkráppolite particle

  I'll take this one.

  You say this when choosing from what's laid out on the counter.

• ช่วยchûaihelpเปิดbpə̀ətopenประตูbprà-dtuudoorหน่อยnɔ̀ɔia littleค่ะkâpolite particle

  Could you open the door, please?

  Literally “help open the door”. ช่วย asks someone to do something for you, not for permission.

• ช่วยchûaihelpจอดjɔ̀ɔtstopตรงนี้dtrong-níiright hereหน่อยnɔ̀ɔia littleครับkráppolite particle

  Please stop here.