Time words instead of tenses
Talk about the past, the present and plans with context and time markers.
A Thai verb doesn't change its form, so there's nothing like went or will go. When time matters, a separate word shows it. Often context is enough: with เมื่อวาน, yesterday, or พรุ่งนี้, tomorrow, in the sentence, the time is already clear.
Yesterday I went to the market.
No past marker is needed. The word for yesterday sets the time.
When there's no time expression, a marker can do the job. Some markers go before the verb, others at the end of the sentence.
Time markers
future or intention
Tomorrow I'll go to the market.
I've already eaten.
He's reading a book right now.
I've tried durian.
เคย is about experience in general, not a particular day, like English have ever.
I don't understand yet.
Common mistake
แล้ว isn't a past tense marker. It says that something has happened or that a new situation has begun. Depending on the conversation, ผมไปแล้ว can mean I've already been there or I'm off now.
Time words are often used instead of markers, and they're already in the dictionary: เมื่อวาน, yesterday; วันนี้, today; พรุ่งนี้, tomorrow; ตอนนี้, now; เดี๋ยวนี้, right away; ทีหลัง, later. They usually come at the start of the sentence.
Practise
- Who → จะ → does what → to whomจะ marks the future and goes right before the verb, like will
- Who → does what → to whom → แล้วแล้ว marks a finished action and goes at the very end of the sentence
- When → who → does what → to whomSay tomorrow and you don't need a marker: the time word already sets the time
- Pick the marker6 cards from this topicChoose the word missing from a phrase
- Build a phrase6 cards from this topicPut the words of a phrase in the right order
Kai says
Each consonant has a word in its name. I'm ก, named with ไก่, chicken. The word helps you identify the letter when another letter has the same sound.