Three "no": ไม่, ไม่ ใช่ and เปล่า
The negation of a verb or a quality is the particle ไม่ (mai, falling tone) before the word: ไม่ เข้าใจ — "don't understand", ไม่ ชอบ — "don't like". The verb does not change — Thai has nothing to conjugate. For example: “ไม่ เข้าใจ” — I don't understand. A rule from the Thai course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The negation of a verb or a quality is the particle ไม่ (mai, falling tone) before the word: ไม่ เข้าใจ (май кхаочай) — "don't understand", ไม่ ชอบ (май чоп) — "don't like". The verb does not change — Thai has nothing to conjugate.
The negation of a noun or a fact is ไม่ ใช่ (mai chai), literally "not so": ไม่ ใช่ ร้าน กาแฟ (май чай ран кафэ) — "this is not a coffee shop".
And the colloquial third: เปล่า (plao) — a short "oh no, no" in reply to a question. To "have you eaten?" Thais more often say plao than any full form.
By example
- ไม่ เข้าใจмай кхаочайI don't understand
- ไม่ ใช่ ครับмай чай кхрапNo (not so)
- ไม่ ชอบ เบียร์май чоп бияI don't like beer
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say no in Thai?
And the colloquial third: เปล่า (plao) — a short "oh no, no" in reply to a question. To "have you eaten?" Thais more often say plao than any full form.
Mai vs mai chai in Thai?
The negation of a verb or a quality is the particle ไม่ (mai, falling tone) before the word: ไม่ เข้าใจ — "don't understand", ไม่ ชอบ — "don't like". The verb does not change — Thai has nothing to conjugate.
When do Thais say plao?
And the colloquial third: เปล่า (plao) — a short "oh no, no" in reply to a question. To "have you eaten?" Thais more often say plao than any full form.
Negation in Thai language?
The negation of a verb or a quality is the particle ไม่ (mai, falling tone) before the word: ไม่ เข้าใจ — "don't understand", ไม่ ชอบ — "don't like". The verb does not change — Thai has nothing to conjugate.
What does it look like in a Thai example sentence?
“ไม่ เข้าใจ” (май кхаочай) — I don't understand. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.