The pronoun depends on the speaker, the verb on nothing
English "I" matches several Thai words, and the speaker picks one: a man says ผม (phom), a woman says ดิฉัน (dichan). The polite คุณ (khun) is the everyday "you" for anyone you are not close to. Between close friends you will also hear เธอ (thoe). For example: “ผม อยู่ ที่ นี่” — I live here. A rule from the Thai course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English "I" matches several Thai words, and the speaker picks one: a man says ผม (phom), a woman says ดิฉัน (dichan). The polite คุณ (khun) is the everyday "you" for anyone you are not close to. Between close friends you will also hear เธอ (thoe).
The main thing about the table below is what is missing from it: verb forms. "I go", "you go", "they go" are one word in Thai. The verb never changes for person, number or tense. The pronoun names the person; words like "yesterday" and "tomorrow" name the time.
So the table is a choice list, not a set of verb forms. You pick a pronoun for a person once, and it stays.
Table
| Who | Thai | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (a man) | ผม | phom | I |
| I (a woman) | ดิฉัน | dichan | I |
| polite you | คุณ | khun | you |
| he (and she too) | เขา | khao | he; she |
| she; you (to someone close) | เธอ | thoe | she; you |
| we | เรา | rao | we |
| they | พวก เขา | phuak khao | they |
By example
- ผม อยู่ ที่ นี่пхом ю ти нийI live here
- เรา เจอกันрао джёканWe will meet
- พวก เขา ชอบ ชาпхуак кхао чоп чаThey like tea
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 I in Thai?
English "I" matches several Thai words, and the speaker picks one: a man says ผม (phom), a woman says ดิฉัน (dichan). The polite คุณ (khun) is the everyday "you" for anyone you are not close to. Between close friends you will also hear เธอ (thoe).
Phom vs chan in Thai?
English "I" matches several Thai words, and the speaker picks one: a man says ผม (phom), a woman says ดิฉัน (dichan). The polite คุณ (khun) is the everyday "you" for anyone you are not close to. Between close friends you will also hear เธอ (thoe).
Does the Thai verb change for person?
The main thing about the table below is what is missing from it: verb forms. "I go", "you go", "they go" are one word in Thai. The verb never changes for person, number or tense. The pronoun names the person; words like "yesterday" and "tomorrow" name the time.
Thai pronouns list?
So the table is a choice list, not a set of verb forms. You pick a pronoun for a person once, and it stays.
What does it look like in a Thai example sentence?
“ผม อยู่ ที่ นี่” (пхом ю ти ний) — I live here. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.