Another's speech through ว่า: time does not shift
To pass on what another person said, Thai has one word, ว่า — "that". It stands after the verb of speech, and then comes the other's phrase exactly as it sounded. For example: “เขา บอก ว่า ฝน ตก” — He said that it is raining. A rule from the Thai course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To pass on what another person said, Thai has one word, ว่า (ваа) — "that". It stands after the verb of speech, and then comes the other's phrase exactly as it sounded.
Time never shifts. fon tok — it is raining; khao bok wa fon tok — he said that it is raining. No "said that it was raining" with the words rebuilt: the phrase moves over whole.
Use any verb of speech you know: bok wa — said that; khit wa — think that; top wa — answered that. You have already built khit wa mai — "I don't think so"; it is the same scheme.
A question inside another's speech also lives unchanged: tham wa pai nai — asked where I was going. The question word stays in its place, and mai stays at the end too.
Table
| Another's words | Word | Reading | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| said that | บอก ว่า | bok wa | บอก ว่า มา — said he will come |
| think that | คิด ว่า | khit wa | คิด ว่า แพง — think it is expensive |
| answered that | ตอบ ว่า | top wa | ตอบ ว่า ไม่ ไป — answered he is not going |
| asked | ถาม ว่า | tham wa | ถาม ว่า ไป ไหม — asked where to |
| wrote that | เขียน ว่า | khian wa | เขียน ว่า พรุ่ง นี้ — wrote that tomorrow |
| rumor has it | ข่าว ลือ ว่า | khao lue wa | ข่าว ลือ ว่า ราคา ขึ้น — rumor says prices rise |
| one can see that | เห็น ว่า | hen wa | เห็น ว่า เหนื่อย — one can see you are tired |
By example
- เขา บอก ว่า ฝน ตกкхао бок ваа фон токHe said that it is raining
- ผม คิด ว่า ราคา สูงпхом кхит ваа ракхаа суунгI think that the price is high
- เขา ถาม ว่า ไป ไหมкхао тхам ваа пай майHe asked where I was going
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
time does not shift: how does it work in Thai?
To pass on what another person said, Thai has one word, ว่า — "that". It stands after the verb of speech, and then comes the other's phrase exactly as it sounded.
What does it look like in a Thai example sentence?
“เขา บอก ว่า ฝน ตก” (кхао бок ваа фон ток) — He said that it is raining. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.