At the pharmacy in Thai
A cold and a headache in Thai. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «สวัสดี ครับ ผม ปวด หัว» — Hello, my head hurts; «ปวด กี่ วัน แล้ว» — How many days has it been hurting? The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a cold and a headache. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- สวัสดี ครับ ผม ปวด หัวсаватди кхрап пхом пуат хуаHello, my head hurts.
- ปวด กี่ วัน แล้วпуат кий ван лаэоHow many days has it been hurting?
- สาม วัน แล้ว ครับ และ ไอ ด้วยсам ван лаэо кхрап лэ ай дыайThree days, and a cough too.
- ดื่ม น้ำ มาก และ นอน มากдыым нам мак лэ нон макDrink plenty of water and sleep more.
- แต่ พรุ่ง นี้ ผม ต้อง ไป ทำ งานтэ пхрунг ний пхом тонг пай тхам нганBut I have work tomorrow.
- ไม่ ได้ ครับ นอน ที่ บ้านмай дай кхрап нон ти банNo — stay at home and lie down.
Lines one by one
| Thai | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| สวัสดี ครับ ผม ปวด หัว | саватди кхрап пхом пуат хуа | Hello, my head hurts. |
| ปวด กี่ วัน แล้ว | пуат кий ван лаэо | How many days has it been hurting? |
| สาม วัน แล้ว ครับ และ ไอ ด้วย | сам ван лаэо кхрап лэ ай дыай | Three days, and a cough too. |
| ดื่ม น้ำ มาก และ นอน มาก | дыым нам мак лэ нон мак | Drink plenty of water and sleep more. |
| แต่ พรุ่ง นี้ ผม ต้อง ไป ทำ งาน | тэ пхрунг ний пхом тонг пай тхам нган | But I have work tomorrow. |
| ไม่ ได้ ครับ นอน ที่ บ้าน | май дай кхрап нон ти бан | No — stay at home and lie down. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Thai in this situation?
“สวัสดี ครับ ผม ปวด หัว” (саватди кхрап пхом пуат хуа) — Hello, my head hurts. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.