ไม่ สบาย
“ไม่ สบาย” (май сабай) — I feel unwell in Thai. Phrase, level A1, topic — phrases that save you. Literally "not comfortable" — the ordinary way to say one is unwell. The familiar sabai di, "fine", lives in the same root. In a live sentence: “วัน นี้ ผม ไม่ สบาย” — I feel unwell today. Written with the characters ไ, ม, ่, ส, บ, า, ย. One of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” in the Thai course.
In short
| Written in Thai | ไม่ สบาย |
| Read in Latin letters | май сабай |
| Translation | I feel unwell |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
Literally "not comfortable" — the ordinary way to say one is unwell. The familiar sabai di, "fine", lives in the same root
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- วัน นี้ ผม ไม่ สบายван ний пхом май сабайI feel unwell today
Nearby words: phrases that save you
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
- ไม่ เข้าใจмай кхаочайI don't understandLiterally "not enter-understand": understanding "enters" in Thai. The negation mai goes before the verb and changes nothing else
- ช้าๆчачаslowlyThe curl ๆ means "repeat the previous word": cha-cha. The most useful word of the first week, together with the request "speak slowly"
- พูด อีกครั้งпхуыт иккхрангsay it again, pleaseLiterally "speak one more time". The politeness is carried by the final particle and a karuna in front — the word "please" itself is not in the phrase
- พูด ภาษา อังกฤษ ได้ ไหม?пхуыт пхаса ангкрит дай май?do you speak English?Literally "speak English language can or not?". "Can" (dai) and the question particle mai close the phrase — there is no question word at the front at all
- ช่วย ด้วยчуай дыайhelp!Literally "help, do!". A cry for help and at the same time the polite "be so kind" of requests: chuai plus a verb — "help do something"
- หลง ทางлонг таангI am lostLiterally "lost the way": the two words work as a pair. About yourself, say it with phom in front and khrap at the end — and they will show you the way
- ไม่ ทำ งานмай тхам нганnot working (of a device)Literally "does not do work" — about a fan, a lift, a lock. No word "appliance" is needed: Thai speaks of refusal with a verb
- รอ สัก ครู่ро сак кхрууwait a momentLiterally "wait an instant": khruu is a short while, not a minute. The particle sak softens the request
- เปิด ไม่ ได้пёт май дайI cannot open itLiterally "open not-can": "cannot do" is built with the verb plus mai dai. Who cannot — the deed makes clear
- รถ พยาบาลрот пхайабанambulanceLiterally "care vehicle" — the same rot as in train and bus. The ambulance number in Thailand is 1669
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “phrases that save you”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I feel unwell” in Thai?
Literally "not comfortable" — the ordinary way to say one is unwell. The familiar sabai di, "fine", lives in the same root
- How do you say “not working (of a device)” in Thai?
Literally "does not do work" — about a fan, a lift, a lock. No word "appliance" is needed: Thai speaks of refusal with a verb
- How do you say “say it again, please” in Thai?
Literally "speak one more time". The politeness is carried by the final particle and a karuna in front — the word "please" itself is not in the phrase
- How do you say “ambulance” in Thai?
Literally "care vehicle" — the same rot as in train and bus. The ambulance number in Thailand is 1669
- How do you say “I am lost” in Thai?
Literally "lost the way": the two words work as a pair. About yourself, say it with phom in front and khrap at the end — and they will show you the way
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I feel unwell” in Thai?
«ไม่ สบาย», read “май сабай”. In a live sentence: “วัน นี้ ผม ไม่ สบาย” — I feel unwell today. Phrase, level A1, from the set “phrases that save you”; written with the characters ไ, ม, ่, ส, บ, า, ย.
How is “ไม่ สบาย” written in Latin letters?
май сабай. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Literally "not comfortable" — the ordinary way to say one is unwell. The familiar sabai di, "fine", lives in the same root. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.