เป็น ไป ได้
“เป็น ไป ได้” (пен пай дай) — possible; may (happen) in Thai. Adverb, level A2, topic — basic words. Literally "go can": Thai does not say "possibly" in one word — it asks whether the matter can go. Then comes the that-word and the content. In a live sentence: “เป็น ไป ได้ ว่า เขา มา” — He may come. Written with the characters เ, ป, น, ไ, ป, ไ, ด, ้. One of 309 words in the set “basic words” in the Thai course.
In short
| Written in Thai | เป็น ไป ได้ |
| Read in Latin letters | пен пай дай |
| Translation | possible; may (happen) |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A2 |
Why it looks that way
Literally "go can": Thai does not say "possibly" in one word — it asks whether the matter can go. Then comes the that-word and the content
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.
- เป็น ไป ได้ ว่า เขา มาпен пай дай ваа кхао маHe may come
Nearby words: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- ใช่чайyesThe answer to a "...isn't it?" question. It sounds exactly like the word for tea — the easiest memory hook there is. It does not attach to verbs: to "going?" Thai answers "going"
- ไม่ ใช่май чайnoLiterally "not so". It negates nouns and facts; verbs are negated differently — a plain mai in front of the word. In casual speech people also answer plao
- สบายดีсабайдиfineLiterally "comfortable". The standard full answer about yourself: sabai di khrap khopkhun — fine, thank you
- ไม่ค่อย สบายмайкхой сабайnot so wellLiterally "not quite well". Thai avoids a flat "bad" about oneself and softens it; about illness the same move: mai sabai means "I am ill"
- เยี่ยม มากйиам макgreatA stronger answer to "how are you?" than sabai di: literally "on great form". Mak is the same "very" as in "thank you very much"
- ได้ ไหม?дай май?may I?; is it possible?Literally "can or not?". It attaches to any request at the end: kho nam dai mai — "water, may I?". The answer is dai (may) or mai dai (may not)
- และлэandA bookish link that live speech often drops: "coffee tea" without "and" sounds fine. In a list Thai more often puts a pause than the word
- แต่тэbutThe colloquial "but", standing between phrases. A second "but", tae wa, is longer and even more colloquial; the difference is tempo, not meaning
- กิโลкилоkilo; kilogramThe short form of "kilogram". Half a kilo is khrueng kilo, and "one and a half" is the other way round — kilo khrueng: the half jumps to the end
- ครึ่งкхрынгhalfA half; it stands in front: khrueng kilo — half a kilo, khrueng chua mong — half an hour
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “possible; may (happen)” in Thai?
Literally "go can": Thai does not say "possibly" in one word — it asks whether the matter can go. Then comes the that-word and the content
- How do you say “and” in Thai?
A bookish link that live speech often drops: "coffee tea" without "and" sounds fine. In a list Thai more often puts a pause than the word
- How do you say “fine” in Thai?
Literally "comfortable". The standard full answer about yourself: sabai di khrap khopkhun — fine, thank you
- How do you say “half” in Thai?
A half; it stands in front: khrueng kilo — half a kilo, khrueng chua mong — half an hour
- How do you say “may I?; is it possible?” in Thai?
Literally "can or not?". It attaches to any request at the end: kho nam dai mai — "water, may I?". The answer is dai (may) or mai dai (may not)
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 “possible; may (happen)” in Thai?
«เป็น ไป ได้», read “пен пай дай”. In a live sentence: “เป็น ไป ได้ ว่า เขา มา” — He may come. Adverb, level A2, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters เ, ป, น, ไ, ป, ไ, ด, ้.
How is “เป็น ไป ได้” written in Latin letters?
пен пай дай. 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 "go can": Thai does not say "possibly" in one word — it asks whether the matter can go. Then comes the that-word and the content. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.