This week’s Thai Phrasebook teaches you one of the easiest ways to start small talk in Thailand: talking about the weather.
Whether it’s hot season or rainy season, these phrases will help you make casual conversation in Thai with anyone from taxi drivers to coworkers to new Thai friends.
You’ll learn how to:
- Ask what the weather is like
- Say it’s hot, cool, or raining
- Comment on today’s weather naturally
Let’s get into it!
1) "what’s the weather like today?"
Say: aa-gàat wan-níi bpen yang-ngai bâang kráp/ká
อากาศวันนี้เป็นยังไงบ้างครับ/คะ
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- aa-gàat = weather — อากาศ
- wan-níi = today — วันนี้
- bpen yang-ngai bâang = how is it? — เป็นยังไงบ้าง
- kráp/ká = polite particle — ครับ / คะ
This is a great phrase to kickstart some easy + casual conversation with hotel staff, resaturant waiters, etc.
2) "it’s hot today."
Say: wan-níi rón kráp/kâ
วันนี้ร้อนครับ/ค่ะ
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- wan-níi = today — วันนี้
- rón = hot — ร้อน
- kráp/kâ = polite particle — ครับ / ค่ะ
You’ll use this and hear this a lot. Trust me. Especially in April.
3) "it’s raining."
Say: fǒn gam-lang tòk kráp/kâ
ฝนกำลังตกครับ/ค่ะ
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- fǒn = rain — ฝน
- gam-lang = currently (in the process of…) — กำลัง
- tòk = fall — ตก
- kráp/kâ = polite particle — ครับ / ค่ะ
Useful when you want to tell someone why you're late… or wet.
4) "it’s a little cold today."
Say: wan-níi nǎo nít-nòi kráp/kâ
วันนี้หนาวนิดหน่อยครับ/ค่ะ
Thai Vocabulary Broken Down:
- wan-níi = today — วันนี้
- nâo = cold — หนาว
- nít-nòi = a little — นิดหน่อย
- kráp/kâ = polite particle — ครับ / ค่ะ
Fun fact: Thai people say this even when it’s 22°C.
Key Things To Remember:
Talking about the weather is one of the easiest ways to start a conversation in Thai and it’s something us locals do all the time too.
Even if you only use one or two of these phrases, Thai people will notice and appreciate that you’re making an effort to speak our language.
Try it out the next time you’re grabbing a coffee, chatting with your Grab driver, or waiting out a rainstorm with someone nearby.
Want To Practice?
Reply to this email and tell me what the weather is like where you are... but in Thai! I’ll reply back and tell you how it is here in Thailand today too.
Ready To Speak Thai For Real?
The Thai Language Challenge is a 100-day program I built to take you from zero to having a 10-minute conversation entirely in Thai.
Every student who completes the challenge proves it in a live exam with me.
And every single one has passed.
The next cohort opens Thursday October 2nd.
Spots are limited to 50 students only.
Curious what my students really sound like?
Click here to watch their final conversation exams fully in Thai.
See you in next week’s Thai Phrasebook!
~ Kru Fah
P.S. To make sure you keep receiving these emails, just reply “yes” to this one.
