Frank:	Chāi  pāi lèn bát kān mǎi	ชัย ไปเล่นบาสกันไหม	Chai, let’s go play basketball!
Chai:	pāi sì  yàk òk kāmlāngkāi yù phōdī	ไปสิ อยากออกกำลังกายอยู่พอดี	Good idea! I was just thinking of getting some exercise.
Frank:	ngán pāi kān lōei	งั้นไปกันเลย	Let’s get going!
Chai:	wá! fǒn tòk ìk láeo	ว้า! ฝนตกอีกแล้ว	Bah! It’s raining again.
Frank:	fǒn tòk bòi mâk tōnní	ฝนตกบ่อยมากตอนนี้	It’s been raining a lot lately.
Chai:	châi nâfǒn nî nâbùea thîsùt lōei	ใช่ หน้าฝนนี่น่าเบื่อที่สุดเลย	That’s right. The rainy season is the most boring.
Frank:	âo! fǒn yùt láeo nî dàet òk láeo dûai	อ้าว! ฝนหยุดแล้วนี่ แดดออกแล้วด้วย	Ah! The rain has stopped, and the sun is also shining.
Chai:	yàngní rîak wâ fǒn lâi cháng	อย่างนี้เรียกว่าฝนไล่ช้าง	This kind of rain is called “elephant-chasing rain” (a brief downpour)
Frank:	thâ fǒn tòk nîtnòy rîak wâ àrāi lâ	ถ้าฝนตกนิดหน่อยเรียกว่าอะไรล่ะ	What do you say if it’s a very fine light rain?
Chai:	rîak wâ fǒn tòk prōi prōi	เรียกว่าฝนตกปรอยๆ	We say it’s drizzling.
Frank:	thâ tàk nàk mâk lâ	ถ้าตกหนักมากล่ะ	What if it pours heavily?
Chai:	tòk mǔan fá rûa	ตกเหมือนฟ้ารั่ว	It rains like there’s a big hole in the sky. (a cloudburst)
Frank:	thâ tòk nàk tìttò kān lǎi wān lâ	ถ้าตกหนักติดต่อกันหลายวันล่ะ	What if it rains continuously and heavily for many days?
Chai:	èy! khǒ nôekdū kòn  ǒ! tòk mâi lūem hǔ lūem tā	เอ! ขอนึกก่อน อ๋อ! ตกไม่ลืมหูลืมตา	Eh! Let me think. Yes! It’s an eye-shutting-ear-blocking rain. (torrential rain)
Frank:	ói! phǒm chà chām dâi mòt mǒi nî	โอ๊ย ผมจะจำได้หมดไหมนี่	Wow! I don’t think I can remember all these.

Rain expressions: How do you say these phrases in Thai? It’s raining again. = It’s raining a lot. = The rains stopped. = The elephant-chasing rain. = It drizzles. = It rains like there’s a big hole in the sky. = It’s eye-shutting-ear-blocking rains. = Answer keys: 1. fǒn tòk ìk láeo          2. fǒn tòk bòi mâk        3. fǒn yùt láeo   4. fǒn lâi cháng 5. fǒn tòk prōi prōi       6. fǒn tòk mǔan fá rûa   7. fǒn tòk mâi lūem hǔ lūem tā

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This lesson was prepared by Acharn Sunee Siidao, Educational Specialist.

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Last modified: July 17, 2006 |

Welcome back to a new adaptation of Phût Phāsǎ Thāi after our transitional Songkran break. As per the valued suggestions of our readers, the transliterations now follow the Royal Institute's system (http://www.royin.go.th/th/profile/index.php), which includes tone markers. In terms of content, the column will continue to provide you with everyday language on specific topics.

๑๘ karakkadakhom ๒๕๔๙   ( 18 July 2006)

Phût phāsǎ Thai A villager shares his umbrella with a soldier walking through Keuya in Pattani's Muang district. The area has been hit by heavy rain and residents are warned there could be forest run-off and the Pattani river could overflow. — TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD The rainy season / nâfǒn Buddhist Lent marks the rainy season in Southeast Asia. Like most countries, Thailand's weather is most heavily influenced by the annual monsoon circulation, bringing torrential rains which are best known for causing damaging floods nearly every year. This year is no exception and many northern and southern provinces have been hit by heavy floods. Well, let's look at the lighter side of the rains. How do Thais describe their different features. Sometimes rains pour down for a very short time and abruptly stops and the sun begins to shine. This can happen two or three times in one day. At other times it rains lightly for many hours or all day long. Sometimes it keeps raining for hours or for several days in a row. When that happens, rubber tapping in the South is impossible and tappers can only sit gloomily while farmers beam widely. The conversation this week centres around words describing different features of rains as well as how to talk about rain in general.