Mike:	wānsǎo thî láeo  phǒm pāi thàirûp thî Wât Phrá Kâeo  khōn nâen mâk mâk  dâi rûp mâi sǔai lōei	วันเสาร์ที่แล้ว ผมไปถ่ายรูปที่ วัดพระแก้ว คนแน่นมากๆ ได้รูปไม่สวยเลย	Last Saturday I went to take pictures at Wat Phra Kaew. It was very crowded. The pictures were not so good.
Chai:	pàkàtì wānsǎo āthît  khōn kô nâen yù láeo	ปกติวันเสาร์อาทิตย์ คนก็ แน่นอยู่แล้ว	Usually it’s crowded on weekends anyway.
Mike:	tàe wānsǎo thî láeo nâen phìt pàkàtì mǔean khōn mā khōi àrāi sák yàng	แต่วันเสาร์ที่แล้วแน่นผิด ปกติเหมือนคนมาคอยอะไร สักอย่าง	But last Saturday it was unusually crowded. It looked like the visitors were waiting for something.
Chai:	ēy! wānsǎo thî láeo pēn wān phísèt àrāi ná ǒ! núek àk láeo wān chàt-trà-mōng-khōn	เอ! วันเสาร์ที่แล้วเป็นวัน พิเศษอะไรนะ อ๋อ! นึกออก แล้ว วันฉัตรมงคล	Eh! What special day was last Saturday? Ah! I remember. It was chat-tra-mong-khon (Coronation) Day.
Mike:	wān àrāi ná	วันอะไรนะ	What’s special about that day?
Chai:	wān chàt-trà-mōng-khōn  pēn wān thî nāilǔang khôen pēn ‘kīng’	วันฉัตรมงคล เป็นวันที่ใน หลวงขึ้นเป็น ‘คิง’	Chat-tra-mong-khon Day is the day the King officially became the King of Thailand.
Mike:	ǒ! khâochāi láeo  láeo thāmmāi khōn chūeng nâen là	อ๋อ! เข้าใจแล้ว แล้วทำไมคน จึงแน่นล่ะ	Ah! I see. But why do people gather in such great numbers?
Chai:	khōn mā khōi fâo nāilǔang kān  thûk wān sǎmkhān khōn chà mā khōi yàng ní thûk khráng	คนมาคอยเฝ้าในหลวงกัน ทุก วันสำคัญคนก็จะมาคอยอย่าง นี้ทุกครั้ง	They come to see the King. On every important occasion, the crowds come and wait for His Majesty.
Mike:	wá   phǒm mâi sáp  mâi yàng nán phǒm khōng dâi rûp nāilǔang nāi wât Phrá Kâeo láeo	ว้า ไม่อย่างนั้นผมคงได้รูป ในหลวงในวัดพระแก้วแล้ว	I wish I had known earlier. I could have taken a picture of the King in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Chai:	mâi pēn rāi  khôi pāi mài wān wísǎkhà būchā sì	ไม่เป็นไร ค่อยไปใหม่วัน วิสาขบูชาสิ	Never mind! Go again on Visakha Puja Day.
Mike:	mûearāi là	เมื่อไรล่ะ	When is that?
Chai:	wānthî sǎmsìp-èt dūean ní ēng	วันที่ 31 เดือนนี้เอง	On May 31.
Mike:	khòpkhūn thî bòk  phǒm pāi nâe nâe lōei	ขอบคุณที่บอก ผมไปแน่ๆ เลย	Thanks for telling me. I’ll go for sure.

Vocabulary watch: 1. crowded  =      2. special =           3. unusually =       4. Coronation Day = 5. the King =        6. to come to see (the King) =      7. like this = 8. Otherwise = = 9. to go for sure   Answer keys: 1. khōn nâen / คนแน่น    2. phísèt./ พิเศษ  3. phìt pàkàtì / ผิดปกติ      4. wān chàt-trà-mōng-khōn / วันฉัตรมงคล         5. nāilǔang / ในหลวง        6. fâo / เฝ้า          7. yàng ní / อย่างนี้  8 mâi yàng nán / ไม่อย่างนั้น      9. pāi nâe nâe / ไปแน่ๆ

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

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Last modified: April 30, 2007 |

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.

๘ phuetsaphakhom ๒๕๕๐   ( 8 May 2007)

Phût phāsǎ Thai The Coronation Day / wānchàt-trà-mōng-khōn The grounds of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha has always been a popular spot for many Thais to get a glimpse of their beloved monarch. In this file photo, His Majesty the King arrives at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha for a religious rite to mark Coronation Day. – Jetjaras Na Ranong We got a day off yesterday in lieu of the Coronation Day which is celebrated on May 5 every year. The day marks the anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne of the Chakri Dynasty. The temple of the Emerald Buddha is one of the official venues for this occasion where their Majesty the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family perform religious rites. Whenever there is a Royal Religious Ceremony at this temple or a similar occasion, Thais like to take this opportunity to express their affection and loyalty to the Royal Family by flocking along both sides of the red-carpeted passageway in the temple grounds. This is the time when people are able to have a close and unofficial audience with their monarchs. They will come and wait early in the day hoping to seize the best spots. Today's conversation is about a typical scene at the temple compound on a previous Coronation Day.