@Brad *********

yep, a lot of ppl are 👌

@Mike *****

yep, more and more saying Adios Amigos

@Min***

Stick with it you won't regret it... here's another new word for you... ( puen - เพื่อน ) 9999 words left ... 😉

36 yrs ago I learnt to speak Thai, in a gymnasium, yep, a gym. 3hrs a day, 6 days a week for 6 months. No books, No script, No teacher. It was a remote location and nobody at the gym spoke English beyond the basic greeting of hello, and there were no other farang in the gym, ever, so I was forced to speak Thai to communicate. Everybody at the gym wanted to talk to me because I was different & Thais just cant help but be curious, friendly and hospitable, its their genetic makeup. I could not avoid speaking Thai. It was difficult at first but I felt real results each new week. After 6 months I had to depart Thailand to attend a family emergency. 2 months later when returning to Thailand I found myself responding in Thai to everyone from customs staff and airport personnel to local citizens. It just came automatically. I really was amazed at how much I had learned. After 2-3 months further I started answering the telephone, at my wifes family business, occasionally making appointments for people to come to the office for meetups. Often when I greeted them on arrival they immediately broke into their best possible English when they saw a white man and asked for Ben. I'd say I'm Ben, their response (english), no Ben a Thai man I spoke to on the phone he said to ask for him. Yes, I am Ben. I am the man on the phone. They couldn't believe it until I would then break into Thai conversation to ease their disbelief. (I can't deny that I got a small high of ego boost - just quietly). I was now contributing to the community & the family business, I was finally useful again, that scored me points with the inlaws. Bottom line is... because I learned by ear, face to face, not book, script or teacher, I learned street Thai, everyday common conversation without the formal pronunciation, just straight up common Thai. The formal language came later... hardly use it in reality - nice to know but barely necessary day to day, unless watching a news broadcast.

Bottom line, I learned Thai by mimicking the sounds by ear, not by difficult to interpret script, eg., farlang is truely pronounced as fuh-lung... big difference. This is true of many words. So, in all my years of experience with the Thai language I have learned 4 things.

1) you can only learn true pronunciation by ear to ear learning (particularly tones)

2) you will learn the language 10 x faster & accurately by being in the country and not learning from abroad

3) it helps if you have a purpose for learning. Perhaps it retirement in Thailand or your spouse is Thai or children. Etc., it helps if your purpose for learning is meaningful, however that be so.

4) reading and writing is greatly important early in the process... because you will read every street sign and menu that you see, and that sticks in your mind. And if reading correctly the tones will serve to polish your pronunciation.

I have never looked back and learning the language has served me in many, many ways, in business and in day to day living... DO IT !

chohg dee na 🙏

@Nongnuch *******

... I can, quite a few others already have 😏

thanks Galen 👌

Scott Patterson ... Sometimes you have to swallow your pride, eat your words, chew your ego and accept that you're wrong. It's not giving up... it's called growing up ! ... หากคุณยอมรับสิ่งนี้ไม่ได้ คุณจะไม่มีวันก้าวไปข้างหน้า ขอให้โชคดีนะ ฟาร์ลัง 🙏

@Scott **********

Scott Patterson because right now I'm in remote Australia. I need to know if I should apply for an international licence before I depart for BKK. I trust this reply answers your concerns satisfactorily. Appreciate your contribution. Should I require any further information or approval I promise to run it by you firstly... Khor thord nah ! 🙏

YIHAA !... ขอบคุณนะคะคุณนุชรา ข่าวดีจังเลย Appreciated 😉

Its funny how you think I need your approval Lynn... How naive & childish your comment is, from someone of your advanced years too. A little about myself :- I've lived in Thailand 38 yrs & raised my Thai born family here. My extended family has built x1 hospital, x3 temples, x2 schools, x2 orphanages, x8 refuge centres... and donated I don't know how many $Mil. And here you are Lynn... an All Star Contributor, how proud you must be. Do not assume you know somebodies circumstances by one sentence on a social media site and proceed to insult them because of your own insecurities on one hand and an self beleif of entitlement & better than mentality on the other. You have attempted to bring nothing to the table except drama. You're living proof that being loud doesn't make you right. You're not as relevant as you think you are. It must be exhausting always seeking validation for yourself... Go Fix Yourself.