Best way to learn Bangkok language for native English speaker (life, country)
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I'm looking to EVENTUALLY teach English abroad and my top four destinations are Germany (Berlin), Japan (Tokyo), Spain (Madrid), and Thailand (Bangkok).
I'm a beach lover who loves spicy food and seafood, though, so Bangkok is probably the one that tops my top 4 list. The only other language I know besides English, though is SOME Spanish. I'm American, but I'm near Mexico and I picked up a little Spanish here and there. When I move over there to teach English, that's just a gateway for me to stay over there if I like it since the American cities I'd like to live in are too expensive and my current city, while cheap, has bored me for several years, now.
How should I learn Thai? Preferably I'd like to learn in a way that feels fun so I can stick with it.
I teach high school here in the states, so it will have to work around my schedule.
I'm looking to EVENTUALLY teach English abroad and my top four destinations are Germany (Berlin), Japan (Tokyo), Spain (Madrid), and Thailand (Bangkok).
I'm a beach lover who loves spicy food and seafood, though, so Bangkok is probably the one that tops my top 4 list. The only other language I know besides English, though is SOME Spanish. I'm American, but I'm near Mexico and I picked up a little Spanish here and there. When I move over there to teach English, that's just a gateway for me to stay over there if I like it since the American cities I'd like to live in are too expensive and my current city, while cheap, has bored me for several years, now.
How should I learn Thai? Preferably I'd like to learn in a way that feels fun so I can stick with it.
I teach high school here in the states, so it will have to work around my schedule.
How much time have you actually spent in Bangkok (or Thailand, in general)?
How much time have you actually spent in Bangkok (or Thailand, in general)?
None yet--I mainly travel around the USA, to Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas, and some of the other Carribean countries. I just want to dive in the deep end of a new culture, though, and Bangkok looks exotic.
I know a school teacher who went to Bangkok in the 1990s,she stayed at a local hotel ,to wash her clothes,she goes to the sundeck and used a hose to wash and then hang them dry on clothesline.
If she is not sightseeing,she read a book in the lobby ,in the evening she would go to the market and sample dinner du jour,takesa bus and eats yogurt,have tailored clothes made by local seamtress,she likes it so much she wants to own a condo there.
I dont think you need to speak local language to enjoy the city but there is a time period where it rains a lot .
I know a school teacher who went to Bangkok in the 1990s,she stayed at a local hotel ,to wash her clothes,she goes to the sundeck and used a hose to wash and then hang them dry on clothesline.
If she is not sightseeing,she read a book in the lobby ,in the evening she would go to the market and sample dinner du jour,takesa bus and eats yogurt,have tailored clothes made by local seamtress,she likes it so much she wants to own a condo there.
I dont think you need to speak local language to enjoy the city but there is a time period where it rains a lot .
I traveled to Thailand through much of my adult life and then lived there for 2 years (until the red shirt riots). In many ways I wish I had stayed, although I think living through covid there would have been much more depressing than here. But you are correct, you can easily live in Bangkok without speaking Thai. It gets more difficult when you get further away from the capital, however.
When I moved there I hired a tutor to come in twice a week for Thai lessons (oral, not written) and that was very inexpensive and was working quite well.
However, though Thailand was a cultural delight that never failed to interest me as I traveled around the country, to consider living there without having spent considerable time there...well, I wouldn't advise that at all. I'd suggest the OP spend a month in Bangkok renting out a flat (NOT staying in a hotel), and spend the days just walking all over the city. That's essentially what I did...walked 3-9 miles a day, often without any particular destination in mind. Just walked and took in the sights, and people, and learned about the pace of life that way. Never had a bad experience despite getting way off the beaten tourist path (and the only part of the city I didn't walk around was Klong Toey). It was surprising to me how less comfortable I felt, however, getting into the further reaches of Thonburi. Again, nothing bad ever happened, but something changed that I couldn't quite discern.
You can get some working knowledge via lessons, etc. Find a native speaker in your town now to practice with. But to really understand - total immersion is the only way. Remember Thai also has a written script.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mojo101
there is no such thing as Bangkok language
The guy said "how do I learn Thai" in the thread. Get beyond just reading the title.
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