If you can read Thai your world opens up in Thailand!

Watch this video introduction And now watch this free video to learn the top 13 letters in only ten minutes, the Rapid way. Not being able to read Thai means that vast parts of Thailand will remain out of reach to you. Outside of Bangkok or the well-trodden tourist paths, there is little if any English. "It was like taking down the shutters from the windows and being able to see out for the first time." Colette Baily, Bangkok Being able to read means that you can effortlessly absorb the wealth of Thai language and culture that already saturates your surroundings, through street signs and notices. You will feel less lost and more confident to explore real Thai culture and places. And you will enjoy your stay in Thailand so much more!     Our research (which is backed up by studies reviewed by Stephen Krashen and others) has shown that unless you have already read and understood words & phrases in a language, you cannot hear what people are saying. Your brain simply doesn't register the sounds unless you already know them through reading. And reading extensively is the most effective way to become fluent. Immersion only works for children - or if you also engage in "cognitive" activities such as learning vocabulary and understanding how words are put together to express ideas. Actually, you'll be surprised at how much you already know or can easily guess. It's an exciting game to read out signs and notices - and a great thrill being able to figure out what they mean. You will also develop a rich vocabulary and appreciation for Thai just by being out and about. And you will learn a great deal through absorption without being consciously aware of it. There's no effort required and it's fun!   The Read Thai website Ideally, you should already be able to recognize Thai letters for you to get the best out of this website. So first download and purchase the e-course Read Thai in a Day and then come back and practice what you have learnt. Or download and print the Thai Alphabet Guide and keep it handy while you browse through the photo pages. It's free. We hope you enjoy reading Thai signs. It's a great way to learn Thai and certainly beats sitting in a stuffy classroom! Fun tips on how to learn to speak and communicate in Thai Many people have told me they want to learn to speak Thai before bothering with reading. They ask me how to do this effectively. Well, my reply is usually along the lines that if you start to read then you will learn conversational Thai in the right context. I'm currently reading (studying) a book called Sydney Remember. It's about a Thai girl staying with her cousin in Sydney, getting a job, learning English, gossiping about relationships... Within the first chapter, I picked up dozens of everyday expressions that describe people, such as: หน้ตาดี or หน้าตาสวย [na dtaa dee, na dtaa suay?] = good looking / beautiful or บุกลิก ห้าวๆ หวาน เปรี้ยว [bukalik how-how! / waan? / bpriaow!] = tomboy personality (i.e. dyke), feminine ("sweet" personality) or sexy ("spicy" personality) Not only do I get to understand how to use these expression in the context of a conversation, the story is fun and riveting. I want to learn more so that I can find out what happens in the story! Thai Songs Here's another useful tip for picking up colloquial Thai in a really fun way (once you can read of course). Study and learn the lyrics of some of the popular Thai songs. For instance, the well-known song หวาน (waan? = sweet), has a lot of nice slang and colloquial expressions. The singer gets up really early in the morning and rushes out to buy his sweetheart a present. The expression is ซื้อของขวัญให้เธอซะหน่อย [seu? khong? khwan? hai! teu sa-noy] = "I went out to buy you a present". The ซะหน่อย [sa-noy] bit at the end is a really sweet way of offering to do something nice for someone: "I'd like to make you a nice cup of coffee ซะหน่อย..." or "I'd like to take you out somewhere nice ซะหน่อย..." There's (a lot) more, packed into each song. Get a Thai friend/teacher to help you analyze a song you enjoy, and then memorize & sing it with your friends at the karaoke bar. You'll start to speak Thai in a much more friendly, natural way too.

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