Pretend in Thai

“Pretend” in Thai is แกล้งglâeng; you'll also hear ทำเป็นtam-bpen (act as if).

แกล้ง glâeng

to tease, to play a trick on; to pretend verb

glâeng falling

Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”

ทำเป็น tam-bpen

to pretend, to act as if verb

tam mid
bpen mid

Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.

How to use it

แกล้งglâeng before a verb is pretending: แกล้งหลับglâeng làp, to pretend to be asleep, แกล้งป่วยglâeng bpùay, to fake being sick. ทำเป็นtam-bpen is "act as if", and together, แกล้งทำเป็นglâeng tam-bpen, they're the everyday way to say "pretend".

Other spellings you'll see

There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:

klaeng
tam pen
tham pen

More verbs in Thai

All verbs

เป็น bpen Be
to be (a nationality, a job, a role)
มี mii Have
to have
ไป bpai Go
to go
มา maa Come
to come
กิน gin Eat
to eat
ดื่ม dùuem Drink
to drink

Learn Thai with the free course

A complete course from your first phrase to real conversations, with audio for every word and AI speaking practice. Free, no sign-up needed.

Start the free course

Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones