To someone's face in Thai

“To someone's face” in Thai is ต่อหน้าdtàw-nâa.

ต่อหน้า dtàw-nâa

in the presence of (someone) preposition

dtàw low
nâa falling

Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”

How to use it

ต่อหน้าdtàw-nâa, "facing", is in front of someone, in their presence. It matters in Thailand, where criticising someone ต่อหน้าคนอื่นdtàw-nâa kon ùuen, in front of others, makes them lose face, เสียหน้าsǐa nâa: Thais put each other right in private. Something that happens right before your eyes happens ต่อหน้าต่อตาdtàw-nâa dtàw-dtaa. The opposite, behind someone's back, is ลับหลังláp-lǎng, and in front of a place, like a shop, is ข้างหน้าkâang-nâa.