Thai pronouns: how to say I, you, he, she and we

These are the pronouns you can use with anyone, from a 7-Eleven cashier to a friend's parents. Only I depends on who's speaking: men say ผมpǒm, women say ฉันchǎn. Thai doesn't mark he or she: เขาkǎo covers both, and in speech it can even mean they.

Thai pronouns never change shape. ฉันchǎn is I in ฉันรักเขาchǎn rák kǎo (I love him) and me in เขารักฉันkǎo rák chǎn (he loves me).

For my, your and his, put the person after the thing, with ของkǎwng (of) in between: บ้านของผมbâan kǎwng pǒm, my house. With family and close things, ของkǎwng is usually dropped: แม่ฉันmâe chǎn, my mum.

Thais often avoid pronouns altogether. People talk about themselves by name or nickname, especially women and children: Nam says น้ำไปก่อนนะnáam bpai gàwn ná (I'm off now), using her own name for I.

Family words work as pronouns too, for strangers as well as relatives. Call someone a bit older than you พี่pîi (older brother or sister) and someone younger น้องnáwng, which is also how you call a young waiter. An older woman is ป้าbpâa (auntie) and an older man ลุงlung (uncle). The same words mean I when they talk to you: an older friend might say พี่ไปก่อนนะpîi bpai gàwn ná, I'm off now. And you'll hear หนูnǔu (literally mouse): girls and young women call themselves that when talking to someone older, and adults use it for you with children.

When it's clear who you mean, leave the pronoun out. Thai sentences without a subject sound natural, not rude: หิวไหมhǐu mǎi is are you hungry?, and หิวมากhǐu mâak is I'm very hungry. Using คุณkun in every sentence sounds stiff and a little distant.

Thai has no plural forms, but พวกpûak (group) in front of a pronoun makes it clearly plural: พวกเราpûak-rao (all of us), พวกเขาpûak-kǎo (they), พวกคุณpûak-kun (you all).

Among friends you'll hear more casual words. เธอtoe is you between partners and close friends (and she in writing and songs), and แกgae is a casual you between old friends. กูguu and มึงmueng (I, you) are very rough or very intimate: you'll hear them in films, songs and between best friends, but don't use them yourself.