Unit 14 · Settling in · A2
Unit 14: A day in my life
Tell the time the Thai way and describe your daily routine and how often you do things.
6 lessons · about 46 min CEFR A2
The story
Your second language exchange with Fon, at a café near Chiang Mai University. You compare your days: you work at Krit's café, Fon runs at dawn, studies, and sings in a bar until late.
After this unit
- I can tell the time with the everyday Thai clock (โมงเช้า, บ่าย…โมง, ทุ่ม, ตี).
- I can say what I do at different times of the day.
- I can say how often I do things: every day, some days, usually, often.
- I can ask about opening hours and understand a sign with times.
The 6 lessons
Each lesson takes 5-10 minutes. Read it here, then practise it in the app: free, no sign-up.
Words and phrases in Unit 14
Tap the speaker to hear each one. Tap any Thai word to see what it means.
My day
Lesson page- ตื่น dtùuen
to wake up, to get up verb
Unaspirated dt, low tone, long uue. ตื่นนอนdtùuen nawn (wake + sleep) means the same.
- นอน nawn
to sleep; to go to bed; to lie down verb
ไปนอนbpai nawn is 'go to bed'. It also means 'to stay the night': นอนที่โรงแรมnawn tîi roong-raem sleep at a hotel.
- อาบน้ำ àap-náam
to shower, to take a bath verb
In the heat most Thais shower twice a day, morning and evening.
- แปรงฟัน bpraeng-fan
to brush your teeth verb
- ทำงาน tam-ngaan
to work verb
- ประชุม bprà-chum
meeting; to have a meeting noun
It starts with a quick, low bprà: an unaspirated bp, with no puff of air.
- เริ่ม rôem
to start, to begin verb
Falling tone, with the vowel oe of เจอjoe.
- เลิกงาน lôek-ngaan
to finish work (for the day) verb
เลิกlôek is 'to stop': เลิกเรียนlôek rian is when classes finish.
- ออกกำลังกาย àwk-gam-lang-gaai
to exercise, to work out verb
Literally 'put out the body's strength'.
- วิ่ง wîng
to run verb
Falling tone. Chiang Mai runners do laps of the old city moat at dawn, before the heat.
- กลับ glàp
to go back, to return verb
กลับบ้านglàp bâan (go home) is กลับglàp + home; กลับมาglàp maa is 'come back'.
- ใหม่ mài
new; again, anew adjective
Low tone. After a verb it means 'again': มาใหม่maa mài come again. Three different words: low ใหม่mài new, falling ไม่mâi not, rising ไหมmǎi (question).
Telling the time
Lesson page- ตี dtii
o'clock from 1 to 5 a.m. noun
The word means 'to strike': in old Siam a gong was struck once at 1 a.m., twice at 2 a.m. and so on, so ตีห้าdtii hâa is 5 a.m.
- เที่ยง tîang
noon, midday noun
Aspirated t, with a puff of air, and a falling tone. เที่ยงตรงtîang dtrong is twelve sharp.
- บ่าย bàai
afternoon; 1 to 3 p.m. on the clock noun
On the clock, บ่ายโมงbàai moong is 1 p.m., บ่ายสองโมงbàai sǎwng moong 2 p.m. and บ่ายสามโมงbàai sǎam moong 3 p.m. You know it from ตอนบ่ายdtawn-bàai (in the afternoon).
- ทุ่ม tûm
o'clock from 7 to 11 p.m. noun
Count again from 7 p.m.: หนึ่งทุ่มnùeng tûm 7 p.m., สองทุ่มsǎwng tûm 8 p.m. … ห้าทุ่มhâa tûm 11 p.m. The word echoes the drum once beaten after dark.
- เที่ยงคืน tîang-kuuen
midnight noun
- ครึ่ง krûeng
half; half past (after a time) noun
After a time it's 'half past': ตีห้าครึ่งdtii hâa krûeng 5:30 a.m. Before a unit it's 'half a…': ครึ่งชั่วโมงkrûeng chûa-moong half an hour.
- ตอน dtawn
at (a time), during preposition
You know it from ตอนเช้าdtawn-cháao, ตอนบ่ายdtawn-bàai and ตอนเย็นdtawn-yen. ตอนไหนdtawn nǎi asks 'when, at what time of day?'.
- ดึก dùek
late at night adjective
Only for late at night. ดึกแล้วdùek láew (it's late) is also the polite way to end an evening.
- ทุก túk
every adjective
It goes before the noun: ทุกวันtúk wan every day, ทุกเช้าtúk cháao every morning, ทุกคนtúk kon everyone.
- บาง baang
some adjective
Before the noun, like ทุกtúk: บางวันbaang wan some days, บางคนbaang kon some people.
- ปกติ bpòk-gà-dtì
usually, normally; normal adverb
As 'usually' it goes at the start. On its own it means 'normal': ไม่ปกติmâi bpòk-gà-dtì is 'not normal, strange'.
- บ่อย bàwy
often adverb
Low tone. It goes after the verb: มาบ่อยmaa bàwy come often, ไม่บ่อยmâi bàwy not often.
- งาน ngaan
work, job; event, party noun
Also an event: a งานวัดngaan wát is a temple fair, with food stalls, music and games.
Grammar: Telling the time and your routine
- ตื่น dtùuenตี dtiiห้า hâa
I get up at 5 a.m.
- เจอ joeกัน ganบ่าย bàaiสอง sǎwngโมง moong
See you at 2 p.m.
- นอน nawnห้า hâaทุ่ม tûm
I go to bed at 11 p.m.
Dialogue: Early bird, night owl
Saturday afternoon, your second language exchange with Fon, this time at a café near Chiang Mai University. Today's topic: what a normal day looks like for each of you.
14 lines · tap a line to hear it
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Fonฝน
ปกติ bpòk-gà-dtìตื่น dtùuenกี่ gìiโมง moongคะ káWhat time do you usually get up?
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You
ปกติ bpòk-gà-dtìตื่น dtùuenเจ็ด jètโมง moongเช้า cháaoI usually get up at 7 a.m.
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Fonฝน
เริ่ม rôemงาน ngaanกี่ gìiโมง moongคะ káWhat time do you start work?
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You
เริ่ม rôemทำงาน tam-ngaanเก้า gâaoโมง moongI start work at nine.
Culture note: Gongs, drums and the 24-hour clock
Why does Thai count the hours in blocks? In old Siam the time was announced with sounds. At night a gong was struck (ตีdtii means 'to strike') once at 1 a.m., twice at 2 a.m., and so on: so ตีสองdtii sǎwng is 2 a.m. In the evening a drum was beaten, and its tum gave us ทุ่มtûm: สองทุ่มsǎwng tûm, the second drum after dark, is 8 p.m. The daytime โมงmoong is said to echo the gong.
On timetables, tickets and opening hours you'll see the official 24-hour clock instead: 19.00 น.sìp-gâo naa-lí-gaa, where น.naa-lí-gaa is short for นาฬิกาnaa-lí-gaa (o'clock). Nobody talks like that, though. Your train ticket says 19.00, and your Thai friend reads it out as หนึ่งทุ่มnùeng tûm. Read the numbers, then say it the everyday way.
AI role-play: Your day, Fon's day
At the end of the unit you talk with Fon, an AI character who answers in natural Thai and helps when you get stuck.
The scene
Fon wants to know what a normal day looks like for you. Tell her about your routine, from getting up to going to bed, and ask about hers.
Fon starts
What time do you usually get up?
Your goals
- 1Say what time you usually get up and go to bed
- 2Say what you do in the morning, at noon and in the evening
- 3Say one thing you do every day and one you only do some days
- 4Ask Fon what time she starts and finishes singing