Unit 21 · Real conversations · B1
Unit 21: Island stories
Tell the story of a trip in order: what happened first, next, when, and in the end.
6 lessons · about 46 min CEFR B1
The story
Back from a week on Koh Lanta, you stop in Bangkok and meet Nam and Boss at Nam's café on Sukhumvit. They want the whole story: the boat, the snorkelling, the jellyfish and the sunset.
After this unit
- I can tell a short story about a trip in the right order: at first, before, after, when, in the end.
- I can talk about the sea, beaches, boats and island activities.
- I can say how I felt and react when someone tells me a story.
- I can say what I got to do on a trip, and what I didn't.
The 6 lessons
Each lesson takes 5-10 minutes. Read it here, then practise it in the app: free, no sign-up.
- Lesson 1 · Words On the island 7 min · free
- Lesson 2 · Words Telling the story 7 min · free
- Lesson 3 · Pattern Telling a story: ก่อน, หลังจาก, ตอนที่ 8 min · free
- Lesson 4 · Conversation Conversation 8 min · free
- Lesson 5 · Speaking Speaking 8 min · free
- Lesson 6 · Checkpoint Checkpoint 8 min · free
Words and phrases in Unit 21
Tap the speaker to hear each one. Tap any Thai word to see what it means.
On the island
Lesson page- เกาะ gàw
island noun
Islands are named with it in front: เกาะลันตาgàw-lan-dtaa is Koh Lanta. The Koh on English maps is this word.
- ทะเล tá-lee
sea; the seaside noun
ไปทะเลbpai tá-lee means a trip to the seaside, not sailing out to sea. You know it from อาหารทะเลaa-hǎan-tá-lee (seafood).
- ชายหาด chaai-hàat
beach noun
Beach names use the short form หาดhàat: Patong Beach is หาดป่าตองhàat bpàa-dtawng.
- เรือ ruea
boat noun
You ride a boat like any vehicle: นั่งเรือnâng ruea (take the boat).
- คลื่น klûuen
wave(s) noun
Say the k and the l together in one beat. Thais often drop the l in fast speech, but the full kl is always right.
- อันตราย an-dtà-raai
dangerous; danger adjective
- ดำน้ำ dam-náam
to snorkel, to dive verb
Thais use it for snorkelling and scuba diving alike.
- ปลา bplaa
fish noun · classifier ตัว
Start with a bp without a puff of air, then the l straight after it.
- พระอาทิตย์ตก prá-aa-tít dtòk
sunset (the sun goes down) phrase
- โดน doon
to get hit, stung or caught (something happens to you) verb
For things that happen to you, usually bad ones: โดนฝนdoon fǒn (get caught in the rain), โดนแดดdoon dàet (get too much sun).
- กลัว glua
to be afraid (of), scared verb
What you're afraid of comes straight after it, with no word for of: กลัวทะเลglua tá-lee (scared of the sea).
- เหนื่อย nùeay
tired adjective
Telling the story
Lesson page- เรื่อง rûeang
story; matter, topic (about …) noun
Also the topic of anything: เรื่องอะไรrûeang à-rai (what's it about?).
- เล่า lâo
to tell (a story), recount verb
Ask for the story with เล่าให้ฟังหน่อยlâo hâi fang nàwy: literally 'tell it so I can listen'.
- เกิดอะไรขึ้น gòet à-rai kûen
What happened? phrase
- จริง jing
true, real; really adjective
จริงเหรอjing rǒe (really?) is the classic reaction to a story. The r is silent: jing.
- ตกใจ dtòk-jai
startled, shocked adjective
Literally 'the heart drops': a sudden shock, not a lasting fear (that's กลัวglua).
- ทีแรก tii-râek
at first adverb
It promises a change: ทีแรกกลัวtii-râek glua means you were scared at first, but not later on.
- ก่อน gàwn
before; first (before something else) conjunction
Before a verb it means before: ก่อนนอนgàwn nawn (before bed). At the end it means first: กินข้าวก่อนgin kâao gàwn (let's eat first).
- หลังจาก lǎng-jàak
after (+ an action) conjunction
หลังจากนั้นlǎng-jàak nán (after that) is how a story moves on.
- ตอนที่ dtawn-tîi
when, while (at the time that) conjunction
ตอนdtawn goes with a time (ตอนเที่ยงdtawn tîang, at noon); ตอนที่dtawn-tîi goes with a whole action: ตอนที่ดำน้ำdtawn-tîi dam-náam (while I was snorkelling). In casual speech the ที่tîi often drops: ตอนดำน้ำdtawn dam-náam.
- ก็ gâw
then; also, too (links two parts of a sentence) conjunction
Short and falling. After a time clause it means then: หลังจากนั้นก็ไปทะเลlǎng-jàak nán gâw bpai tá-lee. After a person it means too: เขาก็ชอบkǎo gâw châwp (she likes it too).
- สุดท้าย sùt-táai
in the end, finally; last adverb
At the start of a sentence it means in the end. After a noun it means last: วันสุดท้ายwan sùt-táai (the last day).
- ที่แล้ว tîi-láew
last (month, year) adjective
It goes after the time word: เดือนที่แล้วduean tîi-láew (last month), ปีที่แล้วbpii tîi-láew (last year), อาทิตย์ที่แล้วaa-tít tîi-láew (last week).
Grammar: Telling a story: ก่อน, หลังจาก, ตอนที่
- ทีแรก tii-râekคลื่น klûuenใหญ่ yàiมาก mâak
At first the waves were huge.
- แล้ว láewก็ gâwเช่า châoมอเตอร์ไซค์ maw-dtôe-sai
And then I rented a motorbike.
- สุดท้าย sùt-táaiก็ gâwไป bpaiดู duuพระอาทิตย์ตก prá-aa-tít dtòk
In the end we went to watch the sunset.
Dialogue: Back from Koh Lanta
Nam's café on Sukhumvit, a few days after your trip. You're showing Nam and Boss your Koh Lanta photos, and they want the whole story.
12 lines · tap a line to hear it
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Bossบอส
เกาะลันตา gàw-lan-dtaaสวย sǔayจัง jangนั่ง nângเรือ rueaไป bpaiเหรอ rǒeKoh Lanta looks gorgeous! Did you go by boat?
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You
ใช่ châiทีแรก tii-râekคลื่น klûuenใหญ่ yàiมาก mâakเมาเรือ mao-rueaเลย loeiYes. At first the waves were huge, and I got really seasick.
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Namน้ำ
ถึง tǔengเกาะ gàwแล้ว láewทำ tamอะไร à-raiต่อ dtàwSo what did you do once you got to the island?
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You
หลังจาก lǎng-jàakถึง tǔengโรงแรม roong-raemก็ gâwเช่า châoมอเตอร์ไซค์ maw-dtôe-saiขี่ kìiเที่ยว tîawAfter I got to the hotel, I rented a motorbike and rode around.
Culture note: Island trips: seasons, boats and jellyfish
Thailand's two island coasts have opposite seasons. The Andaman side (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta) is at its best from November to April; from May to October the monsoon brings big waves, some boats stop running and many Koh Lanta resorts close. The Gulf islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao) get their heaviest rain from October to December.
Island hopping often means a เรือหางยาวruea-hǎang-yaao, a longtail boat. Ask for a life jacket (เสื้อชูชีพsûea-chuu-chîip) and keep your phone in a dry bag.
If a jellyfish stings you, pour vinegar over the sting, not fresh water, and don't rub it. Some beaches keep a bottle of vinegar on a post for exactly this; for a bad sting, call 1669.
Koh Lanta is home to Muslim fishing villages and Chao Leh 'sea people' communities, so put a shirt on when you leave the beach for shops, markets and villages.
AI role-play: Boss missed the story
At the end of the unit you talk with Boss, an AI character who answers in natural Thai and helps when you get stuck.
The scene
Boss arrived late at the café and missed everything. Tell him about your trip to Koh Lanta from start to finish.
Boss starts
So you've been to Koh Lanta? Tell me all about it!
Your goals
- 1Say where you went, for how long and how you got there
- 2Tell at least three events in order: at first, after that, in the end
- 3Describe something that went wrong and how you felt
- 4Say one thing you got to do and one thing you didn't