Unit 11 · Settling in · A2
Unit 11: Night train north
Buy a ticket, ask when trains, buses and planes leave and arrive and how long the trip takes, and get a ride from the station.
6 lessons · about 46 min CEFR A2
The story
You leave Bangkok for Chiang Mai: a ticket for the overnight sleeper at Krung Thep Aphiwat station (Bang Sue), thirteen hours north, and early next morning a red songthaew from Chiang Mai station to Nimman, where Nam's friend Krit runs a co-working café.
After this unit
- I can buy a train or bus ticket and book a berth.
- I can ask what time something leaves or arrives and understand the answer.
- I can ask and say how long a trip takes, in hours and minutes.
- I can get a taxi or songthaew to where I'm going: the price, the meter, where to stop.
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 Tickets and timetables 7 min · free
- Lesson 2 · Words How long? Buses, planes and rides 7 min · free
- Lesson 3 · Pattern How long, how many: กี่ and ใช้เวลา 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 11
Tap the speaker to hear each one. Tap any Thai word to see what it means.
Tickets and timetables
Lesson page- รถไฟ rót-fai
train noun
Literally 'fire vehicle', from the days of steam. The skytrain, รถไฟฟ้าrót-fai-fáa, is the electric one.
- เหนือ nǔea
north; the North noun
Thais go 'up' north: ขึ้นเหนือkûen nǔea. Chiang Mai is the big city of the North.
- จอง jawng
to book, to reserve verb
- เตียง dtiang
bed; berth (on a sleeper train) noun
On the night train the seats turn into beds: an upper berth is เตียงบนdtiang bon, a lower one เตียงล่างdtiang lâang.
- กระเป๋า grà-bpǎo
bag; suitcase noun · classifier ใบ
Any bag you carry: a handbag, a backpack, a suitcase. A plastic shopping bag is ถุงtǔng.
- ออก àwk
to leave, to depart; to go out verb
Low tone, and the final k is not released.
- ถึง tǔeng
to arrive, to reach; to, until verb
Rising tone. ถึงแล้วtǔeng láew is what everyone texts when they get somewhere: 'I'm here!'
- โมง moong
o'clock noun
Hours are number + โมงmoong, with เช้าcháao (morning) or เย็นyen (evening) after it: เจ็ดโมงเช้าjèt moong cháao 7 a.m., หกโมงเย็นhòk moong yen 6 p.m. The full Thai clock comes in unit 14.
- เช้า cháao
morning; early noun
After a time it means a.m.: แปดโมงเช้าbpàet moong cháao. 'In the morning' on its own is ตอนเช้าdtawn-cháao.
- ตรง dtrong
exactly, sharp; right at; straight adverb
You know it from ตรงไปdtrong bpai (straight on) and ตรงนี้dtrong-níi (right here). After a time it means 'sharp', and ตรงเวลาdtrong wee-laa is 'on time'.
- จาก jàak
from preposition
You know it from มาจากmaa jàak (to come from). จากjàak A ถึงtǔeng B is 'from A to B'.
- วัน wan
day noun
You've met it in วันนี้wan-níi (today) and the days of the week. Count days with a number in front: สามวันsǎam wan (three days).
- เวลา wee-laa
time noun
ใช้เวลาchái wee-laa (use time) means 'to take (time)': ใช้เวลาสองชั่วโมงchái wee-laa sǎwng chûa-moong it takes two hours.
How long? Buses, planes and rides
Lesson page- ชั่วโมง chûa-moong
hour noun
A length of time, not a time on the clock: หกชั่วโมงhòk chûa-moong is six hours, หกโมงhòk moong is six o'clock.
- นาที naa-tii
minute noun
- นาน naan
(for) a long time adjective
Only for time. A long way is ไกลglai (far).
- ประมาณ bprà-maan
about, roughly adverb
Goes before a number. Thais use it all the time to keep times and prices relaxed.
- เร็ว rew
fast, quick; early adjective
เร็วหน่อยrew nàwy (a bit faster, please) hurries anyone up. It can also mean 'early'.
- เครื่องบิน krûeang-bin
plane noun
To fly somewhere, you 'sit' a plane: นั่งเครื่องบินnâng krûeang-bin.
- สนามบิน sà-nǎam-bin
airport noun
- รถทัวร์ rót-tua
long-distance bus, coach noun
The big air-conditioned buses between cities: often faster than the train, but you get a seat, not a bed.
- รถเมล์ rót-mee
city bus noun
The name comes from English 'mail': the first buses carried the post too.
- สาย sǎai
line, route (bus or train line) noun
Rising tone. Bus numbers and train lines both use it: รถเมล์สายแปดrót-mee sǎai bpàet is bus number 8.
- รถแดง rót-daeng
red songthaew (Chiang Mai's shared taxi) noun
Chiang Mai's red pickup trucks with two benches in the back. Wave one down, say where you're going and agree on the price before you get in.
- หัวมุม hǔa-mum
(street) corner noun
- โรงแรม roong-raem
hotel noun
Grammar: How long, how many: กี่ and ใช้เวลา
- จะ jàอยู่ yùuเชียงใหม่ chiang-màiกี่ gìiวัน wan
How many days will you stay in Chiang Mai?
- เดิน doenไป bpaiกี่ gìiนาที naa-tii
How many minutes is it on foot?
- ประมาณ bprà-maanสิบ sìpนาที naa-tii
About ten minutes.
Dialogue: A ticket for the night train
Late afternoon at Krung Thep Aphiwat, Bangkok's big new railway station at Bang Sue. You're at the ticket counter with your suitcase, ready to move north to Chiang Mai.
13 lines · tap a line to hear it
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Staffพนักงาน
สวัสดี sà-wàt-diiครับ krápไป bpaiไหน nǎiครับ krápHello. Where are you going?
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You
ขอ kǎwตั๋ว dtǔaไป bpaiเชียงใหม่ chiang-màiวันนี้ wan-níiหนึ่ง nùengใบ baiครับ krápOne ticket to Chiang Mai for today, please.
Men ขอตั๋วไปเชียงใหม่วันนี้หนึ่งใบครับ Women ขอตั๋วไปเชียงใหม่วันนี้หนึ่งใบค่ะ
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Staffพนักงาน
มี miiรถไฟ rót-faiออก àwkหก hòkโมง moongเย็น yenครับ krápเตียง dtiangบน bonหรือ rǔueเตียง dtiangล่าง lâangครับ krápThere's a train at 6 p.m. Upper or lower berth?
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You
จอง jawngเตียง dtiangล่าง lâangได้ dâiไหม mǎiครับ krápCan I book a lower berth?
Men จองเตียงล่างได้ไหมครับ Women จองเตียงล่างได้ไหมคะ
Culture note: Red trucks: Chiang Mai's shared taxis
Chiang Mai has no skytrain and few metered taxis. What it has is hundreds of red pickup trucks with two benches in the back: the รถแดงrót-daeng ('red car'), Chiang Mai's kind of สองแถวsǎwng-tǎew ('two rows'). They work like shared taxis, picking people up and dropping them off along the way.
There's no meter, so you agree on the price first. Wave one down, lean in at the passenger window and say where you're going, ไปนิมมานbpai nim-maan, then ask ไปเท่าไหร่bpai tâo-rài. A short ride in town is usually 30 to 50 baht a person; if you want the whole truck to yourself, it costs more. If the driver nods, climb in at the back.
To get off, press the buzzer on the roof or call out จอดข้างหน้าjàwt kâang-nâa with your polite particle, then pay through the front window. Grab and Bolt work in Chiang Mai too, but a red truck is cheaper and much more fun.
AI role-play: A red songthaew to Nimman
At the end of the unit you talk with Driver, an AI character who answers in natural Thai and helps when you get stuck.
The scene
You've just got off the night train at Chiang Mai station with a big suitcase. Take a red songthaew to Krit's café in Nimman, Soi 9. Agree on the price before you get in.
Driver starts
Where are you going?
Your goals
- 1Say where you want to go and agree on the price
- 2Ask how long it takes to get there
- 3Ask the driver to go a bit faster
- 4Tell the driver to stop at the corner