Unit 18 · Settling in · A2
Unit 18: Rainy season
Talk about the weather and the seasons, and say what you and others are doing right now.
6 lessons · about 46 min CEFR A2
The story
An August afternoon at Fon's family home behind Mae Noi's restaurant. A sudden downpour traps you there: the washing is out, the power cuts, and everyone's LINE starts buzzing.
After this unit
- I can describe the weather now and in each season.
- I can say what I'm doing right now and ask what others are doing.
- I can say something is still happening or has just stopped.
- I can talk about Chiang Mai's rainy, cool, hot and smoky seasons.
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 18
Tap the speaker to hear each one. Tap any Thai word to see what it means.
Weather and seasons
Lesson page- ฝน fǒn
rain noun
Rain 'falls': ฝนตกfǒn dtòk it's raining. Fon's name means rain too, a favourite name for girls born in the rainy season.
- ตก dtòk
to fall (rain, things) verb
Things fall too: โทรศัพท์ตกtoo-rá-sàp dtòk the phone fell.
- หนัก nàk
heavy adjective
ฝนตกหนักfǒn dtòk nàk, rain falling heavy, means it's pouring.
- แดด dàet
sunshine, the sun noun
แดดออกdàet àwk the sun comes out; แดดร้อนdàet ráwn the sun is fierce.
- ลม lom
wind noun
An electric fan is พัดลมpát-lom, literally 'fan the wind'.
- ฟ้าร้อง fáa-ráwng
thunder; it thunders noun
Literally 'the sky cries out'. Lightning is ฟ้าแลบfáa lâep, 'the sky sticks its tongue out'.
- หนาว nǎao
cold (weather; feeling cold) adjective
For the weather and for how you feel; cold drinks and food are เย็นyen.
- ฝุ่น fùn
dust; smog (PM2.5) noun
Low tone; rising ฝนfǒn is rain. From February to April, ฝุ่นเยอะfùn yóe (lots of dust) means bad smog.
- องศา ong-sǎa
degrees (temperature) noun
After the number, always Celsius: สามสิบห้าองศาsǎam sìp hâa ong-sǎa 35 degrees.
- หน้าฝน nâa-fǒn
the rainy season noun
หน้าnâa + the weather makes a season. The rains last from June to October.
- หน้าร้อน nâa-ráwn
the hot season noun
March to May: the hottest months, with Songkran in the middle.
- หน้าหนาว nâa-nǎao
the cool season noun
November to February: cool mornings and blue skies, the best months in the north. For countries with snow it means 'winter'.
Stuck inside
Lesson page- กำลัง gam-lang
in the middle of (-ing); be doing right now adverb
Before a verb: กำลังกินgam-lang gin be eating. On its own it means 'strength', as in ออกกำลังกายàwk-gam-lang-gaai (to exercise).
- รอ raw
to wait (for) verb
How to say “wait” in ThaiYou know รอแป๊บraw bpáep (wait a moment). There's no word for 'for': รอรถraw rót wait for a ride.
- หยุด yùt
to stop; to have a day off verb
Also for days off and closing days: วันนี้หยุดwan-níi yùt I'm off today.
- ร่ม rôm
umbrella; shade noun
Falling tone. It also means 'shade': ในร่มnai rôm in the shade.
- เปียก bpìak
wet adjective
- ข้างนอก kâang-nâwk
outside adverb
Inside is ข้างในkâang-nai: the same family as ข้างหน้าkâang-nâa and ข้างหลังkâang-lǎng.
- ไฟดับ fai dàp
power cut; the power is out phrase
Storms knock the power out for an hour or two; you'll hear ไฟดับอีกแล้วfai dàp ìik láew (the power's out again!).
- น้ำท่วม náam-tûam
flood; to be flooded noun
Some years the Ping River rises and low parts of Chiang Mai flood: check the news before you go out.
- หน้ากาก nâa-gàak
(face) mask noun
On smoky days, wear an N95: a paper หน้ากากnâa-gàak doesn't stop PM2.5.
- เก็บ gèp
to keep, to put away; to bring in (the washing) verb
เก็บผ้าgèp pâa is bringing in the washing; เก็บเงินgèp ngoen is saving money, or collecting payment.
- คุย kui
to chat, to talk verb
Relaxed talk, also by message: คุยไลน์kui lai chat on LINE.
- การบ้าน gaan-bâan
homework noun
- หนังสือ nǎng-sǔue
book noun
อ่านหนังสือàan nǎng-sǔue (read books) also means 'to study': every student says it before exams.
Grammar: Right now: กำลัง…อยู่
- ฝน fǒnกำลัง gam-langตก dtòk
It's raining right now.
- กำลัง gam-langทำ tamการบ้าน gaan-bâanอยู่ yùu
I'm doing my homework.
- ทำ tamอะไร à-raiอยู่ yùu
What are you doing?
Dialogue: Caught in the storm
A late August afternoon at Fon's family home, behind Mae Noi's restaurant. You've just run in from the street as the sky opens.
14 lines · tap a line to hear it
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Fonฝน
ฝน fǒnตก dtòkหนัก nàkมาก mâakฟ้าร้อง fáa-ráwngด้วย dûayIt's pouring! And there's thunder.
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You
ไม่ mâiมี miiร่ม rômเปียก bpìakมาก mâakI don't have an umbrella… I'm soaked!
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Mae Noiแม่น้อย
ฝน fǒnเก็บ gèpผ้า pâaด้วย dûayจ้ะ jâFon, bring the washing in, dear!
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Fonฝน
กำลัง gam-langเก็บ gèpอยู่ yùuค่ะ kâแม่ mâeI'm doing it, Mum!
Culture note: Chiang Mai's seasons
Officially Thailand has three seasons, but in Chiang Mai it feels like four. หน้าร้อนnâa-ráwn (March to May) is the hot season: afternoons near 40 degrees, with Songkran right in the middle. หน้าฝนnâa-fǒn (June to October) brings short, heavy storms most afternoons, power cuts and, some years, floods along the Ping River. หน้าหนาวnâa-nǎao (November to February) is the best time of year: cool mornings, blue skies and flower festivals.
The unofficial fourth season is the smoky season, roughly February to April, when farm and forest fires fill the valley with ฝุ่นfùn. Check the PM2.5 level in an app every morning, wear an N95 mask outside and run an air purifier at home.
And yes, Fon's name, ฝนfǒn, means rain: many Thai nicknames come from nature.
AI role-play: Stuck in the rain
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
It's pouring and you're stuck at Fon's place. Chat about the weather and what everyone is doing while you wait for the rain to stop.
Fon starts
It's pouring! Did you get wet?
Your goals
- 1Describe the weather right now
- 2Say what you're doing and ask what Fon is doing
- 3Compare the seasons in Chiang Mai with your country
- 4Suggest something to do until the rain stops