Unit 5 · First steps · A1
Unit 5: Street food
Order food and drinks the way you like them, eat in or take away, and ask for the bill.
6 lessons · about 46 min CEFR A1
The story
Lunchtime on your soi: you sit down at Pa Daeng's khao man gai stall, where she calls you 'dear' and fusses over you like a mother.
After this unit
- I can order a dish and a drink at a street stall.
- I can say how spicy I want it and leave out things I don't eat.
- I can say whether I'll eat here or take it home.
- I can say I'm hungry, thirsty or full, and ask for the bill.
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 5
Tap the speaker to hear each one. Tap any Thai word to see what it means.
At the food stall
Lesson page- ข้าว kâao
rice; a meal noun
กินข้าวgin kâao (eat rice) is the everyday way to say 'have a meal': for Thais, rice is the meal.
- ข้าวมันไก่ kâao-man-gài
Hainanese chicken rice (khao man gai) noun · classifier จาน
Rice cooked in chicken stock, topped with sliced chicken and served with a soybean, ginger and chilli sauce and a little bowl of soup.
- ไก่ gài
chicken noun
Plain g, no puff of air, low tone. With a puff of air, ไข่kài is egg.
- หมู mǔu
pork; pig noun
- ไข่ kài
egg noun
Aspirated k (with a puff of air), low tone. Without the puff, ไก่gài is chicken.
- ผัก pàk
vegetables noun
- ก๋วยเตี๋ยว gǔay-dtǐaw
noodle soup; noodles noun
Both syllables are rising. Every soi has a noodle stall: you pick the noodles and the meat.
- พริก prík
chilli noun
- เผ็ด pèt
spicy, hot (with chilli) adjective
How to say “spicy” in ThaiShort and low. ร้อนráwn is hot like the weather or coffee; เผ็ดpèt is hot from chilli.
- หิว hǐu
hungry adjective
You'll often hear หิวข้าวhǐu kâao (hungry for rice) for hungry and หิวน้ำhǐu náam (hungry for water) for thirsty.
- จาน jaan
plate; a plate of (food) noun
After a dish and a number, จานjaan counts plates: ข้าวมันไก่สองจานkâao-man-gài sǎwng jaan is two plates of chicken rice.
- ป้า bpâa
auntie (an older woman; also 'you' or 'I') noun
Call a woman about your parents' age ป้าbpâa instead of 'you'; she'll call herself ป้าbpâa too.
- พี่ pîi
older brother or sister; a friendly way to address someone a bit older noun
Use พี่pîi for anyone a few years older than you: a waiter, a driver, a vendor. It's friendly and polite at once.
Ordering
Lesson page- ขอ kǎw
may I have…, I'd like… (asking for something) verb
How to say “please” in ThaiThe polite way to ask for anything: ขอkǎw + the thing. Add หน่อยnàwy at the end to make it softer.
- เอา ao
to take, to have (choosing what you want) verb
เอาao is for choosing: เอาอันนี้ao an níi (I'll take this one). ไม่เอาmâi ao is a plain 'no, I don't want it'.
- ใส่ sài
to put in, to add verb
ไม่ใส่mâi sài + an ingredient means 'without it': ไม่ใส่ผักmâi sài pàk (no vegetables).
- น้อย náwy
little, less, not much adjective
High tone. Don't mix it up with หน่อยnàwy (a bit; please), which is low.
- ที่นี่ tîi-nîi
here adverb
- กลับบ้าน glàp bâan
to go home; to take away (food) verb
At a food stall, กลับบ้านglàp bâan (go back home) means takeaway: the vendor packs your food in a bag or box.
- หรือ rǔue
or conjunction
A choice with หรือrǔue is already a question, so no ไหมmǎi: ร้อนหรือเย็นráwn rǔue yen (hot or iced?).
- กับ gàp
and; with conjunction
Join two things you order with กับgàp; it also means 'with' a person.
- ไม่ต้อง mâi dtâwngครับ kráp
no need; no thanks phrase
Men ไม่ต้องครับ mâi dtâwng krápWomen ไม่ต้องค่ะ mâi dtâwng kâ
A polite 'no thanks' when someone offers you something: a bag, more rice, a straw.
- ได้เลย dâi loei
sure; go ahead phrase
The cheerful 'sure!' you hear from vendors and staff when you ask for something.
- รอแป๊บ raw bpáepครับ kráp
wait a moment; just a sec phrase
Men รอแป๊บครับ raw bpáep krápWomen รอแป๊บค่ะ raw bpáep kâ
Casual and used everywhere; staff soften it with นะná: รอแป๊บนะraw bpáep ná.
- อิ่ม ìm
full (after eating) adjective
อิ่มแล้วìm láew (full already) is the polite way to say no to more food.
- เช็คบิล chék binครับ kráp
the bill, please; to pay the bill phrase
Men เช็คบิลครับ chék bin krápWomen เช็คบิลค่ะ chék bin kâ
How to say “check, please” in ThaiFrom English 'check bill'. At a street stall you can also just ask ทั้งหมดเท่าไหร่táng-mòt tâo-rài (how much altogether?).
Grammar: Ordering: ขอ, เอา and หน่อย
- ขอ kǎwน้ำ náamหน่อย nàwyครับ kráp
Some water, please.
Men ขอน้ำหน่อยครับ Women ขอน้ำหน่อยค่ะ
- ขอ kǎwข้าวมันไก่ kâao-man-gàiสอง sǎwngจาน jaanครับ kráp
Two chicken rice, please.
Men ขอข้าวมันไก่สองจานครับ Women ขอข้าวมันไก่สองจานค่ะ
- เอา aoอันนี้ an níiครับ kráp
I'll take this one.
Men เอาอันนี้ครับ Women เอาอันนี้ค่ะ
Dialogue: Lunch at Pa Daeng's stall
Lunchtime on your soi. Pa Daeng is chopping chicken at her khao man gai stall, and you grab the last free plastic stool.
14 lines · tap a line to hear it
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Pa Daengป้าแดง
หนู nǔuกิน ginอะไร à-raiดี diiจ๊ะ jáWhat would you like, dear?
-
You
ขอ kǎwข้าวมันไก่ kâao-man-gàiหนึ่ง nùengจาน jaanครับ krápOne chicken rice, please.
Men ขอข้าวมันไก่หนึ่งจานครับ Women ขอข้าวมันไก่หนึ่งจานค่ะ
-
Pa Daengป้าแดง
กิน ginเผ็ด pètได้ dâiไหม mǎiจ๊ะ jáCan you eat spicy food, dear?
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You
เผ็ด pètน้อย náwyนะ náครับ krápJust a little spicy, please.
Men เผ็ดน้อยนะครับ Women เผ็ดน้อยนะคะ
Culture note: Auntie, big sister: family words for strangers
In Thailand, people you've just met become family. A woman about your parents' age running a food stall is ป้าbpâa (auntie), and a man that age is ลุงlung (uncle). Someone a few years older than you, like a waiter or a Grab driver, is พี่pîi (older brother or sister), and someone younger is น้องnáwng.
These words replace 'you', and even 'I': Pa Daeng talks about herself as ป้าbpâa. She calls you หนูnǔu, literally 'mouse', a warm word older people use for someone young, a bit like 'dear'. It's affectionate, not an insult!
To get a vendor's attention, just call out ป้าbpâa or พี่pîi with your polite particle: พี่ครับpîi kráp or พี่คะpîi ká. Not sure which one fits? Choose พี่pîi: nobody minds being called a little younger than they are.
AI role-play: Lunch at Pa Daeng's
At the end of the unit you talk with Pa Daeng, an AI character who answers in natural Thai and helps when you get stuck.
The scene
You're hungry and stop at Pa Daeng's khao man gai stall on your soi. Order the way you like it, get a drink and pay.
Pa Daeng starts
What would you like, dear?
Your goals
- 1Order a dish and a drink
- 2Say how spicy you want it or leave something out
- 3Say whether you'll eat here or take it away
- 4Ask for the bill