Small talk How to say “do you speak English?” in Thai
The short answer
Do you speak English in Thai is พูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมpûut paa-sǎa ang-grìt dâi mǎi, literally "speak English, can?", plus ครับkráp (men) or คะká (women). In everyday speech it's often shortened to พูดอังกฤษได้ไหมpûut ang-grìt dâi mǎi. To say "I speak a little Thai", use พูดไทยได้นิดหน่อยpûut tai dâi nít-nàwy. The English language is ภาษาอังกฤษpaa-sǎa ang-grìt.
“Do you speak English?” in Thai
Tap a Thai word for its meaning
Men say
Women say
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones. No sign-up needed.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters, so you'll see พูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมpûut paa-sǎa ang-grìt dâi mǎi spelled many ways. We write it with the tone of every syllable marked; online you'll also find:
- phut phasa angkrit dai mai
- pood pasa angkrit dai mai
- poot angkrit dai mai
- phut angkrit dai mai
- phasa angkrit
- pasa angrit
- phut thai mai dai
Other ways to say “do you speak English?”
- พูด pûutอังกฤษ ang-grìtได้ dâiไหม mǎiครับ kráp Menพูด pûutอังกฤษ ang-grìtได้ dâiไหม mǎiคะ ká Women
can you speak English? (shorter)
The everyday short form.
- ที่นี่ tîi-nîiมี miiใคร kraiพูด pûutอังกฤษ ang-grìtได้ dâiไหม mǎiครับ kráp Menที่นี่ tîi-nîiมี miiใคร kraiพูด pûutอังกฤษ ang-grìtได้ dâiไหม mǎiคะ ká Women
does anyone here speak English?
Useful at a clinic, a bank or a police station.
- พูด pûutไทย taiได้ dâiนิดหน่อย nít-nàwyครับ kráp Menพูด pûutไทย taiได้ dâiนิดหน่อย nít-nàwyค่ะ kâ Women
I speak a little Thai
- พูด pûutไทย taiไม่ mâiได้ dâiครับ kráp Menพูด pûutไทย taiไม่ mâiได้ dâiค่ะ kâ Women
I can't speak Thai
Said in Thai, it usually earns a laugh and a smile.
- พูด pûutไทย taiไม่ mâiเก่ง gèngครับ kráp Menพูด pûutไทย taiไม่ mâiเก่ง gèngค่ะ kâ Women
my Thai isn't good
Softer and more modest.
- กำลัง gam-langเรียน rianภาษา paa-sǎaไทย taiครับ kráp Menกำลัง gam-langเรียน rianภาษา paa-sǎaไทย taiค่ะ kâ Women
I'm learning Thai
Thais love hearing this.
- ภาษา paa-sǎaอังกฤษ ang-grìt
English (the language)
อังกฤษang-grìt on its own also means England or English.
How to reply
- ได้ dâiนิดหน่อย nít-nàwy
a little
The most common answer, often modest.
- ไม่ mâiได้ dâi
no, I can't
- พูด pûutไทย taiเก่ง gèngจัง jang
your Thai is so good!
What you'll hear the moment you try. Reply นิดหน่อยnít-nàwy, 'just a little'.
Example sentences
- คุณ kunพูด pûutภาษา paa-sǎaอะไร à-raiได้ dâiบ้าง bâangครับ kráp Menคุณ kunพูด pûutภาษา paa-sǎaอะไร à-raiได้ dâiบ้าง bâangคะ ká Women
Which languages do you speak?
- ผม pǒmเรียน rianภาษา paa-sǎaไทย taiมา maaสาม sǎamเดือน dueanครับ kráp Menฉัน chǎnเรียน rianภาษา paa-sǎaไทย taiมา maaสาม sǎamเดือน dueanค่ะ kâ Women
I've been learning Thai for three months.
- ภาษา paa-sǎaไทย taiยาก yâakไหม mǎi
Is Thai difficult?
- พูด pûutไทย taiกับ gàpผม pǒmได้ dâiเลย loeiครับ kráp Menพูด pûutไทย taiกับ gàpฉัน chǎnได้ dâiเลย loeiค่ะ kâ Women
You can speak Thai with me.
Asking politely
The pattern is verb + language + ได้ไหมdâi mǎi ("can?"): พูดpûut (speak) + ภาษาอังกฤษpaa-sǎa ang-grìt (English) + ได้ไหมdâi mǎi. Ability in Thai comes after the verb, so "I can speak" is พูดได้pûut dâi and "I can't" is พูดไม่ได้pûut mâi dâi. The same pattern works for anything you can or can't do: กินเผ็ดได้ไหมgin pèt dâi mǎi ("can you eat spicy food?").
Start in Thai, even if you switch to English after. A smile and a polite พูดอังกฤษได้ไหมครับpûut ang-grìt dâi mǎi kráp (or คะká for women) is much better received than launching straight into English.
How much English do Thais speak?
It varies a lot. In hotels, tourist areas, big malls and much of central Bangkok, many people speak at least some English, and younger Thais who studied it at school often understand more than they say. In local markets, small restaurants, songthaews and the provinces, you'll often find very little. Many Thais are shy about speaking English for fear of making mistakes, so speak slowly, use simple words, and try writing: plenty of people read English better than they follow it spoken. Translation apps are common on both sides of the counter.
Saying you can't speak Thai, in Thai
พูดไทยไม่ได้pûut tai mâi dâi ("I can't speak Thai"), said in fluent-sounding Thai, is a reliable way to make someone laugh. More useful is พูดไทยได้นิดหน่อยpûut tai dâi nít-nàwy, "I speak a little Thai": it invites people to slow down and try. And when someone tells you พูดไทยเก่งจังpûut tai gèng jang after three words, the modest answer is นิดหน่อยnít-nàwy or ยังไม่เก่งyang mâi gèng, "not good yet".
Pronunciation
พูดpûut falls and has a long "oo" with a t you don't release. ภาษาpaa-sǎa is level then rising. อังกฤษang-grìt is level then low, and its k sound is soft and unaspirated, which is why some spellings write angkrit and others anggrit. Finish with ได้ไหมdâi mǎi, falling then rising.
Do you speak English? in Thai: questions people ask
How do you say do you speak English in Thai?
พูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมpûut paa-sǎa ang-grìt dâi mǎi, or the shorter พูดอังกฤษได้ไหมpûut ang-grìt dâi mǎi, with ครับkráp (men) or คะká (women).
How do you say I don't speak Thai in Thai?
พูดไทยไม่ได้pûut tai mâi dâi, 'I can't speak Thai'. More modest and more useful: พูดไทยได้นิดหน่อยpûut tai dâi nít-nàwy, 'I speak a little Thai'.
What is English in Thai?
The English language is ภาษาอังกฤษpaa-sǎa ang-grìt. อังกฤษang-grìt alone means England or English, as in คนอังกฤษkon ang-grìt, an English person.
Do people in Thailand speak English?
Many do in hotels, tourist areas and central Bangkok, and young people often understand some. Elsewhere, especially in markets and the provinces, English can be limited, so a few Thai phrases go a long way.
How do you say I'm learning Thai in Thai?
กำลังเรียนภาษาไทยgam-lang rian paa-sǎa tai, with ผมpǒm or ฉันchǎn in front and your particle at the end. Expect a delighted reaction.
Related phrases
- Phrase How to say “I don't understand” in Thai Say I don't understand in Thai: ไม่เข้าใจ (mai khao jai), plus speak slowly, say that again and what does it mean, to keep any conversation going. With audio.
- Phrase How to say “I don't know” in Thai How to say I don't know in Thai: ไม่รู้ (mai ru), the polite ไม่ทราบ (mai sap), I'm not sure and no idea, plus when Thais say I don't know. With audio.
- Phrase How to say “my name is” in Thai Introduce yourself in Thai: ผมชื่อ… / ฉันชื่อ… (my name is), what's your name, nicknames, where are you from and how old are you. Audio for men and women.
- Phrase How to say “what is this?” in Thai How to ask what is this in Thai: นี่อะไร, อันนี้คืออะไร and what is it called in Thai, plus how to understand the answer at markets and restaurants. With audio.
- Phrase How to say “help” in Thai How to shout help in Thai (ช่วยด้วย, chuay duay), ask for help politely, call the police or an ambulance, and the emergency numbers to save. With audio.
Learn this in Unit 13, free
Unit 13 · Can you speak Thai? · Learning Thai. Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones