Weather

• To ask about something using the pattern "How is ...?", you can say ...เป็นอย่างไร (...bpen yàang-rai).

• The question word is placed after the subject of the question.

• For example, to ask about the weather, you would say อากาศเป็นอย่างไร (aa-gàat bpen yàang-rai).

• You can use this pattern to ask about the condition of various things, simply by replacing the subject of the question with a different noun.

  • โรงแรมเป็นอย่างไร (roong-raaem bpen yàang-rai) ➤ "How is the hotel?"

• When asking about the weather, we can usually give the answer in a short reply such as

  • ฝนตก (fǒn-dtòk) ➤ "rain falls";

  • แดดออก (dàaet-àawk) ➤ "sunlight is out";

  • อากาศร้อน (aa-gàat ráawn) ➤ "hot weather";

  • อากาศหนาว (aa-gàat nǎao) ➤  "cold weather"; or

  • อากาศดี (aa-gàat dii) ➤  "good weather."

How to Handle the Thai Weather

• Thailand experiences heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, so carrying a small umbrella is recommended to avoid getting caught in a downpour.

• Motorbike riders often keep a plastic rain poncho in the compartment under the seat.

• Due to the hot tropical climate, Thai people try to avoid sitting in direct sunlight.

• Traditional costumes include broad hats and parasols to block the sunlight.

• Students and office workers sometimes use their notebooks or a newspaper to block the sun while walking down the sidewalk.

Good Days

• In earlier lessons, we learned that ที่ไหน (thîi-nǎi) means "where?"

  • คุณเป็นคนที่ไหน (khun bpen khon thîi-nǎi)

    ➤ "You're a person from where?" or "Where's your hometown?”

• But in order to ask where something is located, it is necessary to put the verb อยู่ (yùu), meaning "to be located," before "where?"

• To ask where the hotel is, you'd say โรงแรมอยู่ที่ไหน (roong-raaem yùu thîi-nǎi).

Vocabulary & Phrases

• จริงเหรอ (jing rǒoe)

  • This is a very common phrase that means "Really?" or "Is that so?"

• ...อยู่ที่ไหน (...yùu thîi-nǎi)

  • To ask where something is, you add this phrase after the noun.

  • อยู่ (yùu)  ➤ "to be located,"

  • ที่ไหน (thîi-nǎi)  ➤ "where?"

• เที่ยวให้สนุกนะคะ/ครับ (thîiao hâi sà-nùk ná khá/khráp)

  • This phrase loosely means "Have a good day!"

  • เที่ยว (thîiao)  ➤ "trip" or "outing,"

  • สนุก (sà-nùk)  ➤ "fun."

  • So it literally means "Have a fun time on your outing!"

Thailand's Seasons: Hot, Hotter, and Hottest?

• Thailand is affected by the seasonal shift of monsoon winds, and so, like much of the rest of southeast Asia and India, it has three seasons.

• The three seasons are the hot season, the cool season, and the rainy season.

• The rainy season occurs from about June through October for most of the country.

  • During this time, the prevailing wind carries moisture from the Indian Ocean over the land.

  • Weather in the rainy season is often hot and muggy in the daytime with sudden short and powerful downpours in the late afternoon.

  • The countryside is very beautiful at this time because everything is green. This is also the season with the cleanest air.

• Between November and the beginning of February, there is less rain and relatively cooler temperatures.

  • In the north and northeast, it can actually get quite chilly at night with temperatures sometimes dropping below ten degrees Celsius.

• Around the end of February, the temperatures begin to rise again, with April being the hottest month.

  • During the hot season, the temperature can sometimes get up to forty degrees Celsius.

  • There are also some people who would say that Thailand's three seasons are hot, hotter, and hottest!