B Level 2.13: Comparatives and Superlatives in Thai

Study Focus: Comparatives and Superlatives

• We can form comparisons between two objects by adding the word กว่า (gwàa) after an adjective.

  • It is just like adding "-er" to the end of an adjective in English or saying "more ___ than."
  • The pattern is: Noun 1 + Adjective + กว่า + Noun 2

• We can make a complete sentence out of this pattern. There is no need to include another word for the verb "to be" when using adjectives in Thai.

  • ผมสูงกว่าเขา (phǒm sǔung gwàa khǎo) ➤ "I'm taller than him."
  • ช้างใหญ่กว่าแรด (cháang yài gwàa râaet) ➤ "Elephants are bigger than rhinos."

• We can form superlative statements by adding ที่สุด (thîi-sùt) after the adjective.

  • It is just like adding "-est" to the end of an adjective in English. The pattern is: Adjective + ที่สุด
  • เขาเป็นคนที่สูงที่สุดในโรงเรียน (khǎo bpen khon thîi sǔung thîi-sùt nai roong-riian)

  ➤ "He is the tallest person in the school."

  • บ้านของพี่นิดอยู่ไกลที่สุดในพวกเพื่อนของฉัน (bâan khǎawng phîi nít yùu glai thîi-sùt nai phûuak phûuean khǎawng chǎn)

  ➤ "Nit's house is the farthest away out of all my friends."

• We can also use ที่สุด (thîi-sùt) with verbs and มาก (mâak) to say "the most."

  • The pattern is: Verb + มาก + ที่สุด

  • คุณชอบอาหารอะไรมากที่สุด (khun châawp aa-hǎan à-rai mâak thîi-sùt)

    ➤ "What food do you like the most?"

Vocabulary & Phrases

• เป็นยังไง (bpen yang-ngai)

  • This is just a shortened version of the phrase เป็นอย่างไร (bpen yàang-rai).
  • It means "how is it?" It could also mean "How are you?" or "What's up?" depending on the context.

• มาเที่ยว (maa thîiao)

  • มา (maa) means "to come," and เที่ยว (thîiao) means a "trip" or "outing."
  • So together it means "to come on a trip."
  • The verb "to come" is said relative to the speaker. So if you are in the middle of a trip, you can say มาเที่ยว with regard to your journey.
  • Otherwise, if another person came to visit you from a different city, you could say เขามาเที่ยว (khǎo maa thîiao), meaning "He came on a trip."
  • เที่ยว (thîiao) can mean a trip away from home, such as to another city or country, but it can also refer to a short outing for fun, such as going to see a movie, going shopping, or going out for drinks at night.
  • If the destination is any place other than where the speaker is located, you would have to say ไปเที่ยว (bpai thîiao), meaning "go on a trip," instead.
  • For instance, if you are at home you can call your friend on the phone and ask ไปเที่ยวกันไหม (bpai thîiao gan mǎi), meaning "Do you want to go out for fun together?"

• คนไหน (khon nǎi)

  • This phrase means "which person?"

  • The adjective ไหน (nǎi) means "which."

  • It comes after classifiers to make a question asking "Which one (of that type of classifier)?"

  • For example, if you wanted to ask "Which cat?" you have to use the classifier for animals, ตัว (dtuua).

  • คุณชอบแมวตัวไหนคะ (khun châawp maaeo dtuua nǎi khá)

    ➤ "Which cat do you like?"

  • Or to say "which bag?" you need to use the classifier for bags, ใบ (bai).

  • ใบไหนเป็นกระเป๋าของคุณครับ (bai nǎi bpen grà-bpǎo khǎawng khun khráp)

    ➤ "Which one is your bag?"

Is That Thai Song Music to Your Ears?

• The most popular pop singer in Thailand is Thongchai McIntyre. He is known by the alias "Bird." His album sales exceed 20 million.
• Sek Loso is one of the nation's most popular rock musicians.
  • He adopts the moniker "Loso" from the name of his first band. It is an acronym for "low society," coined to contrast with "Hi-so," or "high society."
  • In Thailand, the upper class is frequently referred to as "hi-so." So, the name "Loso" is a reference to his working-class origins.
• Carabao is perhaps the most popular band in Thailand overall.
  • Over thirty years have passed since their union.
  • Their musical style is referred to as "songs for life" or "phleeng phûuea chii-wit." Their music is often concerned with social and political topics.
• "Children of the fields" (lûuk-thûng) is the most popular form of indigenous music.
  • It has been called "Thai country music" by some.
  • Typically, Lûuk-thûng songs emphasize the difficulties of daily existence.
  • The singers express their vocals with a great deal of vibrato.
• Maw-lam is a second form of indigenous music.
  • It is indigenous to Laos and Isaan, or the northeast area of Thailand.
  • It is more upbeat and traditionally involves a bamboo mouth-organ known as a khaaen.