Volunteering at a Mobile Animal Clinic
Learn Thai with Kruu Jiab
Audio Practice
Proper Slow Pronunciation:
Proper Fast Pronunciation:
Informal & Fast:
สามวันที่ผ่านมา เจี๊ยบทำงานเป็นอาสาสมัครในโครงการทำหมันหมาและแมวที่เกาะจำ
เหนื่อยแต่รู้สึกดีที่ได้ช่วยเหลือชุมชน และรู้สึกขอบคุณผู้จัด อาสาสมัคร และผู้บริจาคทุกคนค่ะ
Săam Wun Têe~Pàan~Maa, Jíab Tum Ngaan Bpe’n Aa-săa~Sà-mùk Nai Krong~Gaan Tum Mŭn Măa Láe’ Maew Têe Gòr’ Jum.
Nùeay Dtàe Rûu-sùek Dee Têe Dâi Chûay~Lŭea Choom~Cho’n Láe’ Rûu-sùek Kòrb~Koon Pûu+Jùd, Aa-săa~Sà-mùk Láe’ Pûu+Bor-rí-jàak Tóok Ko’n Kâ
three + days + preceding, I (Jiab) + to do + work/job + to be; is/am/are (status) + volunteer + project + to do + infertility/sterility + dog (colloquial) + cat + at/in (place) + island + …(name)…
be tired + but + to feel + be good/nice + that (link sentences) + to help/aid + community + and + to feel + thankful/thank + organiser + and + donator + every + human unit word + female polite particle
In the past 3 days, I have worked as a volunteer in a dog and cat sterilisation project on Koh Jum. (I) am tired but (I) feel good that I can help the community and (I) feel thankful to everyone; the organisers, volunteers and donators.
Pronunciation Points:
1. Formal situations such as business correspondences, TV host/reporters, etc., Thais usually speak with formal language and with proper pronunciation.
2. Informal situations in everyday life such as speaking with acquaintances, friends and family or even with strangers, Thais usually speak with informal language by shortening the proper/grammatical correct sentences, changing the pronunciation of the letter ร : R (Rolling tongue) to ล : L and omitting the cluster sound in consonant cluster syllables like โครง : Krong to Kong.
Language Points:
1. I am …, My field of work is …., I work as …., My work role is …, My task is …
There are a few different ways to indicate one’s occupation, profession or some task in Thai;
Subject + to be (status) + occupation word
ผมเป็นข้าราชการ
Pŏ’m Bpe’n Kâa~Râad-chà~Gaan
I (male) + to be (status) + government worker / civil servant
= I am a civil servant.
Subject + to do + job/work/task + field of work
ฉันทำงานราชการ
Chŭn Tum Ngaan Râad-chà~Gaan
I (female) + to do/make + job/work/task + government service / public service / crown service
= I work in government/public/crown service.
Subject + to do + job/work/task + to be (status) + occupation word
เขาทำงานเป็นข้าราชการ
Kăo Tum Ngaan Bpe’n Kâa~Râad-chà~Gaan
he/she + to do/make + job/work/task + to be (status) + government worker / civil servant
= (S)he works as a civil servant.
2. Subject Of The Sentence
In Thai, your name can be used as a pronoun e.g.
เจี๊ยบทำงานเป็นอาสาสมัคร
Jíab Tum Ngaan Bpe’n Aa-săa~Sà-mùk
= I (Jiab) work as a volunteer.
When it is obvious who you are talking about, the subject of the sentence can be omitted. Such as the sentence
เหนื่อยแต่รู้สึกดี
Nùeay Dtàe Rûu-sùek Dee
This sentence doesn’t have a personal pronoun subject ‘I, you, he/she, etc. or name’, because the speaker uses the previous sentence as a context to indicate that she is speaking about herself.
3. Indicating Feeling
Feeling verbs are used after a subject e.g.
เจี๊ยบเหนื่อย
Jíab Nùeay
I (Jiab) + be tired = I am tired.
The word รู้สึก : Rûu-sùek meaning to feel can be used before a feeling word to make it clear that one is talking about feeling e.g.
เจี๊ยบรู้สึกดี
Jíab Rûu-sùek Dee
I (Jiab) + to feel + be good/nice = I feel good/nice.
4. Specifying particular people, things, etc.
In Thai writing, when you specify particular people, things, etc., you must leave a space between each word such as
ขอบคุณผู้จัด อาสาสมัคร และผู้บริจาค
Vocabulary:
สาม : Săam = [cardinal number] threeวัน : Wun = [noun] day [classifier/unit word for time] day
ที่ผ่านมา : Têe~Pàan~Maa = [time modifier] past, last, preceding
Combined from the words;
ที่ : Têe meaning place/position (Note: ที่ : Têe has many usages and meanings. In this compound word the meaning is as explained above) ผ่าน : Pàan meaning to pass มา : Maa [tense word] Action and time in the past move/travel/come towards or into the current place and time. When we think like this we use the action direction word มา : Maa as a tense word at the end of the sentence to indicate time.For example; เขาทำอะไรมา Kăo Tum À-rai? Maa he/she + to do + what? + up until the current place and time = What had he done up to now?
Learn more about time concepts in Thai language click here.
ทำ : Tum = [action verb] to do, to make, to create, to produce
งาน : Ngaan = [noun] job, work, task
เป็น : Bpe’n = [verb] to be; is/am/are (status)
อาสาสมัคร : Aa-săa~Sà-mùk = [noun] volunteer
Combined from the words อาสา : Aa-săa meaning to volunteer and สมัคร(ใจ) : Sà-mùk~(Jai) meaning be willing to
ใน : Nai = [preposition] in
โครงการ : Krong~Gaan = [noun] project
Combined from the words โครง : Krong meaning structure and การ : Gaan meaning task) Note: การ : Gaan also has another usage.
หมัน : Mŭn = [noun] infertility, sterility; (of a person, animal, or plant) unable to reproduce, or infecundity in both genders, unfruitful; do not have the ability to produce offspring
For example;
เขาเป็นหมัน : Kăo Bpe’n Mŭn : (S)he + to be; is/am/are (status) / be in the state of having + infertility/sterility = (S)he is infertile/sterile. / (S)he is unable to produce offspring.
เขาทำหมันแล้ว : Kăo Tum Mŭn Láew = (S)he + to do/make/produce/create + infertility + already (something has happened) = (S)he is sterilised. / (S)he has been sterilised.
หมา : Măa = [noun] dog (colloquial)
และ : Láe’ = [conjunction] and
แมว : Maew = [noun] cat
ที่ : Têe = [preposition] at (place), in (area)
(Note: ที่ : Têe has many usages and meanings. In this sentence the meaning is as explained above)
เกาะ : Gòr’ = [noun] island, isle
เหนื่อย : Nùeay = [feeling verb] be tired
แต่ : Dtàe = [prepostion] but
รู้สึก : Rûu-sùek = [feeling verb] to feel
ดี : Dee = [quality modifier] be good, be nice
ที่ : Têe = [conjunction] introducing a subordinate clause expressing a statement or hypothesis: she said that she was satisfied | it is possible that we have misunderstood.
(Note: ที่ : Têe has many usages and meanings. In this sentence the meaning is as explained above)
ได้ : Dâi =
– [tense modifier] did/have (past tense), get/got (to do something) (used in front of a verb)
– [action verb] to obtain, to get/got (used before a noun (object, etc.)
– [ability/possibility modifier] can/could, be able to, possible to (used after statement or Wh-question word)
ช่วยเหลือ : Chûay~Lŭea = [verb] to help, to aid, to support, to assist
Combined from the words ช่วย : Chûay meaning to help and เหลือ : Lŭea meaning surplus, remain, left over
ชุมชน : Choom~Cho’n = [noun] community
Combined from the words ชุม : Choom meaning abound, be abundant or to assemble, to congregate and ชน : Cho’n meaning people, human inhabitants
ขอบคุณ : Kòrb~Koon = [feeling verb] to thank, be thankful, be grateful
Combined from the words ขอบ : Kòrb meaning to thank (Note: It can’t be used on its own) and คุณ : Koon meaning kindness, kind act, favour, grace
ผู้จัด : Pûu+Jùd = [noun] organiser
Combined from the words ผู้ : Pûu+ a prefix meaning person that is used in front of other word to indicate the status of a person and จัด : Jùd meaning to arrange, to organise, to manage
ผู้บริจาค : Pûu+Bor-rí-jàak = [noun] donator, donor
Combined from the words ผู้ : Pûu+ prefix meaning person that is used in front of other word to indicate the status of a person and บริจาค : Bor-rí-jàak meaning to donate, to give to charity
ทุก : Tóok = [quantity determiner] every
คน : Ko’n = [noun] human, person/people [classifier/unit word for human] person/people
ครับ/คับ : Krúb/Kúb = [particle] used by males ค่ะ : Kâ = [female particle] used by females
1. to respond to someone as in ‘yes’
2. to acknowledge when someone speaking as in ‘yes’
3. Males use ครับ/คับ : Krúb/Kúb particle after a statement or question to indicate that one is speaking politely.
Females use ค่ะ : Kâ (falling tone) particle after a statement and คะ : Ká (high tone) particle after a question to indicate that one is speaking politely. 
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