The last week before Christmas Ben and I got together to do some (window) shopping at Central Rama 9. Ben is my good friend and he’s been in a number of my live streamed videos. He was also my camera man filming this for me and also the director of this small production.
In this video I teach a few phrases about shopping and how to ask for a discount.
1. ลดตั้ง 30 เปอร์เซ็นต์ lót dtâng săam-sìp bper-sen
The discount is up to 30%!
2. ลดหน่อยได้ไหม lót nòi dâai mái
Can you give me a discount?
3. ซื้อหนึ่งแถมหนึ่ง séu nèung tăem nèung
Buy one get one free!
Thais also use the word ‘shopping,’ borrowed from English, and it’s pronounced as ชอปปิ้ง chóp-bpîng (first syllable-high tone; second syllable-falling tone). The word ‘shopping’ in Thai, however, is used differently from its actual meaning in English. For Thais, shopping refers to an activity of purchasing items at malls especially shoes, bags, cosmetics. If you go to grocery shopping, in Thai you will say ซื้อของ séu kŏng or ซื้อกับข้าว séu gàp kâao. ของ kŏng means items, things or belongings and กับข้าว gàp kâao means an entrée or side dishes that you eat with rice.
In the outtake (sec 5:31), Ben gives an example of how Thai people use the word ‘shopping.’
ปกติเนี่ยคริสมาสต์คนไทยเขาชอบชอปปิ้ง ชอปปิ้งก็คือออกมาซื้อของ
bpòk-gà-dtì nîa krí sà-màat
kon tai kăo chôp chóp-bpîng
chóp-bpîng gôr keu òk maa séu kŏng
ปกติ bpòk-gà-dtì normally
เนี่ย nîa an emphasis in Thai
คริสมาสต์ krít sà-màat Christmas
คนไทย kon tai Thai people
เขา káo pronoun ‘he, she, they’ that emphasizes the
preceding noun
ชอบ chôp like / usually (do something)
ชอปปิ้ง chóp-bpîng shopping
ก็คือ gôr keu (that) is
ออกมา òk maa go outside
ซื้อของ séu kŏng buy items/stuff
อยากไปชอปปิ้งหรือเปล่าครับ
yàak bpai chôp-bpîng rĕu bplào kráp
อยาก yàak want**
ไป bpai go (outside)
ชอปปิ้ง chóp-bpîng shopping
หรือเปล่า rĕu bplào or not
ครับ kráp a polite particle for males
**Please note that อยาก yàak has to be followed by another verb, not a noun right away, unlike the way we use ‘want’ in English.
Let me know what you think of this lesson! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions 😊