Fist trip to Thailand coming up in a couple of months. Always like to learn a little bit of the language when I travel somewhere new. Can anyone recommend an app, podcast, or online resource I could use to pick up a little Thai? Even if its just a few key vocabulary words and phrases; perhaps a bit of the alphabet - something to have a bit of a clue once I'm on the ground. Hanks for you're advice. Cheers.

There are several, but of the three or so we've checked out, preferred this one:


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lear...444678585?mt=8

good luck with the alphabet. I have been to Thailand several times and still have absolutely no clue.

You might try this app that Richard Barrow recently featured on his blog
http://www.paiboonpublishing.com/inf...-thai-english/

Learn Thai with Mod

Lot's of very useful videos to learn simple phrases for the simple things in (thai) life

It took me quite a long time to learn to read. I'd caution anyone who simply wants to learn a modicum of words, phrases etc not to bother with learning the alphabet.

I've had very good luck learning Spanish using Pimsleur tapes / CDs.

I used it for Thai as well, and got something out of it, but my hearing isn't all that, and I have a hard time distinguishing falling and rising tones

I was able to get them from a public library, though for Thai had to do it via interlibrary loan, and took a couple of months to get the CDs.

I like to walk, so I'd just listen to the 30 minute lesson while walking - and yes, I did repeat the phrases out loud

EmailKid, all ears for a better way

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. Much appreciated.

You can get the set pretty cheap on Ebay too. People load the cds into their computer and then they're useless.

Apparently, the key or secret to getting your tongue around this highly complicated tonal language is first to get to know, read and understand the different sounds of Thai Alphabet.

Thai is difficult (impossible?) to learn by apps or CD. Tones are everything, and it is very difficult to know if you are saying the words correctly. If you say the word using the wrong tone, it means something totally different.

I would highly recommend taking a one hour session over Skype with a Thai teacher. Most offer an introductory session with key tourist phrases. About $15 USD and you get one-on-one personal tutoring, with immediate correction of pronunciation/tones. World of difference.

One good option http://www.thaiwithjoy.com/

or just google for some other options.

My best advice for the causal / first time visitor.

Several years ago my local Adult Ed department had a basic Thai class. I took it before my second visit. It did help some. The teacher was a woman from Chiang Mai who had been a teacher in Thailand. The class was very small, less than 8 students. But you can only learn so much one night a week for a couple of hours for 10 weeks. The tones are definitely the hardest part. I never really did understand when I was getting the tone right. She would make us repeat until she heard the tone she wanted to hear but I had a hard time making it stick on my tongue and in my brain.

But I think you can still make yourself understood from the context if you get the word right but the wrong tone. The biggest problem is that if some one thinks you know Thai they will start speaking Thai to you. I can figure out how to say something but comprehending what is said back to me is really difficult.

I've actually found that context is not a notion employed in Thailand.

I have found 'Talking Thai' to be the best of all dictionaries. It's not a phrase book, per we, but you can find simple compounds like 'good morning' and 'goodnight' throughout. The strengths are native pronunciation for every single word, multiple 'context' of every word--such as how how may say 'puke' to your peers but 'vomit' to a doctor [not best example but works] and literary, dirty, obscene equivalents, a break down of every word by letter/syllable and words within words, a good primer on the alphabet, tones, syntax, usage, verbs, and the ability to search in English, via Thai sounds (not necessarily an easy option) or a more convenient one--reverse lookup Thai words.

Really helps to set your keyboard to Thai. I've never had a problem using it, find 99.9% of the words I'm looking for (and found many my wife says, "what did you say/where did you find that?", and it works completely offline (audio) included.

Think about $20USD. Best app I own for languages, and I have many for Thai, Spanish, German, Japanese, & Mandarin. Wish Rosetta Stone could update their Thai v1

Might not help in OP's case but when I went to BKK most people spoke to me in Cantonese.