Learn Thai: Verb of thinking/saying

Verb of thinking/saying+wâa

wâa links verbs of speaking (e.g. bɔ̀ɔk /pûut = to say), mental activity (e.g. kít = to think) and perception (e.g. rúu = to know), to a following clause, like English ‘that’ in you said that…., he thinks that…., I know that….:

e.g. 1) บอกว่า(bɔ̀ɔk wâa)           to say (that)

• เขาบอกว่าเขาชอบเมืองไทย (káo bɔ̀ɔk  wâa káo chɔ̂ɔp muang Thai) = He says (that) he likes Thailand.

2) คิดว่า(kít wâa)          to think (that)

• เขาคิดว่าเขาชอบเมืองไทย(káo kít wâa káo chɔ̂ɔp muang Thai) = He thinks (that) he likes Thailand.

3) รู้ว่า(rúu wâa)               to know that

• เขารู้ว่าเขาไม่อยู่ที่เมืองไทย(káo rúu wâa káo mâi yùu tîi muang Thai) = He know she’s not in Thailand.

When wâa occurs with bòrk, it can introduce both indirect and direct speech. In indirect speech it is equivalent to that and in direct speech it serves the same function as inverted commas:

• เขาบอกว่าเขาจะไม่ไป (káo bɔ̀ɔk  wâa káo jà mâi bpai) = He said (that) she would not go.
• เขาบอกว่าฉันจะไม่ไป (káo bɔ̀ɔk  wâa chán jà mâi bpai) = He said, ‘I‘m not going.’

Notice that when the pronouns in the second clause are omitted, indirect and direct speech are identical.

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By Prae

Thai Language teacher