The difficulty in trying to learn some Thai from the written English (often called - Thinglish) word is that the various transliterations can not communicate the correct tones. Without knowing the tones or inflictions, almost anything you try to say beyond the most basic, may make no sense to the Thai ear. Words like "soi" (lane/small street), "BTS" (Bangkok Mass Transit System), "Sukhumwit" (name of Bangkok's main road) and "Su-wan-napoom" (Suvarnabhumi -  Bangkok International Airport) are straight forward, but that's not usually the case.

The only way to progress beyond the Thai "baby" stage, is to listen and mimic.

View some simple Thai phrases here.

Listen to some common Thai phrases here.

Listen and learn the Thai alphabet, consonants, vowels and tonal marks here.

Thai Language - a brief introduction here.

Common Thai words - an A - Z explanation here.

If you are travelling in the major tourist areas of Thailand you will have little trouble finding locals who speak a little English. However a few handy phrases can go a long way to get a friendly reception wherever you go in the country. Plus, the more you try to speak it, the more you’ll learn, and Thai people really DO appreciate visitors that attempt their language.

The first thing you need to know is that the Thai language changes a bit whether the speaker is a man or a woman. The addition of the word Krub/khrup (male speaker) and Kah/kaa (female speaker) makes what is being said "polite". Personal pronouns also change according to the gender of the speaker.

Listen to the names of Bangkok neighbourhoods here

Listen to the Thai pronounciation of BTS Skytrain stations here.

Listen how to politely fend off street vendors, tuktuk drivers and the like here.

Listen to the Thai talking menu here.

Listen to the Thai pronounciation of the popular shopping centres and markets here.

Listen carefully and try to immitate the tones of each syllable.

A few handy phrases:

Mai Aow (krub/kah) - I don't want it. (smile when you say this, it is polite, yet will disuade any street seller from pursueing you further).

(In some area's "R" words take an "L" sound. i.e. "roi" (100) becomes "loi" and "Chiang Rai" sounds like "Chiang Lai". The R's and L's may also be dropped altogether;i.e. Sri Racha is pronounced "See Rachaa". "Pla" (fish) becomes "Pah" and, "Krub/Khrup" sounds more like "carb").