THAI LANGUAGE LESSONS
L11 - Bartering
We have already done some theory and learned lots of words. Now it is time to put it to some practical use. Let's go to the market and do some bartering.
Some new vocabulary:
| gai | chicken |
| seu-a | shirt |
| gilo | kilo |
| pairng | expensive |
| toook | cheap |
| lot | reduce |
| noy | a little (also used to soften questions or commands to make them sound nicer) |
| kor | want (sounds a little politer than 'ao') |
| already | lae-oh |
At the market you will usually be bartering over small reductions as the prices are already low. Keep in mind that you may occassonally be quoted a higher price than normal because you are a foreigner. If you are bartering at a tourist stall then you may be trying to negotiate serious reductions as they will be giving you tourist prices.
Let's look at some example bartering conversations. For the sake of these examples we will assume you are a man and the market stallholder is a woman.
You want to buy three kilos of oranges:
You: sawatdee krup
Her: sawatdee ka
You: som gee baht krup ?
How many baht are the oranges?
Her: som gilo see-sip baht ka
The oranges are 40 baht a kilo
You: sahm gilo roy baht dai mai ?
Can you do three kilos for 100 baht?
Her: dai ka
Can.
You: Korp Koon Krup
Her: Korp Koon Ka
Notice the use of baht and kilos as the classifiers for counting. Note also the use of the question form 'dai mai' - can you? And the use of the standard affirmative reply to that question form - 'dai'.
You want to buy two kilos of chicken:
You: sawatdee krup
Her: sawatdee ka
You: gai tao rai krup ?
How much is the chicken?
Her: gai gilo pairt-sip baht ka
The chicken is 80 baht a kilo
You: pairng noy. lot noy dai mai ?
That is a little expensive. Can you reduce a little?
Her: jet-sip-hah baht gor dai
Oh okay then. 75 baht.
You: okay. kor sorng gilo.
Okay. I would like 2 kilos.
Her: roy-hah-sip baht ka
150 baht please
You: Korp Koon Krup
Her: Korp Koon Ka
Notice the use of 'pairng noy'. By adding 'noy' to the statement you are saying it is a little expensive to soften the statement and make it sound politer. Note the use of 'gor dai' as previously mentioned, this is an agreement but perhaps with a degree of indifference. Also note the use of 'kor' for want. You can use 'ao' and will often hear it. However 'kor' is a little politer and a better choice.
You want to buy a shirt:
You: sawatdee krup
Her: sawatdee ka
You: seu-a dtua nee tao rai krup ?
How much is this shirt?
Her: seu-a nee see-roy baht ka
This shirt is 400 baht
You: pairng. lot noy dai mai ?
That is expensive. Can you reduce a little?
Her: mai dai. toook lae-oh
Cannot. It is already cheap.
You: okay. mai bpen rai. korp koon krup.
Okay. Nevermind. Thankyou.
Her: Korp Koon Ka
Notice the use of 'dtua' as the classifier for shirt. As well as counting items, classifiers can also be used when identifying items. Also note that the stallholder subsequently does not use the classifier. In this case your use of the classifier is optional and once the subject is established there is no further need to use the classifier.
Notice also her use of 'mai dai' as the standard negative reply to the question 'dai mai'. And the use of 'lae-oh' to say it is already cheap.
