Thai listening practice upper-intermediate level : Getting lost in a new city

Sà-wàd-dii khâ! Welcome back to my blog! Today, we're diving into some useful Thai vocabulary and expressions that are perfect if you’re sharing stories about travel adventures. Imagine this: a few years ago, you traveled to Japan for the very first time. You took the wrong train and ended up in a small, quiet town far from your hotel. With no one around who could speak English, things felt a little uncertain!

In today’s blog, you’ll learn six key Thai words and one important grammar focus that will help you tell a story just like this in Thai. I’ll guide you through five practical examples to help you use these phrases naturally and confidently. 

To make learning easier, we provide a phonetic version of the story, helping you focus on pronunciation and comprehension which includes .... 

✅ Phonetic script for accurate pronunciation.
✅ Thai script for learners familiar with reading.
✅ English translation to ensure you understand every word.
✅ New vocabulary focus, so you can expand your knowledge effortlessly.
✅ Comprehension questions to test and solidify your learning.

If you’re ready to go beyond this introduction and dive deeper into the full learning experience, you can get 20 scriptspacked with all these features by contacting me at [email protected]

Script from the audio (Thai, phonetic and English version)

Mâi-gìi bpii gàwn, chán bpai thîaw thîi bprà-thêd-yîi-bpùn khráng-râek.

Chán nâng rót-fai phìt sǎai láe bpai jòp thîi meuang lék-lék thîi glai jàak rong-raem thîi chán phák.

Dton-râek chán glua mâak phró mâi mii khrai phûud paa-sǎa-ang-grìd loey. Láe mâi rúu wâa glàb bpai thîi rong-raem yang-ngai.

Dtàe gôr mii phûu-chaai jai-dii khon nèung chûay chán. Kháo phaa chán bpai thîi sà-thǎa-nii rót-fai ìik thîi láe dtìd-dtàw phá-nák-ngaan hâi chán.

Chán glàb rong-raem yàang bplàwd-phai. Man bpen bprà-sòb-gaan thîi nâa-dtèun-dtên láe dii mâak khà.

New vocabulary

• ประเทศ (bprà-thêd) - country

  Example: ประเทศญี่ปุ่น (bprà-thêd-yîi-bpùn) - Japan
  

• รถไฟ (rót-fai) - train

  Example: ฉันนั่งรถไฟ (chán nâng rót-fai) - I took a train

• ผิด (phìt) - wrong, incorrect

  Example: สายผิด (sǎai phìt) - wrong line
  

• กลัว (glua) - scared

  Example: ฉันกลัวมาก (chán glua mâak) - I was very scared
  

• ใจดี (jai-dii) - kind, generous

  Example: ผู้ชายใจดี (phûu-chaai jai-dii) - a kind man
  

• ตื่นเต้น (dtèun-dtên) - excited

  Example: ประสบการณ์ที่น่าตื่นเต้น (bprà-sòb-gaan thîi nâa-dtèun-dtên) - an exciting experience

These words will appear in today’s listening exercise, helping you understand the context better and practice using them in sentences.

Grammar Focus: Using the Past Tense with 'ไม่กี่ปีก่อน' mâi-gìi bpii gàwn 

The phrase "ไม่กี่ปีก่อน" (mâi-gìi bpii gàwn) means "a few years ago." This structure can be used to indicate events that happened in the past. In Thai, there are no specific verb conjugations for tense, so context words like "ก่อน" (gàwn) for "before" help express past actions.

Examples:

ไม่กี่ปีก่อน ฉันไปเที่ยวที่ประเทศญี่ปุ่นครั้งแรก
Mâi-gìi bpii gàwn, chán bpai thîaw thîi bprà-thêd-yîi-bpùn khráng-râek.
"A few years ago, I traveled to Japan for the first time."

เมื่อสองปีก่อน ฉันเรียนภาษาไทย
Mûea sǎawng bpii gàwn, chán riian paa-sǎa thai.
"Two years ago, I studied Thai."

ไม่กี่ปีก่อน ฉันย้ายมาที่กรุงเทพ
Mâi-gìi bpii gàwn, chán yáai maa thîi Grung-thêep.
"A few years ago, I moved to Bangkok."

ปีที่แล้ว ฉันเรียนทำอาหาร
Bpii thîi láew, chán riian tham aa-hǎan.
"Last year, I learned to cook."

ก่อนหน้านี้ ฉันไม่เคยเดินทางคนเดียว
Gàwn-nâa níi, chán mâi khoei doen-thaang khon-diiao.
"Before this, I had never traveled alone."

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