CHAPTER 5
SYNOPSIS OF THAI
30. (g) Questions based on even the simplest statements provide new complications. The interrogative words do not usually occur at the beginning of questions as they do in English.
| kháw ca paj mŷaraj | when will he go? |
| tham jaŋŋaj | How do you do it? |
| kháw bɔ̀ɔk wâa araj | what did he tell? |
| kháw pen khraj | Who is he? |
The sentence particle, and not the verb, may indicate something about the time of an action.
| kháw paj rýplàaw | Did he go? |
The sentence particle may also show something about what the speaker expects from his hearers.
| khun pen thahǎan ry̌y | You're a soldier? (expecting confirmation) |
| paj kin khâaw máj | Do you (want to) go eat? (an invitation) |
Knowing how to reply to a question depends on noticing what its structure was. Even as simple (to us) a concept as 'yes' has different translations after various kinds of question.
| (1) | Q: | paj rýplàaw | Did you go? |
| A: | pâj/mâjdâj paj | Yes (or) No, | |
| (2) | Q: | khun pen thahǎan ry̌y | You're a soldier? |
| A: | khráp/plàaw khráp | Yes (or) No. | |
| (3) | Q: | paj mǎj | Want to go? |
| A: | paj/mâj paj | Yes (or) No. | |
| (4) | Q: | kin khâaw lɛ́ɛw ryjaŋ | Have you eaten yet? |
| A: | kin lɛ́ɛw | Yes, I have' (or) | |
| jaŋ khráp | No, not yet. |
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