This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
Monday morning Thai lessons…
Today, along with my giddy attempt at Thai typing, I sidetracked my Thai teacher with a hilarious commercial all in Thai.
My Thai teacher, now resigned to my habit of derailing her well laid lesson plans, quite enjoyed this morning’s detour into not quite cultured Thai humour.
I know because she kept interrupting my attempts on getting the transcript correct by whispering, “did you hear that?”, “did you hear that sound?”, followed by chuckles and hoots.
And she put forward the suggestion to translate the sounds too. In Thai. Sigh…
And does he ever need a tissue…
Man: ม่าขอทิชชู่ห่อหนึ่งคฺรับ
Transliteration: mâa kŏr tít-chôo hòr nèung kráp
Word for word: Grandmother (elderly Chinese women), ask for tissue pack one (polite particle)
Translation: Grandmother, can I have a pack of tissue?
Women: ห้าบาท
Transliteration: hâa bàat
Word for word: five baht
Translation: Five baht
Man: ห้าบาท
Transliteration: hâa bàat
Word for word: five baht
Translation: Five baht
Women: หนึ่งพัน
Transliteration: nèung pan
Word for word: one thousand baht
Translation: One thousand baht
Women: ทอนเท่าไร
Transliteration: ton tâo-rai
Word for word: change how much.
Translation: How much change?
Man: เก้าร้อยเก้าสิบห้าคฺรับ
Transliteration: gâo rói gâo sìp hâa kráp
Word for word: nine hundred ninety five (polite particle)
Translation: Nine hundred and ninety five.
Man: โทษที่นะคฺรับ ผม ผม ผม ช่วยนะคฺรับ
Transliteration: tôht têe ná kráp pŏm pŏm pŏm chûay ná kráp
Word for word: excuse me a time I, I, I, help ok (polite particle)
Translation: Excuse me, I, I, I, can I help?
Women: ไม่ออก
Transliteration: mâi òk
Word for word: no out
Translation: Doesn’t work.
Man: เก้าร้อยเก้าสิบห้าคฺรับอาม่า
Transliteration: gâo rói gâo sìp hâa kráp aa-mâa
Word for word: Nine hundred ninety five, Grandmother
Translation: Nine hundred and ninety five, Grandmother.
Women: เท่าไรนะ
Transliteration: tâo-rai ná
Word for word: how much
Translation: How much is that?
Man: เก้าร้อยเก้าสิบห้าบาทคฺรับ
Transliteration: gâo rói gâo sìp hâa bàat kráp
Word for word: nine hundred ninety five baht (polite particle)
Translation: Nine hundred and ninety five baht.
Women: เก้าร้อยเก้าสิบห้า
Transliteration: gâo rói gâo sìp hâa
Word for word: nine hundred ninety five
Translation: Nine hundred and ninety five.
Man: เก้าร้อยห้าสิบ
Transliteration: gâo rói hâa sìp
Word for word: nine hundred fifty
Translation: Nine hundred and fifty.
Women: แปด
Transliteration: bpàet
Word for word: eight
Translation: Eight.
Man: ไม่ต้องเเล้วคฺรับ อามาไม่เอาทิชชู่เเล้วคฺรับ
Transliteration: mâi dtông láew kráp aa-mâa mâi ao tít-chôo láew kráp
Word for word: No must already (polite particle) Grandmother, no want tissue already (polite particle)
Translation: It’s all right Grandmother, I don’t need tissue anymore.
Man: ผม ผม เปลี่ยนเป็นกางเกงในคฺรับ
Transliteration: pŏm pŏm bplìan bpen gaang-geng nai kráp
Word for word: I, I, to change to be pants in (polite particle)
Translation: I, I, want to change (tissue) to underwear instead.
So, how’d I do?…
Thank you Ran. When your comment came via email I wasn’t sure what you were talking about. Like you said, it has been eight years! And after all this time, I still love this Thai ad.
I’ll edit in your bits in a bit. Thanks for reminding me to watch it again.
i am eight years late ..
extras …last part ..
narrator : yut nee dtong rew na krap chai batt ngernsod smart purse dee gwa
word for word : at need fast na krap, use card cash smart purse better
translation : when in a hurry, use cashcard smart purse , is better.
Thank you so much for this Edmund. Grandmother sounds kinder than old women so I’ll change it in my post.
In Chinese dialect, Teochew and Hokkien, Ah Ma อาม่า refers to grandmother. Grandpa is Ah Gong.
I’m not sure what they did to yours. All I remember is we were waiting waiting waiting for your meal to arrive at the table.
Indian? Nah… (I’m getting ready to leave in a couple of weeks so need my system clear 😉
It was a blast, Catherine! Glad we did it! (You can tell I had to rush because I never even put a couple of paragraphs in my comments!)
I wonder what they did to my lunch? I think you were finished before mine even arrived…eeeeuuuu… you ordered any Indian food lately?? :))
Lynn, that was such a trip, wasn’t it? First they make you wait forever for lunch. Then whoosh! It’s gone 😀
Hey, what’s so funny?? I can definitely relate to this poor guy! My heart poured out to him as I watched that commercial! Just ask some travel companions of mine on a trip with me as they listened to me tell my driver ‘find a toilet, fast!’, as we sped down the highway.
I’m notorious for eating something I shouldn’t. I can’t remember if I said it in English or Thai, but the gurgles and bubbles in my guts were almost loud enough for all to hear. (I wouldn’t have dared give in to the gas emission thing as the actor did..)
My trusty driver/jack of all trades (Khun Niwat) understood, and we whipped into a gas station.Felt like a hundred miles.
Meanwhile my companions, you know who you are, watched with calm, white, emotionless faces from the car (wondering I’m sure if I was going to make it) as I hobbled into the woman’s toilet area…with all muscles tensed.
I looked at the squatter toilets and believe it or not I didn’t flinch, but horror of horrors, I had no purse since I’d left all in the car, therefore no tissue!! I had to hobble back outside (do you know the control this takes?
I am sure the actor in the ad does, he was very convincing) and holler at the driver again: ‘bring the toilet tissue please!!'(one must remember to be polite at all times in Thailand).
I am not sure how many times I had to say it before he understood; I vaguely remember him holding up something else first (do you remember what it was, Cat?)
I wanted the roll of tissue I keep in the side pocket of the car-my memory fades at this point, concentration on certain gastric muscles was of utmost importance! He found the roll, and ran over to the toilets to give it to me, Bless his heart (although I’ve never asked him for tissue before, blush..). Squatters are daunting enough but wow, was I glad to see that one! But no toilet paper? I should know better. I had wads of it in my purse.
I made it though, phew.(and peeyuuu:) This particular ‘gas station’ (no pun intended tee hee) had fairly clean facilities, but I’ve seen some with Handle Bars beside the squatters! Wonderful!! Not too many places selling tissue, though…
The ad was funny, but to some of us, it’s a painfully embarrassing memory. :))
I just started watching Thai TV again. Their commercials are so much funnier than the West! I especially love the gecko commercial! (perhaps I should do that one next)
I love this commercial. Golf discovered it a few months ago and he and Aidan get many chuckles from it. I wish American commercials weren’t so serious, it’s so much more fun when they’re lighthearted and humorous – just like Thais themselves!
Well, stay tuned for even more. It’s great fun seeing if I get the Thai correct (and even funnier when I get it wrong). I originally thought she was saying mâi ow but she was saying mâi òk.
First time I see a documented translation from a video, its great and funny!
I laugh every time I see it. The old women is fantastic! On YouTube they have some doozies of Thai commercials that need no translation (but it is good for Thai practice).
I saw this commercial on Thai TV last year and this my second viewing is just as funny as the first. Sheer brilliance and it shows that at times Thai and Western humour are not poles apart, unlike our comment buttons.
Hah! That must have been hilarious listening to everyone in the theatre laughing. My Thai teacher was so funny watching it for the first time (I guess she doesn’t get out much).
Hehehe, this is great!
Such an old commercial though, remember when they played it before the movies start. Very funny!