BANGKOK · A1–C1
Thai course · A1 to C1 · 34 units
Practice speaking Thai in real conversations
Order street food, bargain at a night market, agree a fare with a tuk-tuk driver. The course builds up to conversations you can actually have in Bangkok, from your first tones to C1.
For iPhone, iOS 18 or later.
Your first conversation
Meet your Thai tutors
Your first mission is Coffee stall in Bangkok with Ploy, a barista at a coffee stall in Ari, Bangkok. She greets you, takes your order, asks if it's for here or to go, and tells you the price. Rehearse the phrases first, then talk or type your answers.
As the course goes on you'll meet more of the cast, each with their own place and mission. Ask any of them to repeat, slow down, or show English.
สวัสดีค่ะ รับอะไรดีคะHello! What would you like?
Syllabus
Every Thai unit, A1 to C1
34 units across five levels, with 13 built-in speaking missions. You can also write your own.
A1 · Beginner
8 units
- Tones and soundsYou'll be able to hear and say Thai's five tones and greet people.Covers: The five tones, Long and short vowels, Aspirated sounds: ก/ข, ป/พ, Polite particles ครับ and ค่ะSpeaking mission: Greet a hotel receptionist and say thank you politely
- Middle consonantsYou'll be able to read your first Thai words.Covers: Middle-class consonants: ก จ ด ต บ ป อ, Vowels before, after, above and below, Live and dead syllablesSpeaking mission: Ask a shopkeeper what a sign says
- High and low consonantsYou'll be able to work out the tone of a word from its spelling.Covers: High-class consonants, Low-class consonants, Tone rules without tone marks
- Introducing yourselfYou'll be able to say your name, where you're from and what you do.Covers: ชื่อ, เป็น, มาจาก, Pronouns ผม, ดิฉัน, คุณ, Yes-no questions with ไหมSpeaking mission: Introduce yourself to a new Thai coworker
- Numbers and pricesYou'll be able to count, ask prices and bargain politely.Covers: Numbers 1–1000, เท่าไหร่, Classifiers: อัน, ตัว, ชิ้น, ลดได้ไหมSpeaking mission: Bargain at a night market: A silk scarf for a friend
- Ordering foodYou'll be able to order dishes the way you like them.Covers: ขอ and เอา, ไม่ใส่: without, Spice levels: เผ็ดน้อย, ไม่เผ็ดSpeaking mission: Order street food: Pad kra pao, not too spicy
- Getting aroundYou'll be able to ask where places are and tell a driver where to go.Covers: อยู่ที่ไหน, ไป… : going to, Directions: เลี้ยวซ้าย, ตรงไป, จอดตรงนี้Speaking mission: Take a tuk-tuk: Get to Wat Pho and agree on a fare
- Time and daysYou'll be able to tell the time the Thai way and make appointments.Covers: The Thai six-hour clock, Days and months, เมื่อไหร่: when
A2 · Elementary
8 units
- Time without tensesYou'll be able to talk about past, present and future.Covers: แล้ว: already, กำลัง: in the middle of, จะ: will, เคย: have ever
- Describing thingsYou'll be able to describe people, places and the weather.Covers: Adjectives as verbs, มาก, นิดหน่อย, Comparisons: กว่า, ที่สุด
- Wanting and abilityYou'll be able to say what you want, can, and have to do.Covers: อยาก, ได้ and เป็น: can, ต้อง: must, ไม่ต้อง: don't need to
- Questions and negationYou'll be able to ask and answer any kind of question.Covers: ไหม, หรือเปล่า, หรือยัง, ไม่ใช่ and ไม่, Question words: ใคร, อะไร, ทำไม
- Family and pronounsYou'll be able to talk about your family and address people correctly.Covers: Kinship terms: พี่, น้อง, ลุง, ป้า, Using kinship terms as pronouns, Politeness by ageSpeaking mission: Meet your Thai partner's family for the first time
- Shopping and clothesYou'll be able to buy clothes and ask for sizes and colors.Covers: More classifiers: ตัว, คู่, ใบ, ขอลอง…ได้ไหม, Colors and sizes
- Giving reasonsYou'll be able to explain why things happen.Covers: เพราะ, ก็เลย, เลย, ถึงแม้ว่า
- Reading real ThaiYou'll be able to read menus and signs with tone marks and no spaces.Covers: Tone marks ่ ้ ๊ ๋, Silent letters and ห นำ, Finding word breaks
B1 · Intermediate
7 units
- Experiences and plansYou'll be able to talk about travel experiences and future plans.Covers: เคย…ไหม, ตั้งใจจะ, คิดว่าจะ, ยังไม่เคยSpeaking mission: Swap travel stories with a Thai friend in Chiang Mai
- Requests and politenessYou'll be able to make polite requests in any situation.Covers: ช่วย…หน่อย, กรุณา, ได้ไหม and ได้รึเปล่า, Softening with นะSpeaking mission: Ask a hotel to fix your air conditioner and change your room
- ConditionalsYou'll be able to talk about what happens if….Covers: ถ้า…ก็, ถ้า…จะ, ไม่งั้น: otherwise
- Passive and causativeYou'll be able to say what happened to you and what someone had done.Covers: ถูก and โดน, ให้: have someone do, ทำให้: cause
- Workplace ThaiYou'll be able to speak politely at work.Covers: Formal pronouns ดิฉัน and กระผม, Office expressions, Meeting phrasesSpeaking mission: Introduce yourself at a meeting in a Bangkok office
- Telling storiesYou'll be able to narrate a sequence of events.Covers: แล้วก็, หลังจากนั้น, ตอนที่: when, พอ…ก็: as soon as
- Feelings with ใจYou'll be able to describe feelings and character with ใจ expressions.Covers: ใจดี, ใจร้อน, ใจเย็น, เสียใจ, ดีใจ, ตกใจ, Using ใจ idioms
B2 · Upper intermediate
6 units
- Opinions and debateYou'll be able to give and defend opinions.Covers: ในความคิดของ…, เห็นด้วย, ไม่เห็นด้วย, แต่ว่า, อย่างไรก็ตามSpeaking mission: Discuss Bangkok traffic with a Thai friend and suggest solutions
- News ThaiYou'll be able to follow news headlines and reports.Covers: Formal vocabulary, ได้รับ and passive in news, Numbers and statistics
- Formal and royal registersYou'll be able to recognize formal and royal vocabulary.Covers: ราชาศัพท์ basics, Formal pronouns, Ceremonial language
- Regional ThaiYou'll be able to understand Isan and Northern speech.Covers: Isan basics, Northern Thai basics, When people switch
- Slang and humorYou'll be able to follow casual talk with friends.Covers: Common slang, 555 and online Thai, Playful particlesSpeaking mission: Chat with friends about a Thai drama you're watching
- Longer textsYou'll be able to read articles and short stories.Covers: Paragraph connectors, Formal written style, Guessing words from context
C1 · Advanced
5 units
- Particles and toneYou'll be able to use particles to sound exactly as you mean.Covers: นะ, สิ, เถอะ, จ้ะ, Sounding soft or firm, Particles by situation
- Formal writingYou'll be able to write formal letters and essays.Covers: Formal connectors, Avoiding spoken forms, Letter conventions
- Literary ThaiYou'll be able to read literature and poetry.Covers: Literary vocabulary, Sanskrit and Pali roots, Rhyme in Thai poetry
- Debate and persuasionYou'll be able to argue and persuade in public.Covers: Structuring an argument, Concession and rebuttal, Persuasive phrasesSpeaking mission: Persuade your Thai colleagues to try a new plan
- Thai for anythingYou'll be able to read specialist texts and speak with precision.Covers: Academic vocabulary, Compound words, Presentations
Levels
Tones first, script alongside
The course opens with tones and sounds, then the three consonant classes that decide which tone a syllable takes, so the script and the pronunciation make sense together.
Levels follow the CEFR scale from A1 to C1, the same scale used for Spanish, so you can compare your progress across languages. Polite particles ครับ and ค่ะ come in from the very first conversation.
Romanization, your way
รถไฟขบวนสุดท้าย · The Last Train · A2
ตอนนี้สี่ทุ่มแล้ว ฝนกำลังตก
rót-fai khà-buan sùt-tháai
It's ten at night. It's raining.
Stories can show romanization on every word, only on words you haven't learned yet, or not at all, so you move to reading Thai script at your own pace.
FAQ
Questions about learning Thai with Vivavoce
Do I have to learn the Thai alphabet?
It's taught from the start, but romanization can stay on in stories while you learn, and you can turn it down to new words only when you're ready.
How does Vivavoce handle Thai tones?
The first unit is tones and sounds, and the next two cover the consonant classes that set a syllable's tone. Every phrase you rehearse can be played again, slower.
Will I learn formal or everyday Thai?
Everyday Thai first, with polite particles from the first conversation. Formal and royal registers come at B2.
Also on Vivavoce
Speaking practice in Japanese · Spanish · Cantonese. See how missions work, or read why speaking practice and flashcards work best together.
Start speaking today
Your first speaking mission takes about six minutes. For iPhone, iOS 18 or later.