Formal recipients (แก่ / แด่)

The Formal Recipient

In highly formal, literary, or epic settings—like a fairy tale—Thai uses specific prepositions to indicate who receives an action. Place them directly before the recipient noun.

Use แก่ when the recipient is an equal or a subordinate, such as an authority figure granting something to their followers.

Notice the sentence structure: state the action and the object being given, followed by แก่, and finally the recipient.

The Highly Respected Recipient

When an offering or gift is directed upward in status—to someone deeply revered, an elder, royalty, or a deity—use the highly formal preposition แด่.

It frequently pairs with verbs like อุทิศ (to dedicate).