Breakdown of เขา ตะโกน แต่ ฉัน แทบ ไม่ ได้ยิน ก็เลย ไม่ เข้าใจ ค่ะ
ค่ะ
polite particle (female)
เขา
he, she, they
ฉัน
I (female)
ไม่
not
เข้าใจ
to understand
แต่
but
ได้ยิน
to hear
ก็เลย
so / therefore
ตะโกน
to shout
แทบไม่
hardly
Questions & Answers about เขา ตะโกน แต่ ฉัน แทบ ไม่ ได้ยิน ก็เลย ไม่ เข้าใจ ค่ะ
What exactly does แทบไม่ mean here, and how is it different from just saying ไม่?
แทบไม่ (thaep mai) means "hardly" or "barely." If you just said ไม่ได้ยิน, it would mean "I didn't hear (at all)." By using แทบไม่ได้ยิน, you're saying "I could barely hear"—meaning you probably heard some noise, but not clearly enough to catch the actual words.
Since the lesson covers both, could I use แทบจะ instead of แทบไม่ in this sentence?
Not really. แทบจะ means "almost." If you said แทบจะได้ยิน (almost heard), it would mean you were very close to hearing it, but ultimately heard nothing. Since the meaning here is "could hardly hear" (you heard a tiny bit, but not enough), แทบไม่ is the correct choice.
Why aren't there any past tense markers like แล้ว or ได้ if the translation says "He shouted" and "I didn't understand"?
Thai relies heavily on context for time. Because this sentence tells a logical sequence of events (he shouted, you couldn't hear, so you didn't understand), the listener naturally understands it is a recounting of a situation that already happened. Adding past tense markers isn't necessary here and might make it sound clunky.
What does ก็เลย do in the second half of the sentence?
ก็เลย (ko loei) means "so" or "therefore," and it links a cause to a result. The cause here is "barely hearing," and the result is "not understanding." Notice that ก็เลย is placed directly before the verb phrase of the result: ก็เลยไม่เข้าใจ (so didn't understand).
Could I use ฟัง (to listen) instead of ได้ยิน (to hear) here?
No, because ฟัง is an intentional action ("to listen"), while ได้ยิน refers to the physical experience or ability ("to hear"). Since you are describing your physical inability to perceive the sound of his shout clearly, you must use ได้ยิน.
Learn เขา ตะโกน แต่ ฉัน แทบ ไม่ ได้ยิน ก็เลย ไม่ เข้าใจ ค่ะ and more in Thai
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free