Breakdown of ตำรวจ กำลัง สอบสวน เพราะ เกิด ฆาตกรรม ขึ้น ที่นี่ ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
ตำรวจ
police officer
ที่นี่
here
เพราะ
because
กำลัง
in the process of
ขึ้น
to go up / to board (a vehicle)
สอบสวน
to interrogate
เกิด
to happen / to occur
ฆาตกรรม
murder
Questions & Answers about ตำรวจ กำลัง สอบสวน เพราะ เกิด ฆาตกรรม ขึ้น ที่นี่ ครับ
Why is the word for murder (ฆาตกรรม) sandwiched between เกิด and ขึ้น?
เกิด (to happen/occur) acts as an existential verb, meaning it introduces the event that comes into existence. The word ขึ้น literally means "up" and is used as a directional particle to emphasize that the event "sprang up". When used together, they always wrap around the event noun: เกิด + [Event] + ขึ้น.
In English we say "a murder occurred", so why doesn't Thai say ฆาตกรรมเกิดขึ้น?
While you might occasionally hear that order, Thai strongly prefers to put existential verbs like มี (there is) and เกิด (there happened) at the front of the phrase. Think of the Thai structure here as saying "...because there occurred a murder" rather than "...because a murder occurred".
Would the sentence still make sense if I dropped ขึ้น?
Yes, saying เพราะเกิดฆาตกรรม (because a murder occurred) makes perfect sense and is grammatically fine. However, adding ขึ้น sounds much more natural and complete to native Thai speakers when talking about sudden events, crimes, or accidents.
The word for murder, ฆาตกรรม, looks like a compound word. What do its parts mean?
ฆาต comes from an old root meaning "killing" or "destroying", and กรรม means "action" or "deed" (it's the same root as the English word "karma"). Put them together, and it literally means "the act of killing". You will see the suffix -กรรม attached to many formal acts and processes in Thai.
Does สอบสวน mean the police are searching a crime scene or questioning people?
สอบสวน specifically refers to a formal investigation or inquiry, usually involving the questioning and interrogation of witnesses or suspects. If they were primarily out acting as detectives looking for physical clues, Thai would use the word สืบสวน (to investigate / sleuth) instead.
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