Breakdown of ผู้ต้องสงสัย ไม่ยอม ตอบ คำถาม ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
คำถาม
question
ตอบ
to answer
ผู้ต้องสงสัย
the suspect
ไม่ยอม
refuses to / will not let
Questions & Answers about ผู้ต้องสงสัย ไม่ยอม ตอบ คำถาม ครับ
How does using ไม่ยอม change the meaning here compared to just saying ไม่ตอบ?
Using ไม่ยอม (refuses to / will not yield) emphasizes the suspect's active, stubborn volition. If the sentence just said ไม่ตอบ (mai top), it would simply mean "did not answer"—perhaps they didn't hear, or didn't know the answer. Adding ยอม shows they are deliberately holding back.
The lesson mentions ไม่ยอม can also mean "will not let". Could this sentence be interpreted as "The suspect won't let (someone) answer"?
No, because of the sentence structure. When ไม่ยอม is followed directly by an action verb like ตอบ (answer), it means the subject themselves refuses to perform the action. To mean "will not let someone else," you typically need the word ให้ (to give/allow) plus a second subject, as in ไม่ยอมให้ตอบ (refuses to let [someone] answer).
The word for "suspect", ผู้ต้องสงสัย, contains the word ต้อง. Doesn't that usually mean "must"?
Yes, ต้อง is most commonly known as "must", but it also functions as a marker meaning "to be subject to" or "to experience" something (often negative). Combined with ผู้ (person) and สงสัย (to suspect/doubt), ผู้ต้องสงสัย literally means "person subject to suspicion." You will see this same pattern in words like ผู้ต้องหา (the accused).
The English translation says "questions" (plural). How do we know it's plural without any plural marker on คำถาม?
In Thai, nouns are naturally broad in number, and context dictates whether they are singular or plural. Since a police interrogation typically involves multiple questions, the plural translation is the most natural fit. If you needed to emphasize that the suspect refused to answer just one specific question, you would add a classifier, such as คำถามข้อเดียว (one single question).
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