Learn Thai: พวก　เขา　กิน　น้ำ　ค่ะ

By itself, เขา usually means "he" or "she" (a single person). Adding the prefix พวก, which refers to a group, makes it plural. So, พวกเขา becomes "they".

Does Thai use the same Subject-Verb-Object word order as English?

Yes! This sentence is a perfect example of basic Thai word order. It goes Subject (พวกเขา "they"), Verb (กิน "drink"), Object (น้ำ "water").

Could I drop the subject พวกเขา completely in this sentence?

Absolutely. In Thai, if it is already obvious from the context who is drinking water, you can just say กินน้ำค่ะ. Dropping obvious subjects is a very common feature of the language.

Wait, doesn't กิน mean "to eat"? Why is it used for drinking water?

You are right that กิน generally means "to eat", and there is a specific word for "to drink" (ดื่ม). However, in everyday spoken Thai, people use กิน for consuming almost anything, including liquids like water.

Breakdown of พวก เขา กิน น้ำ ค่ะ

Questions & Answers about พวก เขา กิน น้ำ ค่ะ

Breakdown of พวก　เขา　กิน　น้ำ　ค่ะ

Questions & Answers about พวก　เขา　กิน　น้ำ　ค่ะ