Word
แมว เล็ก มาก ครับ
Meaning
The cat is very small.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about แมว เล็ก มาก ครับ
Why isn't there a word for "is" before เล็ก (small)?
In Thai, descriptive words like เล็ก actually act as verbs. They essentially mean "to be small" rather than just "small". Because the "to be" is already built into the word itself, you don't need to add a separate copula (a word for "is" or "are") like you do in English.
Why is the word order เล็ก มาก (small very) instead of "very small"?
In Thai, words that describe or emphasize another word almost always come after the word they modify. Since มาก (very) describes how small the cat is, it must come directly after เล็ก (small).
How do we know แมว means "the cat" and not just "a cat"?
Thai doesn't have articles like "a" or "the". Depending on the situation, แมว can mean "a cat", "the cat", or even "cats" in general. Because this sentence is describing the size of a specific animal you are likely looking at or already talking about, "the cat" is the most natural English translation.
Could a female speaker say this exact same sentence?
No, she would need to change the last word. ครับ is a polite particle used at the end of a sentence only by male speakers. A female speaker would use ค่ะ instead.