Questions & Answers about นก ไม่ กิน ปลา
The English translation says 'Birds' and 'fish' in the plural. How do we know they are plural in Thai?
Thai nouns like นก (bird) and ปลา (fish) do not change form to show singular or plural. Since there are no quantity words here, the sentence is understood as a general statement about the categories of birds and fish.
How does the word ไม่ work to make the sentence negative?
To make a verb negative in Thai, you put ไม่ (not) immediately before the action word. So ไม่ plus the verb กิน (eat) becomes ไม่กิน (do not eat). Notice that Thai does not use helping verbs like 'do' or 'does'.
Is the word order here exactly the same as in English?
Yes! Thai uses a Subject-Verb-Object word order just like English. The subject นก comes first, followed by the negative verb phrase ไม่กิน, and finally the object ปลา.
Could this sentence also mean 'Birds did not eat fish' in the past?
Yes, it could! Thai verbs do not change form to show time. Without a specific time word in the sentence, we assume it is a general present-tense fact, but context alone tells you when it happens.
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