Breakdown of เขา เรียน ภาษา ไทย ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
เขา
he, she, they
ไทย
Thai
ภาษา
language
เรียน
to study
Questions & Answers about เขา เรียน ภาษา ไทย ครับ
Since this lesson is about 'what' and 'who', how would I change this sentence to ask 'What is he studying?'?
In Thai, question words like อะไร (what) don't move to the front of the sentence like they do in English. They stay exactly where the answer would be. To ask 'What is he studying?', you just replace the answer ภาษาไทย (Thai language) with อะไร, making it เขาเรียนอะไรครับ (He studies what?).
How would I ask 'Who is studying Thai?' using this sentence structure?
Just like with 'what', the word for 'who' (ใคร) replaces the specific piece of information you are asking for. You simply replace เขา (he) at the beginning of the sentence with ใคร, giving you ใครเรียนภาษาไทยครับ.
Why do we need the word ภาษา (language) here? Can't I just say เขาเรียนไทย?
In Thai, it is standard to use a category word before the specific name. Without ภาษา (language), the word ไทย on its own usually refers to a Thai person or just the general concept of Thailand. So, to say you are studying the language, you literally say you study 'language Thai' (ภาษาไทย).
The English translation says 'He is studying', but there is no 'is' or '-ing' in the Thai sentence. How do we know the tense?
Thai verbs do not change form to show tense. The word เรียน can mean 'studies', 'studied', or 'is studying' depending on the situation. Context usually makes it clear, though you will learn extra helper words later to emphasize that an action is happening right this second.
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