Questions & Answers about ใคร รอ หมอ ครับ
I learned that Thai question words often go at the end. Why is ใคร (who) at the beginning here?
In Thai, question words don't automatically jump to the end; they sit exactly where the answer would go. Since you are asking about the subject (the person doing the waiting), ใคร goes at the very beginning of the sentence, exactly where the person's name will be in the answer.
How would this sentence change if I wanted to ask 'Who is the doctor waiting for?' instead?
You would swap the words to หมอรอใครครับ. Because the doctor is now the one doing the waiting, หมอ (doctor) becomes the subject at the beginning. ใคร (who) moves to the end because it is now the object (the person being waited for). This is a great example of how Thai question words just plug into the slot of the missing information!
Where is the word for 'for'? Why doesn't it say 'wait for doctor'?
The Thai verb รอ (to wait) connects directly to the person or thing you are waiting for. You don't need an extra preposition like 'for' in English. You just put the person right after the verb, making it รอหมอ.
There are no time words here. How do we know it means 'is waiting' and not 'waited'?
Thai verbs never change their spelling to show time (like adding '-ing' or '-ed'). The word รอ can mean 'waits', 'is waiting', or 'waited'. If there are no extra time words in the sentence, you rely on the context. Standing alone as a simple question, 'is waiting' is just the most natural interpretation.