Breakdown of มี น้ำ หก แก้ว บน โต๊ะ ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
มี
to have / there is / there are
น้ำ
water
โต๊ะ
table
บน
on
แก้ว
the glass
หก
six
Questions & Answers about มี น้ำ หก แก้ว บน โต๊ะ ครับ
Why is the word order น้ำ หก แก้ว (water six glass) instead of putting the number first?
In Thai, when you count things, the pattern is always Noun + Number + Classifier. So to say "six glasses of water", you literally say "water" (น้ำ) + "six" (หก) + "glass" (แก้ว).
I thought มี meant "to have". Why does it translate to "there are" here?
You are right that มี means "to have". However, it is also the standard way to say "there is" or "there are" in Thai. When a sentence starts with มี without a person or thing before it, it usually means "there is" or "there are".
How do we make แก้ว plural to mean "glasses" instead of "glass"?
Thai words never change form to become plural! We know it means "glasses" simply because the number หก (six) tells us there is more than one.
Is แก้ว acting as a noun or a counting word (classifier) here?
It is acting as the classifier here. แก้ว is the everyday noun for "glass", but when you count liquids in containers, the container's name acts as its own counting word.
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