Breakdown of คุณ มี หมา กี่ ตัว ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
หมา
dog
มี
to have / there is / there are
คุณ
you
กี่
how many
ตัว
classifier for animals and things
Questions & Answers about คุณ มี หมา กี่ ตัว ครับ
Why is กี่ (how many) near the end of the sentence instead of the beginning?
In Thai, question words usually stay in the exact same place as the expected answer. If the answer is "I have 12 dogs" (ผม มี หมา สิบสอง ตัว), you just replace the number (12) with the question word กี่ (how many) to form the question.
What does the word ตัว do here?
ตัว is a "classifier" (or counting word) used for animals, as well as things like shirts and tables. In English, we just ask "how many dogs", but in Thai, whenever you count or ask "how many" (กี่), you must include the classifier. The question pattern is always: Noun + กี่ + Classifier.
Does หมา mean "dog" or "dogs"?
It means both! Thai nouns don't change form to show plurals (you never add an "s"). The context of the sentence, like using the counting word กี่ (how many), makes it clear we are asking about a plural amount.
How would I answer this question if I have 21 dogs?
You would say ผม มี หมา ยี่สิบเอ็ด ตัว (I have dog twenty-one [classifier]). You simply replace กี่ with the number. Using what you learned about numbers 11-100, remember that 21 uses the special forms ยี่ for twenty and เอ็ด for one!
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