Breakdown of กางเกง ตัว นั้น ยาว มาก ค่ะ
ค่ะ
polite particle (female)
มาก
very / much, more
ตัว
classifier for animals and things
นั้น
that (modifier)
กางเกง
pants
ยาว
long
Questions & Answers about กางเกง ตัว นั้น ยาว มาก ค่ะ
Why is the word order กางเกง ตัว นั้น (pants + classifier + that) instead of just putting นั้น right after the noun?
In Thai, pointing out a specific object with "this" or "that" requires a special pattern: Noun + Classifier + นี้ (this) or นั้น (that). The classifier is required grammatical glue; you cannot just say กางเกง นั้น.
I learned earlier that the classifier ตัว is used for animals. Why is it being used for pants here?
While ตัว is indeed the classifier for animals, it is also the standard classifier for most items of clothing, such as shirts, pants, and skirts. A helpful trick is to remember that ตัว can also mean "body", and clothing is worn on the body.
The English translation says "Those pants", which is plural. Is the Thai sentence plural?
Not exactly. In English, "pants" is a plural word, so we say "those pants" to talk about a single item of clothing. In Thai, กางเกง is simply the item itself, and the pattern กางเกง ตัว นั้น points to a single pair of pants (literally "pants item that"). If there were multiple pairs, a number would be added before the classifier.
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
There isn't one! In Thai, you don't use a "to be" verb (like "is" or "are") before adjectives. The adjective ยาว (long) acts like a verb all on its own, essentially meaning "to be long". Therefore, you just place it directly after the noun phrase.
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