Word
ใคร ซ่อม คอมพิวเตอร์ เป็น ครับ
Meaning
Who knows how to fix computers?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of ใคร ซ่อม คอมพิวเตอร์ เป็น ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
ใคร
who
เป็น
to know how to
ซ่อม
to fix
Questions & Answers about ใคร ซ่อม คอมพิวเตอร์ เป็น ครับ
Doesn't เป็น usually mean "to be"? Why does it mean "knows how to" here?
You are right that เป็น often means "to be" (like in "I am a student"). However, when placed after a verb or a verb-object phrase, it indicates having the acquired skill to do that action. So ซ่อม คอมพิวเตอร์ เป็น means "fix computers + know how to".
I learned that Thai question words usually go at the end of the sentence. Why is ใคร (who) at the very beginning here?
In Thai, the basic word order is Subject-Verb-Object. When ใคร is the subject performing the action (Who fixes?), it stays in the subject position at the front of the sentence. If you were asking a question where "who" is the object being acted upon (Who did you see?), it would go at the end.
How do we know it means "computers" and not just "a computer"?
Thai nouns like คอมพิวเตอร์ do not change form to show plural. There is no "s" added at the end of words. You rely entirely on context! Here, asking who has the skill to fix them implies computers in general.
Is คอมพิวเตอร์ just the English word?
Yes, it is a direct loanword! Thai borrows many technology terms from English. Just be aware that Thai applies its own pronunciation and tone rules, so it sounds more like "khom-piu-toe" with a distinct Thai rhythm.