Log inSign up

มัน　อันตราย　อย่า　จับ　ค่ะ

มัน　อันตราย　อย่า　จับ　ค่ะ
It is dangerous, do not touch.
From Lesson 33:Negative commands (อย่า)·Thai

Questions & Answers about มัน　อันตราย　อย่า　จับ　ค่ะ

Why is อย่า used here instead of ไม่ for 'do not'?
อย่า is specifically used for giving commands or telling someone not to do something. ไม่ just means 'not' for regular statements. Since 'do not touch' is a command in this sentence, we must use อย่า followed by the verb จับ.
The English translation says 'It is dangerous,' but where is the word for 'is' in the Thai sentence?
In Thai, you don't need a 'to be' verb (like is, am, or are) before adjectives. The word อันตราย (dangerous) does the job on its own. So มัน อันตราย literally translates to 'It dangerous,' which is a complete and correct sentence in Thai.
Why doesn't the second part of the sentence say who shouldn't touch it?
Just like in English commands, Thai usually drops the subject pronoun (like 'you') when telling someone what to do or not to do. อย่า จับ directly means 'do not touch', and it is automatically understood that the speaker is talking to the listener.
Does the word จับ only mean 'touch'?
จับ can mean 'touch', but it is also very commonly used to mean 'hold' or 'catch'. Because the sentence starts with มัน อันตราย (it is dangerous), 'do not touch' is the safest and most natural way to understand the warning here.

Learn มัน　อันตราย　อย่า　จับ　ค่ะ and more in Thai

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Thai →