Breakdown of เขา ย้าย บ้าน เมื่อไร คะ
บ้าน
house
เขา
he, she, they
คะ
female question particle / polite particle (female)
เมื่อไร
when
Questions & Answers about เขา ย้าย บ้าน เมื่อไร คะ
Why is เมื่อไร (when) at the end of the sentence instead of the beginning?
In Thai, question words like เมื่อไร usually go in the exact same spot where the answer would go (this is called an "in-situ" question). Since you are asking about a time, and time phrases often go at the end of a Thai sentence, เมื่อไร sits at the end. The sentence is built as "He move house when?"
Can I use ย้าย (move) to talk about moving my arm or moving a cup on a table?
No, ย้าย specifically means to relocate or move something's base from one place to another. You use it for moving house, changing schools, or relocating furniture. For general physical movement, like moving your body, Thai uses different words.
There is no word for "is" or "will" here. How do we know it means "When IS he moving?"
Thai verbs don't change to show tense, and you don't need helper verbs like "is" or "will" to ask a question. Because เมื่อไร is asking for a time, context does the heavy lifting. Depending on the conversation, this exact sentence could mean "When did he move?" or "When is he moving?"
Why does the sentence use คะ instead of ค่ะ?
คะ (pronounced with a high tone) is the polite particle used by female speakers specifically for asking questions. ค่ะ (pronounced with a falling tone) is used for statements and answers. Since this sentence is asking a question, คะ is required at the end.