Breakdown of ทำไม คุณ อยาก นั่ง แท็กซี่ คะ
คุณ
you
นั่ง
to sit
คะ
female question particle / polite particle (female)
อยาก
to want to
Questions & Answers about ทำไม คุณ อยาก นั่ง แท็กซี่ คะ
I thought question words go at the end of the sentence in Thai. Why is ทำไม at the beginning here?
You are right that most Thai question words go at the end! However, ทำไม (why) is a special exception. It usually goes at the very beginning of the sentence, or sometimes right after the subject. It does not go at the end.
Why do we use the word นั่ง, which usually means 'to sit', for taking a taxi?
In Thai, when you talk about traveling as a passenger in a vehicle like a taxi, train, or bus, you use นั่ง (to sit). It paints a literal picture of you sitting inside the vehicle to get somewhere. If you were driving it yourself, you would use ขับ instead.
Could I use เอา instead of อยาก for 'want' in this sentence?
No, because here you want to do an action (taking a taxi). You must use อยาก before a verb to mean 'want to do something'. You only use เอา when you want an object or a thing, like wanting a glass of water.
How does the polite particle คะ work at the end of this question?
Since this is a question, a female speaker uses the question particle คะ to sound polite. If a male speaker were asking this, he would use ครับ instead.