Breakdown of ทำไม งาน นี้ ยาก มาก ครับ
ครับ
polite particle (male)
มาก
very / much, more
นี้
this (modifier)
ยาก
difficult
ทำไม
why
งาน
work
Questions & Answers about ทำไม งาน นี้ ยาก มาก ครับ
Wait, I thought question words usually go at the end of the sentence in Thai. Why is ทำไม at the beginning here?
Good catch! While question words like "what" (อะไร) or "where" (ที่ไหน) usually go at the end of a Thai sentence, "why" (ทำไม) is an exception. It is almost always placed at the very beginning of the sentence or right after the subject.
The English translation says "is... difficult", but there is no word for "is" in the Thai sentence. Why?
In Thai, adjectives like ยาก (difficult) act like verbs on their own. You don't need to use a "to be" word like เป็น or คือ before them. You just put the adjective right after the subject: งาน นี้ ยาก (work this difficult).
Why is it งาน นี้ (work this) instead of นี้ งาน (this work)?
In Thai, modifiers always come after the noun they describe. This includes pointing words like นี้ (this) and นั้น (that). So, "this work" must be ordered as งาน (work) followed by นี้ (this).
How does the word order work for "very difficult" (ยาก มาก)?
Just like how "this" comes after "work", degree words like มาก (very) must come after the adjective they describe. So "very difficult" is always ordered as ยาก มาก (difficult very).
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