Questions & Answers about ทำไม หมอ ป่วย ครับ
The lesson says Thai question words are in-situ, so why is ทำไม at the beginning of this sentence?
While most Thai question words (like what or where) go at the end of the sentence where the answer would be, ทำไม (why) is a major exception. It is most commonly placed at the very beginning of the sentence, just like in English! You will occasionally see it at the end, but placing it at the start is the standard way to ask why.
Why is there no Thai word for is before ป่วย (sick)?
In Thai, words that describe things (adjectives) like ป่วย (sick) act as verbs on their own. You never use a to be word to link a subject to an adjective. You simply put them side by side: หมอ ป่วย (doctor sick).
Could หมอ mean you in this context?
Yes! Thai often drops pronouns and uses job titles or family roles instead. If you are speaking directly to your doctor, this sentence means Why are you sick? If you are talking to someone else about a doctor, it means Why is the doctor sick? The context makes it clear.
Does the polite particle ครับ mean the doctor is male?
No, polite particles always match the gender of the person speaking, not the person being talked about. Because ครับ is used here, we know the person asking the question is male, but the sick doctor could be male or female.
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