Breakdown of แม่ ยัง อบ เค้ก อยู่ ค่ะ
ค่ะ
polite particle (female)
แม่
mother
ยัง
not yet / still
อยู่
continuous aspect marker (still doing)
Questions & Answers about แม่ ยัง อบ เค้ก อยู่ ค่ะ
Why are both ยัง and อยู่ used in this sentence?
ยัง means "still" and goes before the verb, while อยู่ goes at the end of the action to show it is currently happening. Together, the pattern ยัง ... อยู่ is the standard way to say someone "is still doing" something.
Could I put ยัง at the beginning of the sentence?
No, in Thai, ยัง must be placed directly before the main verb. In this sentence, it goes right before อบ (to bake). It always follows the pattern: Subject + ยัง + Verb.
Why does เค้ก come before อยู่? I thought "baking" was one idea.
The continuous marker อยู่ belongs at the end of the entire phrase. Because the verb อบ (to bake) has an object เค้ก (cake), the word อยู่ must wait until after the object.
How would I change this sentence to say Mom hasn't started baking yet?
You would use the negative marker from this lesson: ยังไม่ (not yet). You place it before the verb and drop อยู่, making the sentence แม่ ยังไม่ อบ เค้ก ค่ะ (Mom has not baked a cake yet).