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ใคร　ถือ　หนังสือ　เล่ม　นี้　อยู่　ครับ

ใคร　ถือ　หนังสือ　เล่ม　นี้　อยู่　ครับ
Who is holding this book?
From Lesson 69:Continuous states (อยู่)·Thai

Questions & Answers about ใคร　ถือ　หนังสือ　เล่ม　นี้　อยู่　ครับ

Why is the word อยู่ at the end of the sentence if it normally means 'to live' or 'to be located'?
This is the main point of our current lesson! When อยู่ is placed after a verb or an object, it acts as a continuous marker. It shows that an action or state is currently ongoing. Here, it follows the object หนังสือเล่มนี้ to change ถือ (to hold) into 'is holding'.
Why do we need the word เล่ม between 'book' and 'this'?
In Thai, when you point out a specific object using 'this' or 'that', you must include the noun's classifier. The pattern is Noun + Classifier + นี้ (this). Since เล่ม is the classifier for books, 'this book' translates to หนังสือ (book) + เล่ม (classifier) + นี้ (this).
Can I use ถือ if I want to talk about holding someone's hand?
No, ถือ specifically means to hold, carry, or grip an object in your hands (like a book, an umbrella, or a bag). To say 'hold hands', you would use the word จับ (to catch/grab) instead.
I learned that Thai question words usually go at the end of the sentence. Why is ใคร (who) at the very beginning here?
Question words do often go at the end of a sentence, but when the question word is the subject (the person actually doing the action), it stays at the beginning just like in English. Since we are asking 'who' is doing the action of holding the book, ใคร goes first.

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