Tips for successfully learning

To maximize the speed and effectiveness of your learning we would recommend that you take the following approach when learning Thai from this on-line course.

• Study in short bursts. You will make better progress if you study a little bit every day than trying to learn a major chunk in 1-2 hour sessions.

• Listen to the tone practice lesson at the beginning of each chapter and replicate the five tone pitches before you start any study session. This will help make saying tones and identifying word tones second nature to you. It will also help maintain your focus on learning both word and word tone.

• Don’t try to rush through the course. Learning Thai effectively takes time. Make sure you have learnt a lesson content completely before moving onto the next lesson.

• Revisit what you have learnt prior to each new learning session to remind yourself of what you have already covered. As each learning segment builds on what has been introduced previously it will ensure you clearly understand the new pieces of information being presented to you as what you have learned previously will be fresh in your mind.

• Make sure that you have learnt all the words introduced in a chapter through using the audio flash card and word matching games. These have been designed to test and reinforce your word knowledge recall and pronunciation. They are really effective ways of memorising words and building on your range of vocabulary. Make sure you know those words before you start the next chapter.

• Recognise just how well you are doing. Learning to speak Thai is major undertaking and there will inevitably be times when your enthusiasm and motivation falters. To counter this it’s important to stay positive.

• • Remind yourself of just how much you have already learnt, and how great it’s going to be to be able to effectively speak Thai.
  • Acknowledge to yourself that what you are doing is very special – very few farang have the interest, drive or ability to master the language as you are doing.
  • Give yourself that well earned pat on the back for the commitment you are giving and progress you are making.

By keeping yourself motivated and enthused you will succeed in learning to speak everyday conversational Thai with the correct pronunciation and tone!

• Speak what Thai you have learnt at every opportunity. The more times you speak Thai the easier speaking Thai will become. You will be surprised how far a little bit of Thai knowledge can go. So don’t hold back. Commit to use what you learn from day one of your study. Start speaking Thai today!

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Click here to go to the first lesson of the next chapter: Pronunciation guide