Read and Write Thai Course Overview
Everything you need to know…
Getting started: When you enrol you will receive the login details for your Student Hub where you can view and download your learning materials and access teacher contact information. If you purchase the workbooks separately you will receive them in the post usually within 5 working days. Your teachers contact details will also be sent via email. Get started by downloading the learning materials and contact your teacher to arrange a free trial lesson
Free Trial: During a one hour trial your teacher will introduce you to the course materials, assess your current skills and ensure you start at the correct level. This is also the best chance for you to work out the logistics of where and when you will attend future lessons with your teacher.
Learn Thai: Arrange your tuition and pay your teacher directly, £12 per hour for private lessons or bulk buy 30 hours tuition for a discount (see below for group and discounted rates if you want to learn with a friend). Continue to learn for as long as you need and book lessons at times to suit you and your teacher. The average student will complete the Read and Write Thai Course in between 60 – 90 hours but this depends on your starting skills and learning speed.
Teachers: We have over 120 teachers nationwide all using the same teaching materials. It is easy to stop learning with one teacher and start with another. If you want to learn with another Thai Style teacher we will happily send you their contact details. It is good to have one main teacher for consistency but it is also an advantage to learn with many different Thai speakers to practice your listening and speaking skills.
Course Options: Short Course | Speak Thai Course | Read & Write | Speak, Read and Write | Upper Int. Thai
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Thai Style Teaching Methods:
Thai is a tonal language so for westerners who are not used to speaking with tones the most effective way to learn is with native speakers who can help you pronounce the tones, correct your pronunciation and answer your questions. If you follow our steps to learn with a native speaker we expect most students will speak great Thai after about 30 hours tuition.
Private tuition helps individuals learn at their own pace and speeds up the learning process by focusing on strengths and weaknesses.
Study objective & Course Aims: The read and Write Thai course has been designed to emphasise on writing, reading and speaking skills to help students understand the Thai alphabet, reading and writing system, grammar, sentences and general conversation. There are a lot of exercises to help you memorise new skills. We aim for students to understand about the Thai alphabet and able to read and write Thai correctly.
Who is it for?
- Suitable for students who have completed Thai Style’s speak Thai course
- Individuals who already have a good understanding of the language and able to speak basic Thai
- You may choose to learn this course alongside our Speak Thai course for a more intensive learning experience. Read more about our Speak, Read and Write Thai course option.
Duration & Lessons:
- Arrange as many lessons as you need to complete the course (average 60-90 hours tuition)
- There are six stages to complete (three workbooks)
- We advise you attend at least one or two, 1 hour lessons per week
- You may increase lesson duration (1.5 hours or 2 hours) and pay your teacher pro rata
- Try to leave 2 or 3 days between lessons to give you time to practice and consolidate new skills
Learning Materials: To keep our costs down the learning materials are provided as a download available from your Student Hub. The worksheets are PDF format and look great on an iPad or you can print them to take along to your lessons.
Workbooks: As well as the downloadable version of the materials you may choose to purchase a workbook separately during the enrolment process. Each workbook is A4 size and has 2 stages of the course. They cost £12 each.
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Read & Write Thai Course fees:
There is a one off enrolment fee which provides you with everything you need for your lessons. You can save money on the enrolment and tuition fees when you learn with a friend.
Enrolment Fee:
- 1 student: £80
- 2 students: £139
- 3 students: £179
Tuition Fees:
- 1 student: £12 per hour
- 2 students: £20 per hour (£10 per person per hour)
- 3 students: £25 per hour (£8.33 per person per hour)
Workbook add-on: You can download the worksheets from your student Hub or you may choose to buy the workbooks. There is one workbook for two stages of the course (3 workbooks in total). They are A4 size and contain over 100 pages of content. Workbooks cost £12 each.
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Course Outline
View an example lesson - Click Here
Free trial lesson : One hour lesson content: Introduction to Thai language, Introduction to Thai Style teaching methods, Thai consonants, skills assessment.
Stage 1:
During the first stage, we aim to introduce the principles of Thai language to students, learn to read and write 44 Thai consonant letters and the basic word system.
• Memorize and learn about the 44 consonant letters which are divided into 3 groups,
- 9 medium tone consonant letters in lesson 1-3
- 10 nasal consonant letters in lesson 4-6
- 25 twin consonant letters in lesson 7-12 which also separate to 2 parts, rising tone consonant from 7-9 and low-medium tone consonant from 10-12.
• Practise reading, writing and the basic word system
Stage 2:
During the second stage, we aim to teach students Thai vowels, the basic word system and sentences.
• 18 single vowel letters
• 4 extra vowel letters
• 6 combined vowel letters
• Extra language symbols
• Thai vowels with final consonant modulation
• Practise reading, writing and the basic word system
Stage 3:
During the third stage, we aim to teach students about reading and writing grammar and the tones.
• Final consonants
• Live & Dead syllables and words
• Tone marks
• Medium consonant tone modulation table
• Nasal consonants tone modulation table
• Twin consonants tone modulation table
• Consonant clusters & Inherent vowels
• The 4 elements & tone analyzing system
• Practise reading, writing and analyzing the words
Stage 4:
During the forth stage, we aim to teach students about parts of speech and practice constructing different types of sentences.
• Thai grammar & different types of sentences
Stage 5:
During the fifth stage, we aim for students to practice writing and reading short paragraphs in different styles and on different subjects.
• Practise reading and writing short paragraph, letter, etc.
Stage 6:
During the sixth stage, we aim to let students learn and practise writing and reading official Thai words, some basic Royal Thai words and words to use with monks, etc.
• Learn and practise writing and reading official Thai words, etc.
One hour lesson plan
This is a rough outline for a one hour lesson but the methods will be adapted to suit every individual.
2-5 minutes: Meet and greet
10-15 minutes: Revision from the last lesson
20-30 minutes: learn the content of the lesson and practise
10-15 minutes: Free conversation in Thai
End of the lesson: If there is still some time left, your teacher can have free conversation with you but try to relate to Thai language, Thai culture or Thai subjects of intrest.
You will require a lot of practise to help you to memorize the Thai alphabet and Thai grammar. Your teacher will also help to correct your pronunciation and practise conversation, for example, how to move your mouth correctly and what is the right tone for each word. Your teacher will explain about all the words or sentences in every detail, for example, the meanings, how to use, when to use and maybe what and where is the origin of the word, such as, having roots from other languages.
This system is flexible. It depends on your ability and if you are a fast or slow learner. This is the art of adapting your lessons to fit your needs and to make sure you get the most out of every lesson. Thai pronunciation is very hard for westerners and sometimes takes time to adjust your tongue. Some lessons, you do not need to learn to pronounce everything as the materials may emphasize more on grammar rather than pronunciation.
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What’s Next?
Continue Learning / Upgrade: When you have completed the Speak Thai Course (stage one, two and three learning materials) you may choose to continue learning. Upgrade to the Read and Write Thai Cource for £80 and receive the next 3 stages to continue your Thai language experience and learn Thai scripts.