With only seven days to go, I realize that I have to start learning some Thai phrases soon.

I’ve come across several Thai phrases in the websites I’ve browsed through and my Thailand travel books, but it’s not enough that I know the words; I have to know how to say them properly.

One of the first website I went to that has the proper Thai pronounciations was surprisingly, not a travel site. I was in HSBC’s site looking at their Thailand offers when I saw their Say it in Thai section. It’s a small listing, but helpfull, nonetheless.

I learned about LearningThai.com from a poster in the BnA forums. It has more phrases and words, even a picture dictionary for certain sections.

Though the LearningThai.com site is more comprehensive than the HSBC link, I still find it important to listen to both. The speakers in the two sites are of the opposite gender; HSBC has a female speaker, while LearningThai.com has a male one. In Thai, men and women use different suffixes for polite conversation. Men say “khrap” while women say “kha.” There is also a difference in the accents and pronounciation of the two speakers, which can help hone your listening skills.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my lessons. Lagon!