Why do you learn Thai? "Why?"-Questions in Thai

Two different ways to ask "Why?" in Thai.

Content

Why...? Because... in Thai

Examples

Why don't you...? in Thai

ถึง - softening and "filling the gap"

Example - filling the gap

Example - softening

Asking in response to a statement

Examples

เพราะอะไร - Because of what?

Examples

Lingo Ninja Research Team

2 min read · first published May 21, 2021 · last update June 16, 2021

General note: The examples in this article don't use polite particles, to keep them short. Please use polite particles in your everyday Thai. If you don't know how, read our article on Thai polite particles.

Why...? Because... in Thai

To ask "Why" in Thai, you use the word ทำไม

. For short questions, you usually put ทำไม

at the end, for longer questions at the beginning.

Answers ("because of ...") start with เพราะ

or เพราะว่า

Examples

Q: Why do you learn Thai?
ทำไม

คุณ

เรียน

ภาษา

ไทย

?
Literally: why? - you - learn - language - Thai
A: Because (I) am in Thailand
เพราะว่า

อยู่

ที่

เมือง

ไทย

Literally: because - be - at - nation - Thai

Q: Why (do you) go?
ไป

ทำไม

?
Literally: go - why?
A: Because (I) am in Thailand
เพราะว่า

อยู่

ที่

เมือง

ไทย

Literally: because - be - at - nation - Thai

Why don't you...? in Thai

To say "Why don’t (you) ….?" in Thai, you use the patterns:

ทำไม คุณ ไม่ ...?
Literally: Why - you - not
ทำไม ไม่ ...?
Literally: Why - not

But unlike in English, this is a real request for information (you want to know why) and not a suggestion ("You better do ...").

Q: Why don't you go shopping with me?
ทำไม

คุณ

ไม่

ไป

ซื้อ

ของ

กับ

ฉัน

?
Literally: Why - you - not - go - buy - things - with - I

ถึง - softening and "filling the gap"

ถึง

has multiple uses in questions with ทำไม

Sometimes, the question might sound a bit harsh to Thai speakers. To avoid that, you can use ถึง to soften the question.
If ทำไม is at the beginning, and the verb misses its object, this "gap" of the missing object can be filled by using ถึง .