Work and office in Thai

ประชุมกี่โมงครับ

bprà-chum gìi moong khráp

What time is the meeting?

Male speaker

The same กี่โมง (gìi moong) you used at the temple gate. Thai offices answer in the Thai clock: บ่ายสอง (bàai sǎwng) is 2 pm, สี่โมงเย็น (sìi moong yen) is 4 pm. When in doubt, repeat the number back and show your phone clock, nobody minds.

ขอตัวก่อนนะครับ

khǎw-dtua gàwn ná khráp

Excuse me, I have to go now.

Male speaker

The graceful exit. Say it as you start to stand, with a small nod toward the most senior person, and you can leave a meeting, a dinner or the office before everyone else without seeming rude. Literally you ask to take your body away first. นะ (ná) softens it, keep it in.

กินข้าวหรือยังครับ

gin khâao rěu yang khráp

Have you eaten yet?

Male speaker

A hearing phrase: colleagues say this the way English speakers say how are you, it is a greeting, not an inquiry about your calories. Answer กินแล้วครับ (gin láew khráp), already eaten, or ยังครับ (yang khráp), not yet. Saying ยัง often gets you adopted into the lunch group, which is where office Thai actually improves.

เสร็จแล้วครับ

sèt láew khráp

It's finished.

Male speaker

Your shortest status report, for when the boss looks over or a colleague asks about the file you owed them. The opposite is ยังไม่เสร็จครับ (yang mâi sèt khráp), not finished yet. แล้ว (láew) marks anything completed and you will bolt it onto verbs constantly.

ประชุมกี่โมงครับ

bprà-chum gìi moong khráp

What time is the meeting?

Male speaker

The everyday way to pin down a meeting, in the room or in the LINE group. Spoken answers come as clock blocks rather than 24-hour time: sìp moong (10am), bàai sǎwng (2pm), hâa moong yen (5pm). Written invites and notices often still use 13.00 น. style, so you need both. Women say khá at the end instead of khráp.

กำหนดส่งวันไหนคะ

gam-nòt sòng wan nǎi khá

When is it due?

Female speaker

gam-nòt sòng is the neutral office word for a due date; younger colleagues also just say dèt-lai. The answer comes back as a bare day, wan sùk (Friday) or sîn deuan (end of the month), so listen for the day name rather than a full sentence. Men end with khráp.

ช่วยดูให้หน่อยได้ไหมคะ

chûay duu hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khá

Could you have a look at this for me?

Female speaker

chûay ... nàwy is the standard soft-request frame: put any verb after chûay and the nàwy shrinks the favour so it is easy to accept. Open with phîi wâang mǎi khá first, otherwise walking straight into the request feels abrupt. Expect dâi khráp or dâi khâ (sure), or sàk khrûu (give me a minute). Men end with khráp.

พี่ว่างไหมครับ ขอรบกวนสักครู่ครับ

phîi wâang mǎi khráp, khǎw róp-guan sàk khrûu khráp

Do you have a moment? Sorry to bother you briefly.

Male speaker

The opener that goes in front of any request at work. phîi is for anyone older or more senior, náwng downward, and the term does more work than khun plus a name, which sounds cold to a Thai colleague. Default to phîi when you are unsure of the age gap. Women end with khâ.

พี่เอ๋ครับ ขอถามหน่อยครับ

phîi ǎe khráp, khǎw thǎam nàwy khráp

P'Ae, may I ask you something?

Male speaker

phîi is always followed by the nickname, never the legal first name, so find out what the team calls each other in the first week. Ae stands in for whatever nickname you need. Using the name is what turns a phrase from textbook Thai into office Thai. Women end with khâ.

น้องช่วยส่งไฟล์ให้พี่หน่อยได้ไหมคะ

náwng chûay sòng fai hâi phîi nàwy dâi mǎi khá

Could you send me the file?

Female speaker

Downward to someone younger or more junior, and note that you call yourself phîi rather than using a pronoun. Even downward the chûay ... nàwy frame stays; dropping it and giving a bare order is what marks a foreigner as rude. Men end with khráp.

ขออนุญาตลาพักร้อนวันศุกร์ครับ

khǎw à-nú-yâat laa phák-ráwn wan sùk khráp

May I take annual leave on Friday?

Male speaker

khǎw à-nú-yâat is the formal register you want with a boss, in an email or on a leave form. With a peer, plain khǎw laa wan sùk is enough. Swap phák-ráwn for bpùay if you are calling in sick (laa bpùay) or for gìt for personal business (laa gìt). Get the verbal nod from your phîi or hǔa-nâa before you touch the form. Women end with khâ.

วันนี้ขอลาป่วยนะครับ ไม่สบายตั้งแต่เมื่อคืน

wan-níi khǎw laa bpùay ná khráp, mâi sà-baai dtâng-dtàe mêua-kheun

I'm taking sick leave today, I've been unwell since last night.

Male speaker

Send it early in the morning, to your phîi or hǔa-nâa directly and not only to the group. This is the everyday register; the formal khǎw à-nú-yâat frame is for the written form, not for an 8am message. Naming when it started is what stops the follow-up questions. Women end with khâ.

ขอหนังสือรับรองการทำงานสำหรับต่อวีซ่าหน่อยครับ

khǎw nǎng-sěu-ráp-rawng gaan-tham-ngaan sǎm-ràp dtàw wii-sâa nàwy khráp

Could I have an employment certificate for my visa extension?

Male speaker

The document immigration wants from your employer. Ask HR two weeks ahead, not two days: it needs a signature and the company seal, and the person who signs is often travelling. Say what it is for, since the wording differs for a visa extension, a bank account and a driving licence. Women end with khâ.

ใบอนุญาตทำงานจะหมดอายุเดือนหน้า ต้องเตรียมเอกสารอะไรบ้างคะ

bai à-nú-yâat tham-ngaan jà mòt-aa-yú deuan-nâa, dtâwng dtriam èek-gà-sǎan à-rai bâang khá

My work permit expires next month, what documents do I need to prepare?

Female speaker

bâang is what turns this into give me the whole list rather than name one thing. Learn raai-ngaan dtua gâo-sìp wan (the 90-day report) as vocabulary too, because HR will ask whether you have done it and it is separate from the permit. Men end with khráp.

ต้องเซ็นสำเนาถูกต้องกี่ใบครับ

dtâwng sen sǎm-nao thùuk-dtâwng gìi bai khráp

How many certified true copies do I need to sign?

Male speaker

sǎm-nao thùuk-dtâwng means you write that phrase across the photocopy and sign under it, on every page of your passport copies. Thai offices ask for more copies than you expect, so bring the passport itself as well. Women end with khâ.

บริษัทไปด้วยไหมครับ หรือผมไปเองได้

baw-rí-sàt bpai dûay mǎi khráp, rěu phǒm bpai eeng dâi

Does someone from the company come with me, or can I go alone?

Male speaker

Worth asking every time, because some immigration and labour offices will not process a work permit step without a company representative holding the authorisation letter. Turning up alone and being sent home costs you a day of leave. Women replace phǒm with dì-chǎn or their nickname and end with khâ.

ขอสลิปเงินเดือนย้อนหลังสามเดือนได้ไหมคะ

khǎw sà-líp-ngoen-deuan yáwn-lǎng sǎam deuan dâi mǎi khá

Could I have the last three payslips?

Female speaker

yáwn lǎng means going back, and it is the word for any backdated set of documents. Banks, immigration and landlords all ask for three or six months of these, so keep the PDFs rather than requesting them twice. Men end with khráp.

ขอใบห้าสิบทวิด้วยครับ

khǎw bai hâa-sìp thá-wí dûay khráp

Could I have the 50 tawi withholding tax certificate?

Male speaker

Everyone in a Thai office calls it bai hâa-sìp thá-wí, after the section of the tax code. It shows the tax already withheld from your salary and you cannot file your Thai return without it. HR issues them early in the year; ask if yours has not appeared by February. Women end with khâ.

ประกันสังคมของผมใช้โรงพยาบาลไหนครับ

bprà-gan-sǎng-khom khǎwng phǒm chái roong-phá-yaa-baan nǎi khráp

Which hospital is my social security registered to?

Male speaker

Your social security card names one hospital and treatment is only free there, which matters at 2am. If HR registered you somewhere far from home you can change it once a year, so ask early. Women replace phǒm with dì-chǎn or their nickname and end with khâ.

ประกันกลุ่มของบริษัทครอบคลุมผู้ป่วยนอกไหมคะ

bprà-gan glùm khǎwng baw-rí-sàt khrâwp-khlum phûu-bpùay-nâwk mǎi khá

Does the company group insurance cover outpatient visits?

Female speaker

phûu bpùay nâwk is outpatient, phûu bpùay nai is inpatient, and many company policies cover only the second. Ask for the per-visit limit as well: khrâwp-khlum thâo-rài dtàw khráng khá. Men end with khráp.

เคลมกับโรงพยาบาลตรงได้ไหมครับ หรือต้องสำรองจ่ายก่อน

khleem gàp roong-phá-yaa-baan dtrong dâi mǎi khráp, rěu dtâwng sǎm-rawng-jàai gàwn

Can I claim directly with the hospital, or do I pay first and claim back?

Male speaker

sǎm-rawng jàai is the phrase for paying out of your own pocket and claiming later, and it is the answer more often than people expect. If it is direct billing, ask which hospitals are in the network and carry the insurance card next to your ID. Women end with khâ.

เบิกค่าเดินทางยังไงครับ

bòek khâa-doen-thaang yang-ngai khráp

How do I claim travel expenses?

Male speaker

bòek is the verb for claiming money back from the company, and it attaches to any cost: bòek khâa aa-hǎan, bòek khâa thaek-sîi. Ask before you spend, not after, because what is claimable is decided by the finance team and not by the receipt. Women end with khâ.

ขอใบเสร็จในนามบริษัทด้วยครับ

khǎw bai-sèt nai naam baw-rí-sàt dûay khráp

Please make out the receipt in the company name.

Male speaker

You say this at the shop, hotel or restaurant, not back at the office. Have the company name, address and tax ID saved as a note on your phone or a photo of the card, because they will ask for all three. An ordinary till slip gets the claim rejected. Women end with khâ.

เบิกได้ภายในกี่วันครับ

bòek dâi phaai-nai gìi wan khráp

How many days do I have to submit the claim?

Male speaker

Most companies close the window at thirty days or at the end of the month, and a late claim is simply refused rather than argued about. phaai-nai again means no later than. Women end with khâ.

วันนี้จะเข้างานสายประมาณยี่สิบนาทีค่ะ

wan-níi jà khâo ngaan sǎai bprà-maan yîi-sìp naa-thii khâ

I'll be about twenty minutes late today.

Female speaker

Send this in the team LINE group before you are due, not when you walk in. khâo ngaan sǎai is the fixed phrase for arriving late to work, and naming the number of minutes is what keeps it from looking careless. Men end with khráp.

กินข้าวยังครับ

gin khâao yang khráp

Have you eaten yet?

Male speaker

The standard arrival greeting, closer to how are you than to a real question about food. Answer gin láew khráp (already) or yang khráp (not yet), and yang often turns into an invitation to go together. Women end with khâ.

ไปกินข้าวด้วยกันไหมครับ

bpai gin khâao dûay-gan mǎi khráp

Shall we go and eat together?

Male speaker

Office lunch is where you stop being the foreign contractor and become a colleague. Upward it is phîi gin khâao yang khá, bpai dûay gan mǎi. Declining every day is read as distance rather than as privacy, so go a couple of times a week even when you would rather not. Women end with khâ.

ซื้อของฝากมาให้ทุกคนครับ

sêu khǎwng-fàak maa hâi thúk khon khráp

I brought back a little something for everyone.

Male speaker

khǎwng fàak is the snack or sweet you bring back from any trip, and it is close to obligatory after time away. It does not need to be expensive; a box of local sweets left in the shared area with this sentence is exactly right. Women end with khâ.

ขอลงขันด้วยคนนะคะ

khǎw long-khǎn dûay khon ná khá

Count me in for the collection.

Female speaker

long khǎn is putting into the shared envelope for a colleague's wedding, ordination or funeral. Ask the organiser how much people are giving rather than guessing, and hand it over in an envelope. Being the one person who does not contribute is noticed. Men end with khráp.

ขอบคุณทุกคนมากนะครับ

khàwp-khun thúk khon mâak ná khráp

Thanks so much, everyone.

Male speaker

Say it at the end of a long day or after a launch. The ná is what makes it warm rather than official. A common follow-on is nèuay gan ná khráp, which acknowledges that everyone is worn out rather than praising the work. Women say ná khá.

นัดประชุมบ่ายสองได้ไหมคะ

nát bprà-chum bàai sǎwng dâi mǎi khá

Can we set the meeting for two?

Female speaker

nát is the verb for setting any appointment, at work or with a clinic. If you do not want to name a time yourself, ask phîi wâang wan nǎi khá (which day are you free), which is the safer opener upward. Men end with khráp.

งานนี้ต้องทำยังไงบ้างครับ

ngaan níi dtâwng tham yang-ngai bâang khráp

How should I go about this?

Male speaker

bâang asks for the steps rather than one answer. Asking this at the start is normal and expected; guessing and producing something in a shape nobody recognises costs far more face than the question does. Women end with khâ.

มีตัวอย่างเก่าให้ดูไหมคะ

mii dtua-yàang gào hâi duu mǎi khá

Is there an old example I could look at?

Female speaker

The highest-value question a newcomer asks. Thai offices run on precedent, so last year's version of the same report or letter tells you the expected format, tone and level of detail faster than any explanation. Men end with khráp.

อันนี้เร่งไหมครับ

an-níi rêng mǎi khráp

Is this urgent?

Male speaker

The question that translates dǐao into an actual time. ngaan dùan is an urgent job and rêng means to rush something. Ask it as work is handed to you, because everything looks equally urgent in a LINE message. Women end with khâ.

ขอเสนออีกทางได้ไหมครับ

khǎw sà-nǒe ìik thaang dâi mǎi khráp

May I suggest another way?

Male speaker

Disagreement has to arrive as an addition, not a contradiction. Asking permission to add an option leaves the first plan and the person who proposed it untouched. A flat phǒm mâi hěn dûay (I disagree) in a meeting is heard as a personal challenge. Women end with khâ.

อาจจะติดปัญหานิดหน่อยครับ

àat jà dtìt bpan-hǎa nít-nàwy khráp

There might be a small problem with that.

Male speaker

The hedges do the work: àat jà (might), nâa jà (probably) and nít-nàwy (a little) let you flag a real risk without telling anyone they are wrong. Say the size honestly in the detail that follows; the softeners are in the frame, not in the facts. Women end with khâ.

ถ้าทำแบบนี้จะเป็นยังไงครับ

thâa tham bàep-níi jà bpen yang-ngai khráp

What would happen if we did it this way?

Male speaker

Turning your proposal into a question lets the room adopt it as their own idea, which is how decisions actually change in a Thai meeting. Softer again is phǒm wâa nâa jà tham ìik bàep dii gwàa mǎi khráp. Women end with khâ.

ฝากด้วยนะครับ

fàak dûay ná khráp

I'm leaving this with you, thanks.

Male speaker

Your version, with the particle kept on. Upward or to anyone you do not know well, róp-guan phîi dûay ná khráp is better still. Keep khráp or khâ on every handover until a Thai colleague drops it with you first: from a foreigner a bare imperative reads as brusque, or as claiming seniority you do not have. Women end with khâ.

กลับก่อนนะครับ พรุ่งนี้เจอกัน

glàp gàwn ná khráp, phrûng-níi joe gan

I'm heading off, see you tomorrow.

Male speaker

gàwn means before you, and it is the whole point: you are acknowledging that colleagues are still working. Walking out past them in silence is noticed every single time. Say it to the room, not just to the person nearest the door. Women end with khâ.

ขอตัวก่อนนะคะ

khǎw dtua gàwn ná khá

Excuse me, I'll head off now.

Female speaker

The more polite version, for leaving a meeting, leaving a table or leaving before the boss does. It also works for stepping away from a conversation without ending it rudely. Men end with khráp.

กรอกใบลาในระบบด้วยนะคะ

gràwk bai-laa nai rá-bòp dûay ná khá

Fill in the leave form in the system as well.

Female speaker

The reply to your spoken leave request: the words are only step one and the paperwork is what counts. rá-bòp means the HR system, whatever it is called at your company. Answer ráp-sâap khráp and do it the same day, because unfiled leave shows up as absence. Men end with khráp.

ฝากงานไว้กับใครครับ

fàak ngaan wái gàp khrai khráp

Who are you leaving your work with?

Male speaker

The question that decides whether your leave is approved. Arrange the cover before you ask, not after. Answering that nothing needs covering is the wrong answer: name a person. Women end with khâ.

ฝากพี่เอ๋ดูแลแทนแล้วครับ

fàak phîi ǎe duu-lae thaen láew khráp

I've asked P'Ae to cover for me.

Male speaker

láew is the load-bearing word: it says the arrangement is already made, not planned. Say the same thing in the team LINE group with the dates so nobody has to ask twice. Women end with khâ.

หัวหน้าอนุมัติแล้วค่ะ

hǔa-nâa à-nú-mát láew khâ

The boss has approved it.

Female speaker

The green light, usually from HR or an admin rather than the boss directly. à-nú-mát is the word to watch for on any form or LINE message about leave, expenses or purchases. Until you hear or see it, nothing is agreed. Men end with khráp.

มีใบรับรองแพทย์ไหมคะ

mii bai-ráp-rawng-phâet mǎi khá

Do you have a medical certificate?

Female speaker

Most Thai companies require one from the second or third day of sick leave, and some from the first. It is the single document a foreigner forgets. Men end with khráp.

เดี๋ยวไปหาหมอแล้วส่งใบรับรองแพทย์ให้ครับ

dǐao bpai hǎa mǎw láew sòng bai-ráp-rawng-phâet hâi khráp

I'll see the doctor and send you the medical certificate.

Male speaker

Ask the clinic for bai ráp-rawng phâet at the counter before you leave, since having one issued afterwards is difficult and sometimes refused. Photograph it and put it in the LINE group the same day. Women end with khâ.

ต้องใช้ใบกำกับภาษีตัวจริงไหมคะ

dtâwng chái bai-gam-gàp-phaa-sǐi dtua-jing mǎi khá

Do you need the original tax invoice?

Female speaker

bai gam-gàp phaa-sǐi is the VAT tax invoice, a different document from the plain receipt, and accounting usually wants the paper original rather than a photo. dtua jing means the real one, as opposed to a copy. Men end with khráp.

ประชุมเลื่อนเป็นบ่ายสองนะครับ

bprà-chum lêuan bpen bàai sǎwng ná khráp

The meeting has been pushed to two.

Male speaker

This is what you hear or read, usually in LINE an hour beforehand. lêuan means shifted to a different time, almost always later; lêuan àwk bpai means postponed with no new time yet. Answer with the next phrase.

รับทราบค่ะ

ráp-sâap khâ

Noted.

Female speaker

Formal register: keep it for a message from a boss or an all-team announcement, where it says you have registered the change and will act on it. Sideways to a peer it sounds stiff and can read as cold, so use oo-khee khâ, dâi khráp or jâa in the team chat. Upward and warm is ráp-sâap khráp-phǒm. Men say ráp-sâap khráp.

โอเคค่ะ

oo-khee khâ

Okay.

Female speaker

The everyday acknowledgement between peers, in the chat or across the desk. dâi khráp and dâi khâ do the same job, and jâa is the very common peer-to-peer version in LINE, warm but never used upward. Save ráp-sâap for the boss and for announcements. Men end with khráp.

ส่งภายในวันศุกร์นะคะ

sòng phaai-nai wan sùk ná khá

Send it by Friday.

Female speaker

What a manager says to you. phaai-nai means within or no later than, so the day named is the last day, not the target day. Answer ráp-sâap or give a concrete time with the next phrase.

น้องส่งภายในวันศุกร์นะ

náwng sòng phaai-nai wan sùk ná

Send it by Friday.

The same sentence one level down, with the address term in front and the particle dropped. Hearing it at three levels is the point: náwng ... ná downward, ná khá sideways or upward, and khǎw à-nú-yâat register in writing. As a foreigner, produce this one only with someone clearly junior who already calls you phîi.

เดี๋ยวส่งให้ก่อนเที่ยงครับ

dǐao sòng hâi gàwn thîang khráp

I'll send it to you before noon.

Male speaker

dǐao plus a verb is how Thai promises a near-future action. Offering a concrete cut-off, gàwn thîang (before noon) or gàwn lôek ngaan (before end of day), is what stops the follow-up message. Women end with khâ.

ได้ครับ เดี๋ยวจัดการให้

dâi khráp, dǐao jàt-gaan hâi

Sure, I'll take care of it.

Male speaker

The clean acceptance after ฝากด้วยนะ or a chûay request. jàt-gaan covers handling anything from a file to a supplier. Add a time if you can, since dǐao on its own is elastic. Women end with khâ.

ตอนนี้ติดงานด่วนอยู่ครับ ขอเป็นบ่ายได้ไหมครับ

dtawn-níi dtìt ngaan dùan yùu khráp, khǎw bpen bàai dâi mǎi khráp

I'm tied up with something urgent, could we make it this afternoon?

Male speaker

dtìt plus a noun is the standard way to be unavailable without refusing: dtìt bprà-chum yùu khâ (I'm in a meeting), dtìt lûuk-kháa (I'm with a client). Offering a later time instead of a no is what makes it acceptable. Saying yes to everything is how a foreigner misses the deadline they already had. Women end with khâ.

เดี๋ยวขอดูก่อนนะครับ

dǐao khǎw duu gàwn ná khráp

Let me have a look at it first.

Male speaker

Coming back at you, this is usually a no rather than a delay. A close relative is khǎw chék gàwn ná khá, dǐao dtìt-dtàw glàp (let me check, I'll get back to you). Thank the person, leave it, and find another route rather than asking again in the same conversation. Women end with khâ.

คงยากนะครับ

khong yâak ná khráp

That would be difficult.

Male speaker

About as close to a flat no as a Thai colleague will come, and it is final. The polite answer is khâo-jai khráp, khàwp-khun khráp and a change of subject. Pressing for a straight yes or no is what actually causes offence, not the refusal. Women end with khâ.

น่าจะไม่ทันนะคะ

nâa jà mâi than ná khá

I don't think it'll be ready in time.

Female speaker

mâi than is missing the deadline, the same than as in fang mâi than. Treat nâa jà as a firm statement wearing a hedge: the work will not arrive, so replan around it now rather than waiting to see. Men end with khráp.

ขอตามงานหน่อยนะครับ เรื่องนั้นถึงไหนแล้วครับ

khǎw dtaam ngaan nàwy ná khráp, rêuang nán thěung nǎi láew khráp

Just following up, where are we on that?

Male speaker

dtaam ngaan is the neutral office word for chasing, and naming it out loud is what keeps the chase from sounding like an accusation. thěung nǎi láew asks how far along it is rather than why it is late. A softer second ask is róp-guan chûay duu hâi nàwy ná khá. Women end with khâ.

ฝากด้วยนะ

fàak dûay ná

It's on you now, please handle it.

Receive-only: you will hear this constantly as work is handed over, usually from a phîi or a boss handing down, and the bare particle-free form belongs to them. It is not a question, so do not wait for one: answer dâi khráp, dâi khâ or ráp-sâap. Use the next card for your own version.

ระวังทางด้วยนะคะ

rá-wang thaang dûay ná khá

Take care on the way home.

Female speaker

What comes back when you say glàp gàwn ná khráp, along with chôok dii khâ (good luck) and bpai dii maa dii. Return it when a colleague leaves before you; it is the warmest of the standard goodbyes and costs nothing. Men end with khráp.

ผมฟังไม่ทันครับ

phǒm fang mâi than khráp

I didn't catch that.

Male speaker

fang mâi than says you could not keep up with the speed, which is far softer than fang mâi rúu rêuang (I did not understand any of it) and does not stall the meeting. Women replace phǒm with dì-chǎn or their own nickname and end with khâ.

พูดช้า ๆ อีกทีได้ไหมคะ

phûut cháa-cháa ìik thii dâi mǎi khá

Could you say that again slowly?

Female speaker

Use it right after admitting you missed it. Ask for cháa-cháa explicitly: a colleague who is only asked to repeat will say the same thing at the same speed. Men end with khráp.

ช่วยพิมพ์ในไลน์ให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

chûay phim nai lai hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could you type it in LINE for me?

Male speaker

The most useful repair in a Thai office. Every team runs on LINE, so nobody finds this odd, and seeing a date, a name, a file or a number in writing removes the guessing and gives you a record. Women end with khâ.

สรุปว่าประชุมบ่ายสองใช่ไหมคะ

sà-rùp wâa bprà-chum bàai sǎwng châi mǎi khá

So the meeting is at two, right?

Female speaker

The meeting-room safety net: say back what you think was agreed and let them correct it. sà-rùp wâa takes any statement. The answer is châi (yes) or mâi châi, and mâi châi comes with the right version. Men end with khráp.

ยังไม่ได้รับเลยค่ะ ช่วยส่งอีกทีได้ไหมคะ

yang mâi dâi ráp loei khâ, chûay sòng ìik thii dâi mǎi khá

I haven't received it, could you send it again?

Female speaker

The most common reply to a file you were sure you sent, and the most common thing you will need to say. loei sharpens it to nothing at all has arrived. Resend into the LINE group rather than by email, and say sòng nai lai láew ná khráp so everyone can see it landed. Men end with khráp.

ขอโทษครับ ผมเข้าใจผิดเอง เดี๋ยวแก้ให้เลยครับ

khǎw-thôot khráp, phǒm khâo-jai phìt eeng, dǐao gâe hâi loei khráp

Sorry, I misunderstood. I'll fix it right away.

Male speaker

Naming the fix and the timing is what closes it; the shorter peer version is phìt thîi phǒm eeng khráp. A long apology makes everyone uncomfortable and repeating it the next day reopens the loss of face. Never correct a colleague's mistake in front of the group, take it to LINE one to one. Women replace phǒm with dì-chǎn or their nickname and end with khâ.

ขอเลื่อนส่งเป็นวันจันทร์ได้ไหมคะ

khǎw lêuan sòng bpen wan jan dâi mǎi khá

Could I push the deadline to Monday?

Female speaker

Ask before the due date, never after: in Thai offices the loss of face is in the silence, not the delay. If you have already got something wrong, open with khǎw-thôot khâ, khâo-jai phìt (sorry, I misunderstood) and then ask. Men end with khráp.