Making Yourself Understood in Thailand
Misunderstandings occur frequently in Thailand, and you can never expect that your words will be immediately understood. If you see a puzzled expression on the face of the person addressed, try to express yourself more simply; try speaking more slowly (but not too slowly), quietly, and without any intonation. The Thais are more likely to comprehend what you are saying if you do not use a lot of intonation in your speech.
When using taxis, the best idea is to ask a Thai to write your destination down in Thai for you. Failing that, write it down in English; and give it to the taxi driver. Thailand boasts a high standard of literacy (95 percent of the adult population) and most people in the travel and tourist trades seem to be able to read Thai and English.
Understanding “Thai English”
Just as foreigners experience difficulties communicating in Thai, they may also have problems in coping with English as spoken by Thais, especially the less well educated. Thais have some major pronunciation difficulties.
Thais often separate consonants by inserting a vowel between them: