ศาลาชุมนุม

[nakriian]

ผมรู้สึกซาบซึ้งครับ

Looking for a way to say I am grateful. For example, I am walking the roads and it is getting dark so I stop at a house and ask if I can sleep in their barn and they say that is fine. I then say "I am grateful".

Looking for something else other than ขอบคุณครับ

[David and Bui]

Let me suggest some alternatives. These alternatives,basically variations on a theme, are more formal formulations of the basic "ขอบคุณ":

- ขอขอบพระคุณอย่างยิ่ง
- ขอขอบพระคุณอย่างสูง
- กราบขอบพระคุณ
- ขอบพระคุณที่ได้ให้ความช่วยเหลือ
- ขอบพระคุณเป็นอย่างสูงที่ได้ให้ความช่วยเหลือ

As you can see, these are basically the same concept embellished and formalized. They are not to be used for street vendors or noodle sellers - or for farmers for usage of their barns - but they are appropriate for speeches on receiving an award, for example.

Keep up the good work.

[nakriian]

Thanks David for the reply. I am still open to additional replies. The replies will be directed towards common thai people. I would like to say something else besides ขอบคุณครับ. However, it will not be to receive an award or be in a formal environment.

If a farmer lets me use his barn to sleep in, is ขอบคุณครับ my only choice? Seems there would be a way to say I am grateful at the street thai level. If I am dealing with someone at the market, I will just say ขอบคุณครับ because they are selling me a vegetable or fruit and that is their job. However, if someone offers to let me sleep in their barn, I just want to use something different if at all possible.

[David and Bui]

Your post regarding “thank you” reminds me of a Thai word which was in great currency years ago but seems to have disappeared in recent times. That word is “ขอบใจ”. I was going to ask why but I seem to have stumbled across the answer in “ภาษาไทยวันละคำ”. Here is what the book says:

ขอบใจ หมายถึง ระลึกถึงความมีน้ำใจของผู้ที่มาชวยเหลือ เป็นคำที่ผู้ใหญ่ใช้กับผู้น้อย กับคนที่เด็กกว่า หรืออาจใช้กับคนที่มีฐานะเท่าเทียมกัน

“ขอบใจ means ‘reminding one of the น้ำใจ [kindness, thoughtfulness] of someone who has assisted him.’ It is a term which those of a higher station use with persons of a lower station, with someone who is younger, or it may be used for someone of the same status.”
. . .
ขอบคุณ มายถึง ระลึกถึงบุญคุณของผู้ใหญ่ที่มาช่วยเหลือ คำนี้เป็นคำที่ผู้น้อยใช้กับผู้ใหญ่

“ขอบคุณ means ‘reminding one of the “บุญคุณ” [favor, kindness] of someone of a higher status who provided assistance.’ This is a term which someone of a lower status uses [to say to] someone of a higher status.”
. . .
คำว่า ขอบคุณ ในปัจจุบันมีผู้นำมาใช้กับผู้น้อยหรือผู้ที่เด็กกว่าแนคำว่าขอบใจ ด้วยถือว่าเป็นคำแสดงความสุภาพ . . .

“The term ขอบคุณ in currently is used by everyone [to say to] persons of a higher status or to those who are younger, more than the term ขอบใจ. [People] believe that the word [ขอบคุณ] demonstrates politeness.”

Thanks for letting me use your post for this discussion.

[mangkorn]

ขอบใจ (หลายๆ ) is the common general "thank you" in Lao.

And I may be wrong, but I think that in Thai, ขอบใจ is considered appropriate to say to children, at least for those who feel strange addressing the wee ones as คุณ.

[Nan]

Nakriian,

For this situation, I think saying 'ขอบคุณมากครับ' is appropriate enough. Unless you can speak and listen Thai well, you might add something like 'you are so kind' - คุณใจดีมากเลยครับ ขอบคุณมากนะครับ

ขอบคุณมากครับ ผมรู้สึกซาบซึ้งมาก will work when you say it before saying goodbye.