Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. ?
Here are the resources I consider essential to learn how to speak Thai.
FAVOURITE COURSES & APPS TO GIVE YOUR THAI A BOOST
ThaiPod101 – This is my favourite Thai audio cause. It represents excellent value for money and goes all the way from complete beginner to advanced level.
Glossika Thai – Learn through sentences and repetition. Glossika uses the “mass sentence method” combined with an advanced spaced repetition system to teach you Thai in context. Best for upper-beginner to intermediate learners.
THAI SPEAKING TOOLS: PRACTICE WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS
Speak from day one is my approach to any new language. I have one tool I recommend for this:
Italki – connects you with native Thai speakers for spoken practice on Skype. You can pay Thai tutors for (affordable) one-to-one video lessons, or find a free language exchange partner!
LEARN HOW TO READ AND WRITE IN THAI
Read Thai in 10 Days – an excellent book by Arthit Juyaso on how to quickly master the Thai alphabet.
THAI TEXT-BASED COURSES AND BOOKS
I asked the Fluent in 3 Months team about their favourite Thai courses, and here is the book they recommended:
Teach Yourself Thai Complete – This course book is an easy-going intro to the Thai language. It uses great examples and slowly introduces you to only-essential grammar.
THAI LISTENING AND PRONUNCIATION RESOURCES
Pickup Thai – This site has six Thai audio conversations recorded by a professional Thai teacher, with transcripts in English, Latin alphabet transliteration and Thai script, side-by-side.
Genki Thai – Genki Thai covers all the basics, including greetings, colours, body parts, directions, and much more. There is no reading or writing Thai required to play.
THAI LEARNING WEBSITES YOU MUST BOOKMARK TODAY
You’ll return to these resources again and again in your Thai study sessions.
Forvo – find out how any Thai word is pronounced. Just type the word you’re looking for into the search bar in Thai!
Longdo Dict – Simply the best dictionary for Thai. Upon entering your search query (whether in Thai or English), Longdo Dict looks it up in several dictionaries: Thai-English, English-Thai, Thai-Thai, Thai-English-French, and Japanese-Thai.
Thai2English – Another great dictionary suitable for long sentence searches. Once entered, it breaks the sentences up into individual words, giving you both the meaning and the pronunciation.
START SPEAKING THAI NOW
Need help getting started? I designed this course to guide you through your first week:
Conversation Countdown – Have your first conversation in Thai in just seven days. This is one of our most popular courses, and with good reason, because you’ll get results fast.