How to Say “I don't speak Thai” in Thai

พูดภาษาไทยไม่ได้

phûut phaa-sǎa-thay mây dâay

I don't speak Thai

พูดภาษาไทยไม่ได้ค่ะphûut phaa-sǎa-thay mây dâay khâfemale speakerพูดภาษาไทยไม่ได้ครับphûut phaa-sǎa-thay mây dâay khrápmale speaker

ค่ะ (khâ) and ครับ (khráp) are polite particles — they depend on the speaker's gender, not the listener's.

Word by word

Tone colors:midlowfallinghighrising

พูดphûutVsay

ภาษาphaa-sǎaNlanguage

ไทยthayADJThai

ไม่ได้mây dâayAUXcannot

When to use it

This manages expectations clearly. But if you'd like to practice your Thai, use พูดภาษาไทยได้นิดหน่อย (phûut phaa-sǎa-thay dâay nít-nɔ̀y) — I can speak a little Thai. This softer phrasing sounds humble and usually earns a warmer, friendlier response from locals.

Why you've seen it spelled differently

You may have seen พูดภาษาไทยไม่ได้ written as: phut phasa thai mai dai, pood passa tai mai dai.

There is no single standard for writing Thai in the Roman alphabet — phrasebooks, road signs, and tourist guides each follow a different system, and many just invent their own spellings. The romanization on this page uses a consistent IPA-based system that marks all five tones and distinguishes short from long vowels. The same word always gets the same spelling. Paste any Thai to see it romanized →

Related phrases

Speak slowly

พูดช้าๆ หน่อย

phûut cháa cháa nɔ̀y

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