Saying “to give” in Thai with “hâi”

ให้ (hâi) has a lot of meanings in Thai. The basic meaning is ‘to give’. Some other meanings are “to allow”, “to let”, “for”, etc., but we will only take a look at the basic meaning in this lesson.

Contents
  1. Give something to someone
    1. Structure
    2. Examples
  2. Common mistake
    1. Examples
  3. Further resources

Give something to someone

Structure

⭐️ subject + ให้ (hâi) + thing + receiver

To understand the structure, let’s use this sentence ให้เงินพ่อ (hâi ngern pôr).

There are 2 ways to translate to English

  1. I gave money to my dad.
  2. I gave my dad money.

For you to be able to think like a Thai person, the first way translates more directly to the way it’s said in Thai. So the following examples will follow the first pattern.

Examples

  • ฉันให้เงินแม่ chăn hâi ngern mâe ➜ I gave money to my mother.
  • พี่ชายให้ของขวัญน้องชาย pêe chaai hâi kŏng kwăn nóng chaai ➜ The older brother gave a gift to the younger brother.
  • ฉันให้กางเกงตัวใหม่น้อง chăn hâi gaang-geng dtuua mài nóng ➜ I gave new pants to my younger sibling.
  • ครูให้การบ้านนักเรียนทุกคน kroo hâi gaan bâan nák riian túk kon ➜ The teacher gave homework to all of the students.
  • แม่ให้ชีวิตฉัน mâe hâi chee-wít chăn ➜ My mother gave life to me.

Common mistake

Please keep in mind that the thing (meaning, what is given) has to come before the person receiving it.

Examples

  • Wrong ❌ ให้เขาเงิน hâi kăo ngern 👉 'ngern' needs to come before the person receiving ➜ Give her money.
  • Correct ✅ ให้เงินเขา hâi ngern kăo ➜ Give her money./Give the money to her.

Further resources