Thai Phrases › Practice › Emergency dialogue

Thai dialogue: getting help when a friend is hurt

One short, urgent conversation — the one nobody wants to have, and everyone should be able to have, in Thai. First you hear it, then you take the traveller's side: call for help, get an ambulance on its way, show where it hurts, ask for a doctor, answer the medic's allergy question and confirm the hospital — all in Thai. Every line is spoken aloud, and the full transcript is written out below so you can read along or study offline. New to the words? Warm up with the emergency phrases first. In a real emergency in Thailand, call 1669 for an ambulance — this page is language practice, not medical advice.

🎯 Your mission

Setting
A market street in Bangkok. Your friend slipped on wet steps, their ankle is swelling fast, and they can't stand up.
You
The traveller — you speak only the Thai you've got, and the clock is running.
The bystander
A local who rushes over to help — and who will do exactly what you manage to ask for, in Thai.
Your goal
Get your friend to the hospital — call for help, get an ambulance, answer the allergy question, and confirm the destination, all in Thai, without a single pushy word.
Ready

14 short lines. Wrong answers never end the rescue — the bystander reacts, you get a coaching note, and you try the line again.

Read the full conversation

The whole dialogue, line by line. Lines marked new were written for this dialogue and are awaiting a native Thai speaker's proofread; every other line is from the emergency phrase list.

  1. Bystanderเกิดอะไรขึ้นครับ new
    gèrt à-rai khûen khráp
    What happened?
  2. Youช่วยด้วย
    chûai dûai
    Help!
  3. Bystanderใจเย็นๆ ครับ เดี๋ยวช่วยครับ new
    jai yen-yen khráp, dǐeow chûai khráp
    Calm down — I'll help right away.
  4. Youเรียกรถพยาบาล
    rîak rót phá-yaa-baan
    Call an ambulance
  5. Bystanderรถพยาบาลกำลังมาครับ new
    rót phá-yaa-baan gam-lang maa khráp
    The ambulance is on its way.
  6. Youเจ็บตรงนี้
    jèp trong née
    It hurts here
  7. Bystanderตรงนี้ใช่ไหมครับ new
    trong née châi mǎi khráp
    Here, is that right?
  8. Youต้องการหมอ
    tông-gaan mǒo
    I need a doctor
  9. Bystanderหมอถามว่าแพ้อะไรไหมครับ new
    mǒo thǎam wâa phâe à-rai mǎi khráp
    The doctor asks whether you're allergic to anything.
  10. Youแพ้ถั่ว
    phâe thùa
    I'm allergic to peanuts
  11. Bystanderไปโรงพยาบาลสิบห้านาทีครับ new
    pai rohng phá-yaa-baan sìp-hâa naa-thee khráp
    To the hospital, fifteen minutes.
  12. Youโรงพยาบาล
    rohng phá-yaa-baan
    Hospital
  13. Bystanderถึงโรงพยาบาลแล้วครับ new
    thǔeng rohng phá-yaa-baan léeo khráp
    We've arrived at the hospital.
  14. Youขอบคุณมาก
    khòp khun mâak
    Thank you very much

What a Thai speaker would say: an emergency runs on short, plain orders of help: chûai dûai (ช่วยด้วย, help!) first, then rîak rót phá-yaa-baan (เรียกรถพยาบาล, call an ambulance) for an injury — not the police — then jèp trong née (เจ็บตรงนี้, it hurts here) with a point, and phâe thùa (แพ้ถั่ว, allergic to peanuts) before any medicine is offered. Answer the question you were actually asked, and never add the pushy particle sì (สิ) to a plea for help.

Emergency Thai — quick answers

How do you call for help in Thai?

Shout chûai dûai (ช่วยด้วย) — help! It is the first word in any emergency; ambulance, doctor and hospital all come after someone is paying attention.

How do you call an ambulance in Thai?

Say rîak rót phá-yaa-baan (เรียกรถพยาบาล) — call an ambulance. For an injury, call an ambulance, not the police: rîak tam-rùat (เรียกตำรวจ) is for crime and danger.

How do you say you're allergic to peanuts in Thai?

Say phâe thùa (แพ้ถั่ว) — I'm allergic to peanuts. Say it before any medicine is offered, not after, and swap the food word for any other allergy.