Thai Phrases › Practice › Greetings dialogue

Thai dialogue: meeting someone for the first time

One short, everyday conversation — the one every traveller in Thailand has on day one, in Thai. First you hear it, then you take the traveller's side: greet with the right polite particle, answer how you are, get introduced by name, say where you're going today, handle the classic "have you eaten yet?" greeting, catch the plan for tomorrow and say goodbye — 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 greetings phrases first.

🎯 Your mission

Setting
A new Thai friend's door in Bangkok. You have just arrived, you know nobody yet, and the whole relationship starts in the next two minutes.
You
The traveller — you speak only the Thai you've got, and your new friend can only respond to what you manage to say.
The bystander
Your new friend Nok — who will welcome you, ask after you, and invite you to eat, all in Thai.
Your goal
Leave properly introduced — greet with the right particle, answer how you are, get introduced by name, say where you're going, handle the food greeting without confusion, and part with thanks, all in Thai, without a single pushy word.
Ready

14 short lines. Wrong answers never end the visit — your friend 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 greetings phrase list.

  1. New friendยินดีต้อนรับครับ new
    yin-dee tôn-ráp khráp
    Welcome!
  2. Youสวัสดีครับ
    sà-wàt-dee khráp
    Hello (said by men)
  3. New friendสบายดีไหมครับ new
    sà-baai dee mǎi khráp
    How are you?
  4. Youสบายดี
    sà-baai dee
    I'm fine
  5. New friendผมชื่อนกครับ new
    phǒm chûe nók khráp
    My name is Nok.
  6. Youยินดีที่ได้รู้จักครับ new
    yin-dee thîi dâai rúu-jàk khráp
    Nice to meet you
  7. New friendวันนี้ไปไหนครับ new
    wan-née pai nǎi khráp
    Where are you going today?
  8. Youไปตลาดครับ new
    pai tà-làat khráp
    To the market
  9. New friendกินข้าวหรือยังครับ new
    gin khâao rǔe yang khráp
    Have you eaten yet?
  10. Youยังครับ new
    yang khráp
    Not yet
  11. New friendมากินข้าวด้วยกันครับ new
    maa gin khâao dûai gan khráp
    Come and eat together.
  12. New friendพรุ่งนี้เจอกันครับ new
    phrûng-née jəə gan khráp
    See you tomorrow.
  13. Youขอบคุณมาก
    khòp khun mâak
    Thank you very much
  14. Youแล้วเจอกัน
    léeo jəə gan
    See you later

What a Thai speaker would say: a first meeting runs on short, warm lines: sà-wàt-dee khráp (สวัสดีครับ, hello — said by men; women say sà-wàt-dee khâ, สวัสดีค่ะ) first, then sà-baai dee (สบายดี, I'm fine) to the how-are-you question, and yin-dee thîi dâai rúu-jàk khráp (ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักครับ, nice to meet you) the moment a name is offered. Answer gin khâao rǔe yang (กินข้าวหรือยัง, have you eaten yet?) as small talk — yang khráp (ยังครับ, not yet) keeps it moving — and never add the pushy particle sì (สิ) to a greeting.

Greetings Thai — quick answers

How do you say hello in Thai?

Say sà-wàt-dee khráp (สวัสดีครับ) if you speak as a man, sà-wàt-dee khâ (สวัสดีค่ะ) if you speak as a woman. The polite particle matters as much as the greeting itself — match it to yourself.

How do you answer "how are you" in Thai?

Say sà-baai dee (สบายดี) — I'm fine. In a greeting it is the whole answer; nobody expects a health report unless you actually have one to give.

What does "have you eaten yet" mean in Thai?

gin khâao rǔe yang (กินข้าวหรือยัง) is asked the way English asks "how's it going" — it opens a conversation about food, not a dinner invitation. Answer honestly: yang khráp (ยังครับ, not yet) or gin léeo (eaten already).