How to Learn Thai - Tips for success
The tones and new sounds in the Thai languages make it extra important to learn from listening. So open your ears and listen to as much Thai as you can. Both in and out of school. It's common to ”close” ones ears and stop paying attention to a language that you don't understand, but don't do that. In the beginning you will not understand anything of what is being said on TV, in restaurants etc. but even if you don't understand you will hear:
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Pronunciation of both new sounds and the Thai tones. In the beginning you will not hear the difference between some sounds and tones but the more you listen the better you will be able to distinguish between them.
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Language melody and rhythm. The only way to sound like a native Thai speaker is to imitate the melody and rhythm of the language. When you listen you will improve your understanding of the Thai language melody and rhythm and build a mental sound library of examples to use for imitation.
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Vocabulary. Words will initially blend together but after a while you will be able to hear when words start and end. You will also start to recognise words that you hear often.
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Sentences and phrases that come up frequently in different situations will give you hints of their usefulness.
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Thai language spoken by different people and in different speed. The more you listen to different voices the better you will understand.
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Vocabulary and phrases that have been taught in school. If you listen attentively out of school you will get free repetition of lesson material.
So start to listen to Thai from the very beginning of your Thai language studies. And keep listening to Thai as you go from beginner to intermediate to advanced levels. It will help your learning tremendously.