LangMedia
Thai in Thailand
Time
Transportation schedules and business appointments are often designated using the 24-hour clock. 13.00, for example, is equivalent to 1:00 p.m. For informal social engagements people will tend to use the 12-hour clock designations along with a different terms indicating the time of day. Most commonly used are terms for early morning, late morning, noon, afternoon, evening and late evening. A traditional Thai method of telling time treats 7:00 a.m. as 1 o'clock the morning, 8:00 a.m. as 2 o'clock, etc. This traditional time system is used primarily in the morning hours. A similar system is sometimes used again for the evening hours beginning at 7:00 p.m. For business appointments or formal engagements, people should arrive on time. For informal social occasions, it is polite to arrive anytime after the designated hour; promptness is not expected.
Audio
Click on the text to hear the spoken phrase.
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"What time is it?"
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"early morning"
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"late morning"
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"noon"
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"afternoon"
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"evening"
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"late evening"
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"8:00 a.m."
(formal)
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"8:00 a.m."
(informal)
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"8:00 a.m."
(informal, based on traditional Thai system of time)
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"2:00 p.m."
(formal)
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"2:00 p.m."
(informal)
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"5:00 p.m."
(formal)
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"5:00 p.m."
(informal)
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"7:00 p.m."
(formal)
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"7:00 p.m."
(informal, based on traditional Thai system of time)
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"12:00 a.m."
(midnight, formal)
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"12:00 a.m."
(midnight, informal)
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"4:00 a.m."
(formal)
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"4:00 a.m."
(informal)
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"10:30 a.m."
(formal)
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"2:15 p.m."
(formal)
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"5:45 p.m."
(formal)