A1 Pronouns 3 min read Fácil

Cómo usar 'ese' (nan) en tailandés

Use nan to point to objects or ideas that are not in your immediate grasp but are still clear in the conversation.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Nan' to point to things that are far away from you but near the person you are talking to.

  • Use 'Nan' for objects at a distance: 'Book that (over there) is mine.'
  • Place 'Nan' after the noun it modifies: 'House that' (That house).
  • Combine with classifiers for natural speech: 'Pen that (one)'.
Noun + Classifier + Nan (That)

Overview

(Spanish translation content)

Meanings

A demonstrative pronoun used to indicate an object or person that is distant from the speaker but often closer to the listener.

1

Spatial distance

Referring to an object physically far from the speaker.

“บ้านนั้นสวยมาก (That house is very beautiful.)”

“คนนั้นเป็นใคร (Who is that person?)”

Demonstrative Structure

Noun Classifier Demonstrative English
บ้าน หลัง นั้น That house
ปากกา ด้าม นั้น That pen
คน คน นั้น That person
หนังสือ เล่ม นั้น That book
รถ คัน นั้น That car
ร้าน ร้าน นั้น That shop

Reference Table

Reference table for Cómo usar 'ese' (nan) en tailandés
Term Distance English Meaning
ni Close this
nan Medium that
nun Far that over there

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
รถคันนั้นคือรถของดิฉัน

รถคันนั้นคือรถของดิฉัน (Identifying property)

Neutral
รถคันนั้นเป็นของฉัน

รถคันนั้นเป็นของฉัน (Identifying property)

Informal
รถคันนั้นของฉัน

รถคันนั้นของฉัน (Identifying property)

Jerga
รถคันนั้นอะของฉัน

รถคันนั้นอะของฉัน (Identifying property)

Thai Demonstratives

Demonstratives

Distance

  • ni this
  • nan that
  • nun that far

Distance Levels

Close
ni this
Medium
nan that
Far
nun that far

Choosing the Right Word

1

Is it in your hand?

YES
Use 'ni'
NO
Check distance
2

Is it within reach?

YES
Use 'nan'
NO ↓

Usage Scenarios

🛒

Daily Life

  • • Shopping
  • • Ordering food
  • • Pointing objects
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Examples by Level

1

อันนั้นคืออะไร

What is that?

1

ฉันชอบเสื้อตัวนั้น

I like that shirt.

1

คนนั้นเป็นเพื่อนของฉัน

That person is my friend.

1

ร้านอาหารนั้นอร่อยมาก

That restaurant is very delicious.

1

เรื่องนั้นฉันไม่รู้มาก่อนเลย

I didn't know about that matter before.

1

เหตุการณ์นั้นเปลี่ยนชีวิตเขาไปเลย

That event changed his life completely.

Easily Confused

Using 'That' (nan) in Thai vs Nii vs Nan

Learners swap them based on English 'this/that'.

Using 'That' (nan) in Thai vs Nan vs Noon

Both mean 'that'.

Using 'That' (nan) in Thai vs Nan vs An-nan

When to use 'An'.

Errores comunes

✗

Nan book

✓

Book that

Thai word order is noun-first.
✗

Nan

✓

Book that

Need to specify the noun.
✗

Nii book

✓

Book that

Confusing this and that.
✗

Book nan

✓

Book classifier nan

Missing the classifier.
✗

Nan khong chan

✓

An-nan khong chan

Need a classifier/pronoun head.
✗

Nan mai chai

✓

Mai chai an-nan

Incorrect negative placement.
✗

Nan is mine

✓

An-nan khue khong chan

Literal translation error.
✗

Nan-nan

✓

Nan

Redundancy.
✗

Nan place

✓

Tii-nan

Incorrect locator.
✗

Nan person

✓

Khon-nan

Classifier mismatch.
✗

Nan as a conjunction

✓

Use 'wa' or 'thi'

Nan is not a conjunction.

Sentence Patterns

___ ___ ___ คือของฉัน

ฉันไม่ชอบ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ สวยมาก

คุณเห็น ___ ___ ___ ไหม

Real World Usage

Ordering food constant

เอาอันนั้นครับ

Shopping very common

เสื้อตัวนั้นราคาเท่าไหร่

Texting common

เห็นรูปนั้นยัง

Travel common

ตึกนั้นคืออะไร

Social Media common

ชอบเพลงนั้นมาก

Job Interview occasional

โครงการนั้นน่าสนใจครับ

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🎯

Context is King

If you are unsure of the exact distance, nan is your safest bet!
⚠️

Don't be rude

Avoid pointing nan at people, it can feel aggressive.
💬

Storytelling

Use ton nan to set the scene when telling stories to friends.

Smart Tips

Use your chin, not your finger.

Pointing with finger. → Nodding chin towards object.

Use 'An' as a safe default.

Struggling to find the right word. → Using 'An-nan'.

Add 'khrap/kha'.

Just saying 'Nan'. → Saying 'Nan khrap'.

Use 'Khon-nan'.

Just saying 'Nan'. → Saying 'Khon-nan'.

Pronunciación

Nâan

Tone

Nan has a falling tone.

Question

Nan... mai? ↑

Rising pitch at the end for questions.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Nan is for 'Near-ish' things.

Visual Association

Imagine pointing at a friend's coffee cup across the table. You aren't touching it, but it's right there. That's 'Nan'.

Rhyme

If it's not in your hand, but you can see it planned, use the word Nan.

Story

You walk into a shop. You point to a hat on a shelf. You say 'Hat that' (Muak bai nan). The clerk smiles because you used the right word.

Word Web

นั้นอันนั้นคนนั้นที่นั่นสิ่งนั้น

Desafío

Point to 5 things in your room right now and say '[Noun] + [Classifier] + Nan' for each.

Notas culturales

Pointing with your finger is considered rude. Use your chin or a slight nod when using 'Nan'.

Derived from Proto-Tai roots for distance.

Conversation Starters

“

อันนั้นคืออะไร

“

คุณชอบเสื้อตัวนั้นไหม

“

ร้านนั้นอร่อยไหม

“

คุณคิดยังไงกับเรื่องนั้น

Journal Prompts

Describe three things in your room using 'Nan'.
Write about a shop you visited recently.
Explain why you like a specific movie.
Discuss a social issue using 'Nan' as a reference.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct demonstrative

I want ___ (that) apple.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nan
Since it is 'that', we use nan.
Which sentence is correct? Opción múltiple

Choose the sentence that refers to something at a medium distance.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: เอา nan.
nan is the correct term for medium distance.
Find and fix the mistake Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

ฉันเอา ni (pointing to a far sign).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ฉันเอา nan.
If pointing far, use nan or nun, but nan is standard for 'that'.

Score: /3

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

บ้าน ___ (that) สวยมาก

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: นั้น
Nan is for that.
Choose the correct order. Opción múltiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: บ้านหลังนั้น
Noun + Class + Nan.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Nan book is mine.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: That book is mine
Noun first.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

นั้น / สวย / เสื้อ / ตัว

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: เสื้อตัวนั้นสวย
Noun + Class + Nan.
Translate to Thai. Traducción

That shop is good.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ร้านนั้นดี
Noun + Nan + Adjective.
Match the English to Thai. Match Pairs

Match 'That car'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: รถคันนั้น
Car = Rot, Class = Khan.
Select the correct classifier. Opción múltiple

ปากกา ___ นั้น

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ด้าม
Pen uses 'dam'.
Fill in the blank.

ฉันไม่ชอบคน ___ นั้น

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: คน
Person uses 'khon'.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

2 exercises
Fill in the blank Completar huecos

___ คืออะไร? (What is that?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: nan
Fix the word Error Correction

เขาชอบ ni (referring to a movie mentioned earlier).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: เขาชอบ nan.

Score: /2

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

Yes, use 'Khon-nan'.

It is neutral.

Thai grammar requires it for countability.

Use 'An' as a generic one.

No, Nii is this.

Yes, it is standard.

Yes, use your chin.

No, it is gender-neutral.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

ese/esa

Spanish gendered nouns.

French moderate

ce...là

Thai uses a separate word.

German moderate

das

German articles change by case.

Japanese high

sore

Japanese is SOV.

Arabic moderate

dhalika

Arabic is gendered.

Chinese high

nà

Chinese word order.

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