B1 Tense & Aspect 2 min read Facile

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Adding laew turns any action into a finished event, just like adding 'already' in English.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'laew' (แล้ว) to indicate that an action is completed or a state has changed.

  • Place 'laew' after the verb to show completion: 'kin laew' (ate already).
  • Use 'yang mai' + verb + 'laew' for negative: 'yang mai kin laew' (haven't eaten yet).
  • Use 'laew ... reu yang' for questions: 'kin laew reu yang?' (have you eaten yet?).
Subject + Verb + แล้ว (laew)

Overview

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Laew Formation Table

Type Structure Example
Affirmative
Verb + Laew
Kin laew (Ate)
Negative
Yang mai + Verb + Laew
Yang mai kin laew (Haven't eaten)
Question
Verb + Laew + Reu yang?
Kin laew reu yang? (Ate yet?)
No longer
Mai + Verb + Laew
Mai kin laew (Don't eat anymore)
Sequence
Verb + Laew + Verb
Kin laew pai (Eat then go)
State Change
Adjective + Laew
Meud laew (It's dark)

Common Spoken Contractions

Full Spoken
Laew reu yang
Laew yang
Yang mai dai
Yang mai

Meanings

The particle 'laew' acts as a perfective aspect marker, signaling that an action has been completed or a new state has been reached.

1

Completion

Action is finished.

“เขาไปแล้ว (Khao pai laew - He has gone)”

“อ่านหนังสือแล้ว (Aan nang sue laew - Read the book already)”

2

Change of State

A situation has changed.

“ฝนตกแล้ว (Fon tok laew - It's raining now)”

“มืดแล้ว (Meud laew - It's dark now)”

3

Sequence

Connecting two events.

“กินข้าวแล้วไปทำงาน (Kin khao laew pai tham ngan - Eat then go to work)”

“อาบน้ำแล้วนอน (Aab nam laew non - Shower then sleep)”

Reference Table

Reference table for ...
Action Base Form With Laew
Eat
Gin
Gin laew
Go
Pai
Pai laew
Sleep
Norn
Norn laew
Finish
Set
Set laew
See
Hen
Hen laew
Buy
Sue
Sue laew

Spectre de formalité

Formel
รับประทานอาหารเรียบร้อยแล้ว

รับประทานอาหารเรียบร้อยแล้ว (Dining)

Neutre
กินข้าวแล้ว

กินข้าวแล้ว (Dining)

Informel
กินแล้ว

กินแล้ว (Dining)

Argot
กินละ

กินละ (Dining)

The Laew Universe

Laew

Usage

  • Past Finished
  • State Changed

Laew vs Dai

Laew
Completion Finished
Dai
Ability Can do

Do I need Laew?

1

Is the action finished?

YES
Use Laew
NO
Don't use Laew

Common Laew Phrases

🍜

Daily

  • • Gin laew
  • • Pai laew
  • • Norn laew
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Exemples par niveau

1

ฉันกินข้าวแล้ว

I have eaten.

2

เขาไปแล้ว

He has gone.

3

ทำแล้ว

Did it already.

4

ซื้อแล้ว

Bought it already.

1

คุณทำการบ้านแล้วหรือยัง

Have you done your homework yet?

2

ฝนตกแล้ว

It is raining now.

3

ฉันยังไม่ได้กินข้าวเลย

I haven't eaten yet.

4

เขาถึงบ้านแล้ว

He has arrived home.

1

ฉันอ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้จบแล้ว

I have finished reading this book.

2

เขาบอกว่าเขาทำเสร็จแล้ว

He said he has finished it.

3

เราไปเที่ยวกันแล้วมีความสุขมาก

We went on a trip and were very happy.

4

เธอยังไม่มาเลย

She hasn't come yet.

1

เมื่อเขามาถึงแล้ว เราค่อยเริ่มประชุมกัน

Once he has arrived, we will start the meeting.

2

ฉันไม่ต้องการมันแล้ว

I don't want it anymore.

3

เขาเปลี่ยนใจแล้วหลังจากได้ยินข่าว

He changed his mind after hearing the news.

4

อากาศเริ่มเย็นแล้วนะ

The weather is starting to get cold now.

1

หลังจากที่เขาได้อ่านรายงานฉบับนั้นแล้ว เขาก็ตัดสินใจลาออก

After he had read that report, he decided to resign.

2

แม้ว่าเขาจะพยายามแล้ว แต่ก็ไม่สำเร็จ

Even though he had tried, it wasn't successful.

3

เขาได้เตรียมตัวมาอย่างดีแล้วก่อนการแข่งขัน

He had prepared well before the competition.

4

เมื่อถึงเวลาแล้ว เราควรจะเริ่มดำเนินการทันที

When the time has come, we should start immediately.

1

ครั้นเมื่อตะวันลับขอบฟ้าแล้ว ความเงียบสงัดก็เข้าปกคลุม

Once the sun had set, silence descended.

2

เขากล่าวว่าเขาได้พิจารณาข้อเสนออย่างถี่ถ้วนแล้ว

He stated that he had thoroughly considered the proposal.

3

การที่เขาทำเช่นนั้นแล้ว ย่อมหมายความว่าเขาพร้อมจะรับผิดชอบ

His having done so implies he is ready to take responsibility.

4

เราได้บรรลุข้อตกลงกันแล้วในประเด็นนี้

We have reached an agreement on this issue.

Facile à confondre

Mastering the Thai 'Laew' (Already) vs Laew vs. Kuey

Both relate to past events.

Mastering the Thai 'Laew' (Already) vs Laew vs. Set

Both mean finished.

Mastering the Thai 'Laew' (Already) vs Yang mai vs. Mai

Both are negative.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Laew kin

✓

Kin laew

Laew must follow the verb.
✗

Mai laew

✓

Yang mai laew

Need 'yang' for 'not yet'.
✗

Kin laew khao

✓

Kin khao laew

Laew goes at the end of the phrase.
✗

Laew pai

✓

Pai laew

Particle placement error.
✗

Kin laew reu

✓

Kin laew reu yang

Missing the 'yang' part of the question.
✗

Mai kin

✓

Mai kin laew

Missing 'laew' for 'no longer'.
✗

Yang mai kin

✓

Yang mai kin laew

Missing 'laew' for completion.
✗

Kuey laew

✓

Kuey

Don't combine experience and completion markers.
✗

Set laew laew

✓

Set laew

Redundant particle usage.
✗

Laew pai

✓

Pai laew

Word order error.
✗

Laew in formal writing

✓

Use more formal markers

Laew is slightly informal for high-level academic writing.
✗

Misuse of inchoative laew

✓

Contextual adjustment

Laew doesn't always mean 'finished'.

Structures de phrases

Subject + ___ + แล้ว

Subject + ยังไม่ + ___ + แล้ว

Subject + ___ + แล้วหรือยัง

Subject + ไม่ + ___ + แล้ว

Real World Usage

Food Delivery App very common

สั่งอาหารแล้ว (Ordered food)

Texting Friends constant

ถึงแล้วนะ (Arrived already)

Job Interview common

ผมทำโปรเจกต์นี้เสร็จแล้ว (I finished this project)

Travel common

จองตั๋วแล้ว (Booked the ticket)

Social Media very common

ลงรูปแล้ว (Posted the photo)

Classroom common

ส่งการบ้านแล้ว (Submitted homework)

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💡

Don't overthink it

If you are done, just add laew.

Smart Tips

Use 'tham set laew' instead of just 'tham laew' to be more specific.

Tham laew → Tham set laew

Always include 'reu yang' to make it a clear question.

Kin laew? → Kin laew reu yang?

Use 'laew' with adjectives to show a new state.

Ron → Ron laew

Use 'mai' + verb + 'laew'.

Mai kin → Mai kin laew

Prononciation

lɛ̂ɛw

Tone

Laew has a falling tone.

Question

Laew reu yang? ↗

Rising intonation for questions.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Think of 'Laew' as 'Last'—it comes at the end of the action.

Association visuelle

Imagine a person finishing a race and crossing a finish line with a flag that says 'LAEW'.

Rhyme

When the task is through, add 'laew' to what you do.

Story

Somchai finishes his lunch. He says 'Kin khao laew'. Then he looks outside and sees the sun setting. He says 'Meud laew'. He is ready for bed.

Word Web

เสร็จ (set)แล้ว (laew)ยัง (yang)ไม่ (mai)จบ (job)ไป (pai)

Défi

Write 5 things you have done today using '...laew'.

Notes culturelles

Using 'laew' is essential for politeness when confirming tasks.

They often use 'laew' with specific regional particles.

Often shortened to 'la' in very casual speech.

Derived from the Proto-Tai word for 'finish'.

Amorces de conversation

“

กินข้าวหรือยัง?

“

ทำการบ้านเสร็จหรือยัง?

“

คุณเคยไปเชียงใหม่ไหม?

“

คุณตัดสินใจเรื่องงานใหม่หรือยัง?

Sujets d'écriture

What have you done today?
Describe a change in your life recently.
Reflect on a goal you have completed.
Write about a sequence of events in your day.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct structure.

Phom ____ (eat already).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: gin laew
laew always follows the verb.
Which sentence is correct? Choix multiple

Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khao pai laew.
The verb comes first, then the completion marker.

Score: /2

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

ฉันกินข้าว___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: แล้ว
Laew marks completion.
Choose the correct negative form. Choix multiple

I haven't eaten yet.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ยังไม่กินแล้ว
Yang mai + verb + laew.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Laew kin khao.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kin khao laew
Laew must follow the verb.
Change to question. Sentence Transformation

กินข้าวแล้ว

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: กินข้าวแล้วหรือยัง
Standard question form.
Match the meaning. Match Pairs

มืดแล้ว

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: It's dark
Change of state.
Order the words. Sentence Building

แล้ว / ฉัน / ไป / บ้าน

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ฉันไปบ้านแล้ว
Subject + Verb + Object + Laew.
Is this correct? True False Rule

Mai kin laew means 'I haven't eaten yet'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It means 'I don't eat anymore'.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ทำงานเสร็จหรือยัง? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ทำเสร็จแล้ว
Standard completion response.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

1 exercises
Find and fix the mistake Error Correction

Khao laew pai.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khao pai laew.

Score: /1

FAQ (8)

No, 'laew' is for completed actions or current states.

It's an aspect marker, not a tense marker. It marks completion.

It's a common spoken contraction in casual speech.

'Set' emphasizes the completion of a task, 'laew' is more general.

It's used, but formal writing might prefer more precise verbs.

Your sentence might sound like a habitual action or incomplete.

Yes, it marks a change of state.

Use 'Verb + laew + reu yang'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

ya

Spanish 'ya' is an adverb, 'laew' is a particle.

French high

déjà

French uses it as an adverbial modifier.

German moderate

schon

German 'schon' is placed before the verb.

Japanese moderate

mou

Japanese 'mou' is placed at the start of the sentence.

Chinese high

le

Chinese 'le' is more restricted in position.

Arabic partial

qad

Arabic 'qad' is a prefix to the verb.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Présent Progressif en Thaï (กำลัง)
Next
Maîtriser l'aspect progressif : La particule 'yu'

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