A1 Pronouns 1 min read Facile

Demonstrative 'Nee'

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Nee' (นี่) to point to things close to you, like 'this' or 'here'.

  • Use 'Nee' for objects near the speaker: 'Nee khue arai?' (What is this?)
  • Place 'Nee' after the noun to specify: 'Paa nee' (This bag).
  • Use 'Nee' as a subject to introduce: 'Nee khue phuean chan' (This is my friend).
Noun + นี่ (Nee) = This [Noun]

Meanings

A proximal demonstrative pronoun used to indicate objects or people close to the speaker.

1

Proximal Pronoun

Pointing to an object near the speaker.

“นี่คือหนังสือ”

“นี่คือปากกา”

Nee Usage Patterns

Usage Structure Example
Pronoun Nee + khue + Noun Nee khue pakka
Determiner Noun + Nee Pakka nee
Question Nee + khue + Noun + mai Nee khue pakka mai?
Negative Nee + mai chai + Noun Nee mai chai pakka
Plural Nee + (plural marker) + Noun Nee khue phuak khao
Emphasis Nee + lae Nee lae
Location Nee + thi-nee Nee thi-nee
Time Nee + wan-nee Wan-nee

Reference Table

Reference table for Demonstrative 'Nee'
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Nee khue X Nee khue khao
Negative Nee mai chai X Nee mai chai khao
Question Nee khue X mai? Nee khue khao mai?
Determiner Noun + Nee Khao nee
Short Answer Nee lae Nee lae!
Distant Contrast Nee vs Nan Nee (here) vs Nan (there)

Spectre de formalité

Formel
นี่คือหนังสือครับ

นี่คือหนังสือครับ (General)

Neutre
นี่คือหนังสือ

นี่คือหนังสือ (General)

Informel
นี่หนังสือ

นี่หนังสือ (General)

Argot
นี่ไงหนังสือ

นี่ไงหนังสือ (General)

Demonstrative Map

Nee

Usage

  • Nee khue This is

Determiner

  • Noun + Nee This [Noun]

Proximity Chart

Close
Nee This
Far
Nan That

Decision Flow

1

Is it close?

YES
Use Nee
NO
Use Nan

Nee Categories

📦

Objects

  • • Book
  • • Pen
  • • Phone
👤

People

  • • Friend
  • • Teacher
  • • Doctor
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Examples by Level

1

นี่คืออะไร

What is this?

2

นี่คือเพื่อนฉัน

This is my friend.

3

นี่คือบ้าน

This is a house.

4

นี่คืออาหาร

This is food.

1

ปากกานี้ราคาเท่าไหร่

How much is this pen?

2

บ้านนี้สวยมาก

This house is very beautiful.

3

คนนี้เป็นใคร

Who is this person?

4

หนังสือเล่มนี้ดี

This book is good.

1

ฉันชอบเสื้อตัวนี้

I like this shirt.

2

เหตุการณ์นี้เกิดขึ้นเมื่อวาน

This event happened yesterday.

3

คุณต้องการสิ่งนี้ไหม

Do you want this thing?

4

ในสถานการณ์นี้ เราควรทำอย่างไร

In this situation, what should we do?

1

การตัดสินใจนี้ส่งผลกระทบต่อทุกคน

This decision affects everyone.

2

เราต้องแก้ไขปัญหานี้ให้เร็วที่สุด

We must solve this problem as soon as possible.

3

เอกสารนี้สำคัญมาก

This document is very important.

4

โครงการนี้จะเสร็จสิ้นในเดือนหน้า

This project will be finished next month.

1

บริบทนี้มีความซับซ้อนเกินกว่าจะอธิบายได้ง่ายๆ

This context is too complex to explain easily.

2

นวัตกรรมนี้เปลี่ยนโลกไปอย่างสิ้นเชิง

This innovation changed the world completely.

3

ทฤษฎีนี้ได้รับการยอมรับในวงกว้าง

This theory is widely accepted.

4

ข้อเสนอแนะนี้มีประโยชน์มากสำหรับการพัฒนา

This suggestion is very useful for development.

1

ปรากฏการณ์นี้สะท้อนถึงการเปลี่ยนแปลงทางสังคม

This phenomenon reflects social change.

2

วาทกรรมนี้มีอิทธิพลต่อความคิดของคนรุ่นใหม่

This discourse influences the thinking of the new generation.

3

การวิเคราะห์นี้แสดงให้เห็นถึงความล้มเหลวของระบบ

This analysis shows the failure of the system.

4

บทกวีนี้สื่อถึงความเหงาในเมืองใหญ่

This poem conveys loneliness in the big city.

Easily Confused

Demonstrative 'Nee' vs Nee vs Nan

Learners often use them interchangeably.

Demonstrative 'Nee' vs Nee vs Noo

Noo is a pronoun for 'I' (informal).

Demonstrative 'Nee' vs Nee vs Ni

Spelling variations.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Nee book

✓

Book nee

Thai puts the demonstrative after the noun.
✗

Nee is pen

✓

Nee khue pakka

Use 'khue' for identification.
✗

Nee (far object)

✓

Nan (far object)

Nee is only for close objects.
✗

Nee book-s

✓

Book nee

Thai doesn't use plural markers for demonstratives.
✗

Nee khue mai?

✓

Nee khue [noun] mai?

Need a noun in the question.
✗

Nee khue I

✓

Nee khue chan

Use correct pronouns.
✗

Nee khue he

✓

Nee khue khao

Use correct pronouns.
✗

Nee khue the book

✓

Nee khue nang sue lem nee

Using articles where they don't exist.
✗

Nee khue that one

✓

Nee khue an nee

Consistency in demonstratives.
✗

Nee khue it

✓

Nee khue man

Using 'it' as a pronoun.
✗

Nee khue the one which...

✓

Nee khue an thi...

Relative clause structure.
✗

Nee khue my

✓

Nee khue khong chan

Possessive structure.
✗

Nee khue the best

✓

Nee khue an thi dee thi sut

Superlative structure.
✗

Nee khue the same

✓

Nee khue an diao kan

Idiomatic expression.

Sentence Patterns

Nee khue ___.

___ nee dee mai?

Nee khue ___ thi chan chob.

___ nee pen panha thi yai.

Real World Usage

Ordering food constant

Ao an nee

Shopping very common

An nee tao-rai?

Social media common

Nee khue...

Travel common

Nee thi-nai?

Job interview occasional

Karn tham-ngan nee...

Texting constant

Nee na

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💡

Pointing

Don't be afraid to point when you say 'Nee'. It's natural in Thai.
⚠️

Proximity

Don't use 'Nee' for things across the room.
🎯

Emphasis

Add 'lae' after 'Nee' to mean 'This very one!'
💬

Politeness

Add 'khrap/kha' at the end to be polite.

Smart Tips

Always place the noun before Nee.

Nee book → Book nee

Use 'Nee khue' for a polite introduction.

Nee is my friend → Nee khue phuean chan

Use 'An nee' (this one) to be specific.

Nee → Ao an nee

Add 'mai' at the end of the sentence.

Nee khue khao → Nee khue khao mai?

Prononciation

Nee (falling)

Tone

Nee has a falling tone.

Question

Nee khue arai? (rising at end)

Inquiry

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Nee is near, Nan is not.

Visual Association

Imagine holding a pen right in front of your nose. You are pointing at it and saying 'Nee'.

Rhyme

If it's here, say Nee, if it's there, let it be.

Story

You walk into a shop. You point at a cake and say 'Nee'. The clerk smiles. You point at a friend and say 'Nee khue phuean'. Everything is close to you.

Word Web

NeeNanNoonKhueMaiArai

Défi

Point to 5 objects in your room and say 'Nee khue [Object Name]' for each.

Notes culturelles

Standard usage.

Derived from Proto-Tai spatial markers.

Conversation Starters

“

Nee khue arai?

“

Nee khue phuean khun chai mai?

“

Nee khue thi-nee chai mai?

“

Nee khue panha thi rao tong kae?

Journal Prompts

Describe 3 things on your desk using 'Nee'.
Introduce your family members using 'Nee'.
Write about a problem you are facing today.
Reflect on a recent decision you made.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

___ khue pakka.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Nee is for this.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Noun before demonstrative.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Nee book is good.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Noun first.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct order.
Translate to Thai. Traduction

This is my friend.

Answer starts with: a...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct structure.
Match the word to meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Nee means this.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Nee khue arai? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Direct answer.
Change to question. Conjugation Drill

Nee khue khao.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Add mai.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

___ khue pakka.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Nee is for this.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Noun before demonstrative.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Nee book is good.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Noun first.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

khue / nee / pakka

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct order.
Translate to Thai. Traduction

This is my friend.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct structure.
Match the word to meaning. Match Pairs

Nee = ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Nee means this.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Nee khue arai? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Direct answer.
Change to question. Conjugation Drill

Nee khue khao.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Add mai.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Yes, 'Nee khue...' is perfect for introductions.

No, it is gender-neutral.

Just say 'Nee khue arai?' (What is this?).

Thai grammar places modifiers after the noun.

Thai doesn't distinguish plural for demonstratives.

It is neutral. Use 'khrap/kha' to be polite.

Usually 'Wan-nee' (today) is used.

Nee is close, Nan is far.

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Este/Esta

Thai lacks gender agreement.

French moderate

Ce/Cette

Thai is gender-neutral.

German moderate

Dies

Thai is case-less.

Japanese high

Kore

Japanese particles are more complex.

Arabic moderate

Hatha

Thai lacks gender.

Chinese high

Zhe

Chinese word order is stricter.

Next
Demonstrative 'Nan'

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Demonstrative 'Noon'
A1

Personal Pronouns (Phom/Chan)
A1

Demonstrative 'Nan'
A1

Demonstrative Usage
A2

Reciprocal 'Kan'
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