ฉันกินแล้ว
chan kin laeo
The English phrase "I ate" is translated into Thai as ฉันกินแล้ว (chan kin laeo).
This phrase is a statement used to say that one has already consumed a meal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form ฉันกินแล้ว is considered informal/neutral. The pronoun ฉัน is a common, neutral-to-informal way for females to say "I", though it can be used by anyone in certain contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding แล้ว after a verb functions similarly to the English present perfect or simple past to indicate the action is completed.
How do you pronounce it?
chan kin laeo
Did you know?
- In a social setting, if someone asks if you have eaten, they might not actually be asking about your hunger, but are using the phrase as a warm, polite greeting similar to 'How are you?'
- While กิน is the standard word for 'eat', Thai has a hierarchy of verbs for eating depending on who is eating, including royal terms and extremely formal versions.
- To be even more informal or 'cute', some speakers replace the word กิน with หม่ำ, which is a word typically used when talking to babies.
Examples in context
- ใช่ครับ ฉันทานอาหารไปแล้วYes, I ate already.
- กินข้าวไปแล้วI ate rice already.
- ฉันกินแล้วค่ะchan kin laeo khaI ate already.
- ไม่ต้องห่วง ฉันกินแล้วmai tong huang chan kin laeoDon't worry, I ate already.
- ฉันกินแล้วตอนเที่ยงchan kin laeo ton thiangI ate already at noon.
Example conversation
Sirin and Teeraphat are deciding whether to get dinner together.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinธีรภัทร อยากไปกินข้าวด้วยกันไหมTeeraphat yak pai kin khao duai kan maiTeeraphat, do you want to go eat together?
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatอยากไปครับ แล้วสิรินทร์ล่ะyak pai khrap laeo Sirin laI do, and what about you, Sirin?
- สิรินทร์ Sirinขอโทษทีนะ ฉันกินแล้วkho thot thi na chan kin laeoSorry, I ate already.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatไม่เป็นไรครับ ไว้คราวหน้านะmai pen rai khrap wai khrao na naThat's okay, maybe next time.
