พูด
pûut/pʰuːt̚˥˩/
The English verb 'speak' is translated into Thai as พูด (pûut).
พูด is used to describe the general act of speaking or talking.
Meaning: to be able to communicate in a language (verb)
Which one should you use?
While พูด refers to the general act of speaking or talking, if you want to specifically express the ability to speak a language, you should use the phrase พูดได้.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say that someone 'can speak' a language, you must add the auxiliary verb ได้ after พูด, resulting in the phrase พูดได้.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as pûut and pronounced /pʰuːt̚˥˩/.
Did you know?
- Thai has several words for 'speak' depending on the social status of the people involved. While พูด is general, ตรัส is used exclusively for royalty and กล่าว is used in formal speeches.
- The word พูด is used in the expression พูดเล่น, which literally means 'speak play'. This is the standard way to say someone is 'just kidding' or joking around.
- In casual Thai, you might hear people use the word โม้ (moo) instead of พูด when they want to describe someone 'speaking' with a lot of exaggeration or bragging.
Examples in context
- พูดมา!Speak up!Tatoeba #7878667 by pastelite, translation #35175 by CK
- คุณพูดYou speak.Tatoeba #8692310 by pastelite, translation #938139 by Dirk80
- พูดเบา ๆSpeak quietly.Tatoeba #8675710 by pastelite, translation #2800092 by CK
- คุณสามารถพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม?Can you speak Thai?
- เพื่อนของฉันพูดภาษาไทยได้เก่งมาก!My friend speaks Thai very well!
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A language school where a student is asking a teacher about their skills.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinคุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหมคะ?khun phut pha-sa thai dai mai kha?Can you speak Thai?
- ธนกฤต Thanakritผมพูดได้นิดหน่อยครับphom phut dai nit noi khrapI can speak a little bit.
- สิรินทร์ Sirinเก่งมากเลยค่ะkeng mak loei khaThat is very good.
- ธนกฤต Thanakritขอบคุณครับkhop khun khrapThank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry พูด, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
