What does it mean word for word?
The word บอก means to tell or to inform.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal tone, you can use กรุณาบอกผม or โปรดบอกผม (using the word กรุณา or โปรด for please). In informal settings, you might use บอกผม/ฉันสิ or use บอกหน่อย/บอกดิ to mean 'Tell me, please'.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can soften the command to make it sound like a polite request by adding หน่อย after the phrase, resulting in บอกฉันหน่อย, which means 'tell me a little bit' or 'tell me please'. Additionally, if you want to phrase it as a proper question or request, you should add หน่อยได้ไหม at the end, such as บอกฉันหน่อยได้ไหม (can you tell me?).
How do you pronounce it?
bok chan
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use 'tell me' as a command, but in Thai, adding หน่อยได้ไหม at the end makes it a proper question/request.
Did you know?
- Using บอกฉัน in a direct way can sound surprisingly blunt or even aggressive to Thai ears, unlike the relatively neutral 'tell me' in English.
- While English speakers use 'tell me' as a simple instruction, Thai speakers often prefer using the verb เล่า instead of บอก if they want you to 'tell' a story or recount an experience.
- If you want to sound very endearing or 'cute' when asking someone to tell you something, you might replace the pronoun 'me' with a nickname or a kinship term like พี่ (older sibling).
Examples in context
- บอกฉันTell me.This example shows the basic phrase บอกฉัน.Tatoeba #8692151 by pastelite, translation #1913090 by CK
- คุณต้องบอกฉันYou must tell me.This sentence uses บอกฉัน to express necessity.Tatoeba #8717305 by pastelite, translation #2038400 by Spamster
- บอกฉันเกี่ยวกับ TatoebaTell me about Tatoeba.This sentence uses บอกฉัน to request information about a specific subject.Tatoeba #7784170 by pastelite, translation #1739984 by Amastan
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Teerapat and Pimon are talking about a secret.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatคุณมีความลับอะไร บอกฉันหน่อยkhun mi khwam lap arai bok chan noiYou have a secret, tell me please.
- พิมล Pimonฉันยังบอกตอนนี้ไม่ได้chan yang bok ton ni mai daiI can't tell you right now.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatทำไมล่ะ บอกฉันเถอะthammai la bok chan thoeWhy? Just tell me.
- พิมล Pimonไว้พรุ่งนี้ฉันจะบอกwai phrung ni chan cha bokI will tell you tomorrow.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
