ครับผม
khrap phom
The English phrase "yes, sir" can be translated into Thai as ครับผม (khrap phom).
ครับผม is a way to say "yes, sir" to acknowledge an instruction or to say yes, typically used when speaking to a superior. It is commonly used in military, police or highly hierarchical professional settings to acknowledge orders.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the polite particle ครับ and the masculine pronoun ผม, which means "I" or "me".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While ครับผม is a formal way to say "yes, sir", the addition of the pronoun ผม after the polite particle makes the phrase sound more formal, disciplined or assertive than just saying ครับ. For a common and universal way to say "yes, sir" in a formal context, you can also use ใช่ครับ.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ครับผม is used by male speakers. A female speaker would not use this phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
khrap phom
Did you know?
- While ครับผม sounds very assertive, it is actually a linguistic descendant of a way of speaking used by servants to their masters in the past.
- If you use ครับผม in a casual setting with friends, you might sound like you are jokingly pretending to be a soldier or a subordinate.
- The word ผม in ครับผม serves as a way to humble the speaker by explicitly identifying themselves as the subordinate in the interaction.
Examples in context
- ครับผมkhrap phomYes, sir.
- รับทราบครับผมrap sap khrap phomUnderstood, sir.
- ได้ครับผมdai khrap phomCertainly, sir.
Example conversation
A female employee acknowledges a task from her male boss.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitณิชา ช่วยส่งรายงานให้ผมก่อนเที่ยงนะNicha chuai song rai-ngan hai phom kon thiang naNicha, please send the report to me before noon.
- ณิชา Nichaครับผม จะส่งให้ทันเวลาค่ะkhrap phom cha song hai than we-la khaYes, sir. I will send it on time.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitดีมาก ขอบคุณมากนะdi mak khop khun mak naVery good. Thank you very much.
- ณิชา Nichaด้วยความยินดีค่ะduai khwam yin di khaYou are welcome.
