Isn’t English widely spoken in Thailand?
More and more Thai people, especially in cities, know some English. The problem is, they may not want to speak it to you, feeling that their command of English is just not good enough and they will lose face. However if you start speaking a few words of Thai yourself, you are likely to get a completely different response. First there is often surprise that a foreigner is actually saying something understandable, and you may be required to repeat what you just said. After that, communication can start (perhaps tentatively at first), and you will communicate in Thai, in English and possibly in a mixture of both. Don’t forget also that gestures and facial expressions are also part of communication and can be used to fill in the gaps in your message. For example, if you want to buy an item you do not need to know the Thai word, you just need to point to it and ask “How much?
