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The sounds of the language sound weird to your ears. Even if you try to focus intensively on what native speakers are saying, the variety of sounds, different grammar structures and unintelligible words make it a frustrating experience. Don't worry, this is normal. At this point, many may think that learning Thai is impossible. I guarantee it is not. Almost every student has started with similar feelings and eventually succeeded. It is just a matter of allowing your brain to naturally absorb the language.

You will be able to go to a restaurant or a small shop and ask for simple items in broken language, such as "Want this" or "Eat rice and pork". Great job! You have overcome the most difficult stage, where speaking Thai seemed impossible. Native speakers will praise you and you will feel encouraged, however, you are aware there is still a lot of work to be done.

You can now understand people if they speak slowly, clearly and stay within certain topics. You may even be able to start having your first flowing conversations! This will be a big boost to your confidence and will help you overcome any feelings of discouragement you might have had before. Even though you have overcome the hardest stage in learning Thai, we still have a long way ahead.

You're at the intermediate level! You can understand a patient native speaker. You still miss some words, but the speaker can explain their meaning to you without needing to translate. You can understand a variety of daily topics without gestures or visual support. Making friends in the language is now possible, but you need to find people who are quite patient.

You can understand people well when they speak directly to you. They won't need to adapt their speech for you. Understanding a conversation between native speakers is still challenging. You'll almost understand TV programs in the language if you actively focus, but they are still hard enough to leave you frustrated or confused.

This is where Thai really becomes fun and effortless! In spite of that odd word that is not quite there when you need it, you can always manage to get your point across without difficulty, and by now you are already making complex longer phrases. Using humor in the language is much easier now. You can understand the News and TV shows about daily life quite well.