Thai is an analytic (or isolating) language, like many languages in Southeast Asia. Also like other languages in the region, Thai syntax conforms to subject–verb–object word order, is head-initial (displaying modified-modifier ordering), and has a noun classifier system.[1] Basic Thai word order is also regular with every sentence structured by an "SVO (subject–verb–object)" order like English.[2]
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Thai verbs do not inflect to indicate tense, number, etc., so there are no plural verb forms. There are no conjugations for grammatical person either.[3] There is no grammatical marker in Thai for the perfective/imperfective aspect.[4] Past tense is expressed by adding a separate time word.[2] When a verb is reduplicated, the action indicated by the verb is intensified.
Thai nouns do not have a grammatical gender.[5] Thai does not have an associative plural [1] In a noun phrase construction "and" is different from "with".[6] Certain nouns are reduplicated to form collectives, for example เด็ก dek (child) is often repeated as เด็กๆ dek dek to refer to a group of children.
There is no morphological distinction between adjectives and adverbs in Thai. Many words can function as either. Adjectives can function in two different ways. They can be attributive, functioning to modify a noun to form a noun phrase. In this case they precede the noun they modify. Adjectives can also serve as predicate modifiers.[7]
There are no definite articles in Thai like "the" in English, however Thai has an indefinite article which is distinct from "one".[8][9]
Possession in Thai is indicated by adding the word "kong" in front of the noun or pronoun, but it may often be omitted.
Thai does not possess a morphological case marker.[10]