Daily Thai Confidence: Using มา (māa)

Verb: มา (māa)
Meaning: to come

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the verb มา (māa), which is one of the most frequently used verbs in everyday Thai. Its basic meaning is “to come”, but it is also used in a number of expressions that describe movement, direction, experiences, and actions that continue from the past up to the present. Understanding how to use มา (māa) will help you build more natural Thai sentences and understand what Thai speakers are saying in everyday conversations.

When the verb มา (māa) means “to come,” it refers to movement towards the speaker, a particular place, or a point of reference – subject + มา (māa) + place.

For example (ตัวอย่างเช่น – dtūa-^awyàang)

ฉันมาที่นี่ทุกวัน

chǎn māa t^hêe-nêe t^húk wān
Literal: I come here every day.
I come here every day.

เขามาที่บ้านของฉันเมื่อวานนี้

k^hǎo māa t^hêe bâan k^hǎwng-chǎn mêua-wāan-née
Literal: He come to house belonging to-me yesterday.
He came to my house yesterday.

ภรรยาของเขามาจากประเทศไทย

p^hān-yāa k^hǎwng-k^hǎo māa jàak bprà-t^hâed Thāi
Literal: Wife belonging to-him come from country Thai.
His wife comes from Thailand.

คุณมาที่นี่พรุ่งนี้ได้ไหม

k^hūn māa t^hêe-nêe p^hrûng-née dâi ^hmǎi?
Literal: You come here tomorrow can or not?
Can you come here tomorrow?

When มา (māa) is followed by แล้ว (láew), meaning “already,” and often used to indicate that something has already happened or that a situation has reached a particular point. When used with มา (māa)  – มาแล้ว (māa láew) means “has arrived,” “has come,” or “is here now”, depending on the context.

For example (ตัวอย่างเช่น – dtūa-^awyàang)

เขามาแล้ว

k^hǎo māa láew
Literal: He come already.
He has arrived. / He is here.

รถเมล์มาแล้ว

ród-māy māa láew
Literal: Bus come already.
The bus has arrived. / The bus is here.

อาหารมาแล้ว

āa-hǎan māa láew
Literal: Food come already.
The food has arrived. / The food is here.

แม่มาแล้ว

mâe māa láew
Literal: Mother come already.
Mother has arrived. / Mother is here.

Grammar Help:   Both มาแล้ว (māa láew) and ถึงแล้ว (t^hěung láew) can communicate arrival, however, มาแล้ว (māa láew) focuses on coming or being here, while ถึงแล้ว (t^hěung láew) focuses on reaching the destination.

The word มา (māa) can be used to indicate movement towards the speaker or towards a particular point of reference. In this usage, มา (māa) means “to come towards” or “to come over” and shows that someone or something is moving in the direction of the speaker or the place being referred to – subject + verb + มา (māa).

For example (ตัวอย่างเช่น – dtūa-^awyàang)

เขาเดินมาหาฉัน

k^hǎo dēuhn māa hǎa chǎn
Literal: He walk to come towards me.
He walked over to me.

แม่ขับรถมารับฉัน

mâe k^hàb-ród māa ráb chǎn
Literal: Mum drive-car to come over to pick up me.
Mum drove over to pick me up.

เขาเอากาแฟมาให้ฉัน

k^hǎo āo gāa-fāe māa hâi chǎn
Literal: He take coffee to come over to give me.
He brought me a coffee.

ทุกคนกลับมาที่บ้านตอนเย็น

t^húk-k^hōn glàb māa t^hêe bâan dtāwn yēn.
Literal: Every-person return to come over at house in evening.
Everyone came back home in the evening.

In Thai, มา (māa) can also be placed after a verb or verb phrase to indicate that an action has been completed and that the person has returned from doing it – subject + main verb / verb phrase + มา (māa). In this usage, มา (māa) does not mean “to come” in its literal sense. Instead, it gives the sentence the sense of having gone somewhere and done something, with the action now completed.

When it is used in this way, it is most closely equivalent to the simple past tense in English. However, depending on the context, it can also translate naturally using the present perfect tense. It is similar to saying, “have been…” or “have done…”, referring to an action or activity that has already been completed.

For example (ตัวอย่างเช่น – dtūa-^awyàang)

คุณไปซื้อของที่ไหนมา

k^hūn bpāi séu-k^hǎwng t^hêe-^hnǎi māa?
Literal: You go buy-things where have been.
Where did you go shopping? / Where have you been shopping?

ฉันไปตลาดมา

chǎn bpāi dtà-^hlàad māa
Literal: I go market come have been.
I went to the market. / I have been to the market.

เราไปกินข้าวที่ร้านอาหารมา

rāo bpāi gīn-k^hâow t^hêe rāan-āa-hǎan māa
Literal: We go eat-rice at restaurant have done.
We went out to eat at a restaurant. / We have been out for a meal at a restaurant.

ผมไปหาข้อมูลที่ห้องสมุดมา

p^hǒm bpāi hǎa k^hâw-mūun t^hêe hâwng-sà-^hmùd māa
Literal: I go search for information at room-notebook have done.
I went to the library to look for information. / I have been to the library do some research.

Another important use of มา (māa) is when talking about how long an activity or situation has continued from the past up to the present. This is particularly useful when describing how long you have lived somewhere, worked somewhere, studied something, or known someone.

In this context, มา (māa) helps connect the beginning of an activity or situation in the past with the present. It indicates that the activity or situation has continued over a period of time and is still relevant now.

In English, we would normally use the present perfect or present perfect continuous tenses, using expression such as “have lived,” “have worked,” “have ben studying,” or “have known.”

In Thai, we use this structure: subject + verb + มา (māa) + duration + แล้ว (láew). It is like saying, “have been doing something for…up to now.” or “have done something for…up to now.”

For example (ตัวอย่างเช่น – dtūa-^awyàang)

ฉันเรียนภาษาไทยมา 2 ปีแล้ว

chǎn rīan p^hāa-sǎa Thāi māa sǎwng bpēe láew
Literal: I learn language Thai have been doing for two year already.
I have been learning Thai for two years now.

เขาทำงานที่นี่มา 10 ปีแล้ว

k^hǎo t^hām-ngāan t^hêe-nêe māa sìb bpēe láew
Literal: He do-work here have been doing for ten year already.
He has been working here for ten years now.

เรารู้จักกันมา 20 ปีแล้ว

rāo rúu-jàk gān māa yêe-sìb bpēe láew
Literal: We know each other have been doing for twenty year already.
We have known each other for twenty years now.

ฉันอาศัยอยู่ที่ประเทศอังกฤษมา 15 ปีแล้ว

chǎn āa-sǎi ^awyùu t^hêe bprà-t^hâed āng-grìd māa sìb-hâa bpēe láew
Literal: I live to be situated in country England have been doing for fifteen year already.
I have been living in England for fifteen years now.

Practice Exercise (แบบฝึกหัด – bàeb fèuk-hàd)

Practise putting your newly learned Thai word into a sentence by translating the following sentences below.

1. I went on a trip to Chiang Mai.
2. I went to see the doctor this morning.
3. Where have you been?
4. I have been learning Thai for two years.
5. What time will you come to school tomorrow?