นิดหน่อย

A Little

Level 1

Use นิดหน่อย (nít nòi) to express a small amount or degree. In the examples, it follows the adjective, the ability phrase, or the noun whose amount is small.

How It Works

นิดหน่อย expresses a small amount or degree. Read the whole phrase to see what is small.

1. A Small Degree
วันนี้เหนื่อยนิดหน่อย gives a small degree of tiredness. The Thai sentence does not name the person; “[I am]” in its English translation supplies the contextual reading. The primary dictionary also uses นิดหน่อย for a small influence and for a road and bridge being slightly out of alignment.

2. An Action Or Ability
In ผมพูดภาษาไทยได้นิดหน่อย, the amount expression follows the whole phrase พูดภาษาไทยได้. It describes being able to speak a little Thai without specifying a measured proficiency level. In ขอกินนิดหน่อยได้ไหม, it limits the amount to be eaten; ขอ and ได้ไหม form the surrounding permission question.

3. A Quantity Phrase
มีปัญหานิดหน่อย presents a small amount or extent of trouble. The primary dictionary's capital example likewise uses นิดหน่อย after a phrase naming the amount held. These complete phrases illustrate position without creating a rule that the expression must immediately follow one isolated verb or adjective.

4. Read The Intended Meaning In The Tasks
The tiredness task intends the simple statement ผมเหนื่อยนิดหน่อย. Its correction also omits ก็; that does not ban ก็ in a different complete context. The door task contrasts amount wording with the selected request wording using หน่อย. The first wording can itself request a small opening. Learn that particular contrast rather than treating “a little” and request softening as identical.

Related Wording
Compare complete contexts containing เล็กน้อย with those containing นิดหน่อย. This entry does not require one of them in every formal or informal setting.

Examples (4)

  1. ผมพูดภาษาไทยได้นิดหน่อย

    I can speak a little Thai.

    Word by Word: I speak language Thai can a little

    Here นิดหน่อย follows the whole phrase พูดภาษาไทยได้. It describes being able to speak a little Thai, without assigning a precise proficiency level.

  2. วันนี้เหนื่อยนิดหน่อย

    Today [I am] a little tired.

    Word by Word: Today tired a little

    นิดหน่อย gives a small degree of เหนื่อย (tired). The English '[I am]' supplies the contextual subject and copula; the Thai sentence does not explicitly name the subject.

  3. ขอกินนิดหน่อยได้ไหม

    Can I eat a little bit?

    Word by Word: Request eat a little can [question]?

    นิดหน่อย limits the amount to be eaten. The surrounding ขอ and ได้ไหม wording frames this as a request for permission; the amount expression alone does not make it a permission question.

  4. มีปัญหานิดหน่อย

    There is a little problem.

    Word by Word: Have problem a little

    มี introduces having or the presence of a problem, and นิดหน่อย follows ปัญหา to describe a small amount or extent of trouble. The English uses 'there is' for this contextual reading.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong order for the intended simple statement 'I am a little tired'.

    ผมก็นิดหน่อยเหนื่อย
    ผมเหนื่อยนิดหน่อย

    For the intended simple statement, use ผมเหนื่อยนิดหน่อย, with นิดหน่อย after เหนื่อย. The original ผมก็นิดหน่อยเหนื่อย also contains ก็; the supplied correction omits it to give the simple statement. ก็ can have a role in a different complete context, so the task does not ban that connector universally.

  • Using an amount expression when the task intends a softened request.

    ช่วยเปิดประตูนิดหน่อย
    ช่วยเปิดประตูหน่อย

    The task contrasts two intentions: asking for a small opening and making a request to open the door. ช่วยเปิดประตูนิดหน่อย supplies the amount wording “a little.” The supplied correction ช่วยเปิดประตูหน่อย is the request wording selected for the second intention. This contrast does not make the first sentence ungrammatical or guarantee that the second is polite in every setting.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

นิดหน่อยLevel 1A Little

Learn This First

To use 'นิดหน่อย' (a little), you need to understand Thai word order, specifically that modifiers like adjectives and degree markers come after the word they describe. It is also helpful to understand that adjectives in Thai function like verbs, as 'นิดหน่อย' frequently modifies these states.

Words in This Pattern

นิดหน่อย