อย่า

Do Not

Level 1

Use อย่า (yàa) before the action or quality to tell someone 'Don't' do something, as in อย่าไป.

How It Works

In the negative commands shown here, place อย่า (yàa) immediately before the verb or adjective.

1. Basic Structure:
อย่า + [Verb/Adjective]
Example: อย่าไป (Don't go).

2. Softening the Command:
A reminder with อย่า can include the softening particle นะ (ná) at the end of the sentence, as in อย่าลืมนะ. It can soften the reminder in context, but omitting นะ does not automatically make a sentence rude or ungrammatical. Interpret the reminder in its situation rather than treating the particle as a guaranteed mark of politeness.

3. Use with Adjectives:
Because Thai adjectives function as stative verbs, you can use อย่า with them directly. For example, อย่าดื้อ (Don't be stubborn) or อย่าช้า (Don't be slow).

4. Tone and Homophone Awareness:
Be very careful with the low tone and spelling.
• อย่า (yàa - low tone) means 'don't'.
• หย่า (yàa - low tone) sounds exactly the same but means 'to divorce'.
• ยา (yaa - mid tone) means 'medicine'.
• ย่า (yâa - falling tone) means 'paternal grandmother'.

Examples (5)

  1. อย่าลืมนะ

    Don't forget, okay?

    Word by Word: don't + forget + [softening particle]

    In อย่าลืมนะ, นะ accompanies the reminder not to forget. It can soften the reminder in context; its presence does not guarantee how a listener will interpret the sentence.

  2. อย่าไปคนเดียว

    Don't go alone.

    Word by Word: don't + go + person + single

    A standard prohibition. 'คนเดียว' means 'alone' or 'by oneself'.

  3. อย่าเสียงดัง

    Don't be loud.

    Word by Word: don't + sound + loud

    Here, 'อย่า' is used with the descriptive phrase 'เสียงดัง' (to be loud).

  4. อย่าสายนะ

    Don't be late.

    Word by Word: don't + late + [softening particle]

    อย่าสายนะ asks someone not to be late and includes นะ. The situation supplies what the person should not be late for.

  5. อย่ากินอันนี้

    Don't eat this one.

    Word by Word: don't + eat + [classifier] + this

    Uses the general classifier 'อัน' to point to a specific item.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ไม่' (not) instead of 'อย่า' for commands.

    ไม่ไป!
    อย่าไป!

    ไม่ไป is a negative expression meaning 'not go'; no subject is written in this phrase, so it does not by itself specify 'I'. For the intended negative command 'Don't go', this task uses อย่าไป.

  • Confusing the spelling or context of 'อย่า' (don't) with 'หย่า' (divorce).

    หย่ากินนะ
    อย่ากินนะ

    While 'อย่า' (don't) and 'หย่า' (to divorce) sound identical, they are spelled differently. Using the wrong one in writing can change the meaning from a simple command to a legal separation!

How It Connects

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อย่าLevel 1Do Not

Learn This First

To use 'อย่า' (do not), you simply need to understand basic Thai sentence structure and the fact that verbs do not conjugate. It functions similarly to the basic negation marker 'ไม่' but is specifically used for commands.

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Words in This Pattern

อย่า