อีก

More and Again

Level 2

อีก (ìik) can express addition ('more'), repetition ('again'), or future time ('in...'). Read its position together with the whole phrase and the context.

How It Works

อีก has several uses illustrated below. The full phrase and context matter:

  • 1. Addition ('More' or 'Another'): In the counted-addition pattern here, อีก comes before the number. The structure is (Noun) + อีก + Number + Classifier.
    Example: เบียร์อีกสองขวด (two more bottles of beer). For a singular 'another' or 'one more', you can use อีก + Classifier + หนึ่ง (e.g., อีกอันหนึ่ง) or อีก + หนึ่ง + Classifier (e.g., อีกหนึ่งอัน). The complete classifier phrase determines whether หนึ่ง is stated; this entry does not give a general rule for omitting it.
  • 2. Continuation ('More') and Repetition ('Again'): When placed after a verb, อีก can mean continuing an action ('more') or repeating it ('again'). For example, กินอีก (eat more) or เอาอีก (want more). To explicitly say 'again' or 'one more time', you can use อีกครั้ง or อีกที. If used with a counted noun, note the contrast: Noun + อีก + Number + Classifier means adding more (e.g., เอาอีกสองอัน - take two more), whereas repetition of an already specified amount can be made explicit with อีกครั้ง or อีกแล้ว (e.g., เอาสองอันอีกครั้ง - take two of them again, or เขาสั่งสองอันอีกแล้ว - he ordered two again!).
  • 3. Recurring Events ('Again!'): To describe another occurrence of an event, use อีกแล้ว at the end of the sentence.
    Example: ฝนตกอีกแล้ว (It's raining again!). The context and delivery determine the speaker's attitude; the expression does not require annoyance.
  • 4. Future Time and Duration: When placed before a number and time unit, it can indicate a point in the future (e.g., อีกสองวัน - in two days) or an additional duration of time (e.g., ขอเวลาอีกสองวัน - I need two more days).
  • 5. Negation ('Anymore'): For the 'not anymore' reading illustrated here, combine ไม่ ... อีก + แล้ว.
    Example: ไม่เอาอีกแล้ว (I don't want it anymore / I don't want to do that again, depending on context). Another expression for 'not anymore' is ไม่...อีกต่อไป.
  • 6. 'Else' in Questions: In the question phrases below, the reading is 'else'.
    Example: ใครอีก (who else) or อะไรอีก (what else).
  • 7. 'Even' in Comparisons: In this comparison, it adds to the degree being compared and can be translated with 'even'.
    Example: ดีกว่าอีก (even better).
  • 8. 'The Other' in Contrasts: When contrasting two things, use อีก + Classifier (+ หนึ่ง) to mean 'the other'.
    Example: อันหนึ่งใหญ่ อีกอันหนึ่งเล็ก (one is big, the other is small).
  • 9. Contrast with อื่น (Other): Compare 'another' (อีก) with 'other' (อื่น) in these phrases. Use อีก to add to the count (e.g., อีกคน - one more person), and compare อื่น when referring to someone or something other than the one under discussion (e.g., คนอื่น - someone else / other people).
  • 10. Expressions for 'A Little More' or 'Soon': อีก pairs with small amounts to mean 'a little more' or 'soon'. Examples include อีกหน่อย (a little more / soon), อีกนิด (a little bit more), and อีกไม่นาน (soon / not long from now).
  • 11. 'Besides... Also...': To express 'besides [this], also [that]', use the correlative conjunction นอกจาก... (แล้ว) ยัง... อีก.
    Example: นอกจากสวยแล้วยังเก่งอีก (Besides being beautiful, she is also smart).
  • 12. 'Also' or 'As Well': The compound อีกด้วย appears at the end of the example below with the meaning 'also' or 'as well'.
    Example: เขาสวยและเก่งอีกด้วย (She is beautiful and smart as well).
  • 13. With Directional Words ('More' or 'Further'): In expressions for further change, อีก can follow a phrase containing ขึ้น (up/more) or ลง (down/less) to request or describe a further change in state.
    Example: พูดดังขึ้นอีกได้ไหม (Can you speak louder?).

Nuance Note: In the final example, 'still more' is expressed with ยัง together with the rest of the phrase (e.g., ยังมีอีก - there is still more).

Examples (6)

  1. เอาอีกสองอัน

    I want two more (of these).

    Word by Word: take | more | two | [classifier for objects]

    In this counted request, อีก precedes the number and classifier to indicate two additional items.

  2. กินอีกไหม

    Do you want to eat more?

    Word by Word: eat | more | [question particle]

    Here, อีก follows the verb in a question about eating more. In other contexts, a verb phrase with it may describe doing something again; the surrounding words and situation determine the reading.

  3. อย่าทำแบบนั้นอีกนะ

    Don't do that again, okay?

    Word by Word: don't | do | like | that | again | [softening particle]

    อีก follows the verb phrase to indicate the repetition of an action ('again').

  4. เขามาสายอีกแล้ว

    He is late again!

    Word by Word: he | come | late | again | already

    The phrase อีกแล้ว marks another occurrence of his being late. Annoyance or surprise may fit a particular situation, but the written phrase alone does not fix that attitude.

  5. อีกห้านาทีจะถึงแล้ว

    In five minutes, (I) will arrive.

    Word by Word: in | five | minute | will | arrive | already

    In this sentence, อีก introduces a five-minute interval before the expected arrival. In a different construction, a duration phrase can instead describe additional time.

  6. ไม่ไปที่นั่นอีกแล้ว

    I'm not going there anymore.

    Word by Word: not | go | place | that | again | already

    Together with ไม่ and the final time-aspect marker, อีก gives the 'not going there anymore' reading here. The sentence does not by itself establish a permanent promise never to return.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting อีก before the bare noun in the beer request shown here.

    ขออีกเบียร์
    ขอเบียร์อีก

    In this beer request, the corrected string puts the noun before อีก. If an additional quantity is specified, the counted pattern introduced above places อีก before the number and classifier. This task concerns the displayed request, not every possible position of the word.

  • Writing อิก instead of อีก in this standard written request.

    พูดอิก
    พูดอีก

    For this standard written request, spell 'again' as อีก: พูดอีก ('say it again'). The displayed incorrect string uses อิก. This spelling exercise does not mark the original repetition request wrong or require ใหม่ when someone has mispronounced a word.

How It Connects

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อีกLevel 2More and Again

Learn This First

To use 'อีก' (more/again) effectively, you need to understand basic Thai sentence structure and how to express wanting something using 'เอา'. Additionally, since 'อีก' is commonly used to specify a quantity of additional items, familiarity with the Noun + Number + Classifier structure is crucial for phrases like 'two more cups'.

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