สมมติว่า

Suppose That

Level 4

สมมติว่า means suppose that or imagine if in the displayed examples. It invites someone to consider a scenario without asserting that the scenario is actually happening.

How It Works

Premise And Question
In these examples, สมมติว่า introduces the scenario before a question about its consequences or the next action. ว่า connects สมมติ to the following clause. A hypothetical premise does not have to describe an impossible event.

Winning A Prize
สมมติว่าคุณถูกรางวัลที่หนึ่ง คุณจะทำยังไง asks what you would do if you won first prize. ถูกรางวัล refers to winning a prize, ที่หนึ่ง identifies first place, and ทำยังไง asks what action you would take. No particular date or actual winner is stated.

Considering What To Do
สมมติว่าเขาไม่มาตามนัด เราควรจะรอต่อไปไหม asks whether continuing to wait would be advisable if he did not come as arranged. ควรจะ conveys should in this advice question; it does not impose a must. สมมติว่าเราหลงทาง เราจะโทรหาใคร asks who we would call if we got lost. โทรหา means call someone, rather than physically go to find that person.

Imagining A Different Situation
สมมติว่าโลกนี้ไม่มีอินเทอร์เน็ต ชีวิตจะเป็นอย่างไร invites discussion of life in a world without internet. The question asks what life would be like, not what biological life form would exist.

A Premise Or A Belief
สมมติว่าเขาหลับอยู่ asks you to suppose that he is asleep for the discussion. คิดว่าเขาหลับอยู่ expresses thinking that he is asleep. Choose the latter for the intended belief meaning in the practice task. Both can form meaningful statements in their own contexts. Compare the separate conditional and clause-linking entries for other patterns.

Examples (4)

  1. สมมติว่าคุณถูกรางวัลที่หนึ่ง คุณจะทำยังไง

    Suppose you won first prize; what would you do?

    Word by Word: suppose | that | you | win a prize | first | you | prospective marker | do | how

    The premise is winning first prize. The following question asks what action the listener would take in that situation.

  2. สมมติว่าเขาไม่มาตามนัด เราควรจะรอต่อไปไหม

    Suppose he does not come as arranged; should we keep waiting?

    Word by Word: suppose | that | he | not | come | as arranged | we | should | prospective marker | wait | continue | question particle

    The question asks for advice about continued waiting under the proposed condition. ควร supplies should, rather than must.

  3. สมมติว่าโลกนี้ไม่มีอินเทอร์เน็ต ชีวิตจะเป็นอย่างไร

    Imagine a world without internet; what would life be like?

    Word by Word: suppose | that | world | this | not | have | internet | life | prospective marker | be | how

    The premise removes internet from the imagined world. The question asks how life would be in that situation.

  4. สมมติว่าเราหลงทาง เราจะโทรหาใคร

    Suppose we get lost; who will we call?

    Word by Word: suppose | that | we | lose the way | we | prospective marker | telephone | to | who

    หลงทาง describes getting lost. โทรหาใคร asks who to call for this situation; หา helps form call someone.

Common Mistakes

  • Expressing A Belief Rather Than A Premise

    สมมติว่าเขาหลับอยู่
    คิดว่าเขาหลับอยู่

    For the intended meaning I think he is asleep, choose คิดว่าเขาหลับอยู่. สมมติว่าเขาหลับอยู่ instead sets up suppose he is asleep as a premise. The alternative is meaningful in a hypothetical discussion, but it does not give the intended belief meaning in this task.

How It Connects

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

สมมติว่าLevel 4Suppose That

Learn This First

To understand 'สมมติว่า' (Suppose that), you first need to understand how 'ว่า' functions as a clause linker. It also helps to be familiar with basic 'if' conditionals and the use of 'จะ' to mark events that are not currently real but are being imagined or planned.

Words in This Pattern

สมมติว่า