คือ
To Be — Equals
คือ (khue) links what is being identified to the identifying phrase in these examples. It also introduces the definition offered for love. English 'is' alone does not tell you which Thai linking word to use.
How It Works
คือ (khue) is a Thai linking word used for identification and definitions in the displayed examples. It does not replace every English 'am', 'is', or 'are'.
Identification And Definitions
In นี่คืออะไร, the speaker asks what this is. The house and father examples identify the referent of a pointing word. In ความรักคือการให้, the speaker presents giving as a definition of love; the construction does not prove that definition universally true. The Bangkok example identifies the city as Thailand's capital.
Read The Whole Predicate
The identifying expressions in these examples are noun phrases, including การให้, the expression for the act of giving. This is not a claim that every use of คือ must link exactly two nouns. Compare เป็น when the intended statement assigns a role or category. A profession word does not by itself prohibit คือ: identifying the particular teacher differs from saying that someone has the occupation of teacher.
In the first task, สวย directly describes the subject, so the requested statement is เขาสวย without คือ. That task does not classify every phrase containing a descriptive word as the same construction. In the second task, deny the proposed identity with นี่ไม่ใช่ปากกา rather than adding ไม่ directly before คือ. In the third task, the requested reading is an occupational statement, so the correction uses ผมเป็นครู.
Context And Omission
คือ occurs in definitions and formal writing as well as identification questions like the first example. These examples do not establish a frequency ranking or a formal-only restriction. The pattern here is the expression being identified, followed by คือ and the identifying or defining phrase. Some introductions permit omission when context supplies the link, but this is not a rule to remove คือ from every sentence whenever its meaning seems clear.
Examples (5)
- นี่คืออะไร
What is this?
Word by Word: this / is / what
คือ links นี่ to the question word อะไร: the speaker asks what the indicated thing is. This is an identification question, not a yes/no confirmation question.
- นี่คือบ้านของฉัน
This is my house.
Word by Word: this / is / house / of / me
คือ identifies the indicated thing as บ้านของฉัน, 'my house'. The possession is expressed by ของฉัน; คือ itself is not an ownership marker.
- นั่นคือพ่อของผม
That is my father.
Word by Word: that / is / father / of / me
คือ identifies the person indicated by นั่น as พ่อของผม, 'my father'. The choice follows the identification being made, not a rule that person nouns require one linking word.
- ความรักคือการให้
Love is giving.
Word by Word: love / is / the act of / giving
คือ introduces the definition offered in this sentence. การให้ refers to the act of giving; the example presents a statement about love without proving it a universal definition.
- กรุงเทพฯ คือเมืองหลวงของประเทศไทย
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand.
Word by Word: Bangkok / is / city / capital / of / Thailand
คือ links กรุงเทพฯ to เมืองหลวงของประเทศไทย, identifying Bangkok as Thailand's capital. Read the entire identifying phrase rather than treating คือ as an English tense marker.
Common Mistakes
Adding คือ in the requested direct property statement with สวย.
เขาคือสวยเขาสวยFor the intended statement that he or she is beautiful, use เขาสวย: adjectives function as verbs in this direct property pattern. The task rejects เขาคือสวย for that reading, not every identifying phrase that contains a descriptive word.
Adding ไม่ directly before คือ to deny the proposed identity in this task.
นี่ไม่คือปากกานี่ไม่ใช่ปากกาFor the intended denial that this is a pen, use นี่ไม่ใช่ปากกา with ไม่ใช่. Do not form this negative identity statement by inserting ไม่ before คือ.
Using คือ for the requested statement of the speaker's occupation.
ผมคือครูผมเป็นครูFor the intended statement that the speaker has the occupation of teacher, use ผมเป็นครู with เป็น. The correction is for that occupational reading; it does not rule out คือ when a context identifies someone as the particular teacher.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'คือ' effectively, you need to understand basic Thai sentence structure (SVO) and how it differs from the other 'to be' verb, 'เป็น'. You should also be comfortable with the fact that Thai nouns do not require articles or plural markers when being defined.
Related Patterns
- อยู่ (สถานที่)To Be in a Place
Compare อยู่ for location with the identification expressed by คือ here. Similar English linking verbs do not make the Thai constructions interchangeable.
Level 1 - ไม่ใช่Denying an Identity
The negative-identity task uses ไม่ใช่ to deny that this is a pen. Compare that complete denial with the positive identification using คือ.
Level 1 - Adjectives Work As Verbs
Compare เขาสวย in the task: สวย directly describes the subject without คือ. Distinguish that direct property statement from an identifying noun phrase containing a modifier.
Level 1 - นี่ / นั่น / โน่นPointing with นี่, นั่น, And โน่น
นี่ and นั่น are the pointing words used before คือ in the displayed identification examples. These examples do not establish how frequently each pointing word occurs with คือ.
Level 1 - ของPossession with ของ
ของฉัน and ของผม express possession in the house and father examples. คือ supplies the identification, while the phrase with ของ supplies the possessor.
Level 1
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Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice คือ in Bubblegum
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