เลย
very [emphasis]
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 very [emphasis]、completely、not at all [negative emphasis]
- 2 right away、straight away、go ahead
- 3 so、therefore、as a result
- 4 pass、go past、exceed
- 5 Loei Province
เลย centers on the idea of going past a point or moving straight on from something. In everyday Thai it can mean to pass beyond, do something right away, add emphasis, or link a cause to its result.
very [emphasis]、completely、not at all [negative emphasis]
Placed after a word or at the end of a clause, it strengthens the statement. With negatives, it means “not at all.”
-
ดีมากเลย dii mâak ləəy It’s really good. ดีมากเลย details
-
ไม่รู้เลย mây rúu ləəy I don’t know at all. ไม่รู้เลย details
Show more (2)
-
เปียกหมดเลย pìak mòt ləəy It got completely wet. เปียกหมดเลย details
-
น่ารักจังเลย nâa rák caŋ ləəy So cute. น่ารักจังเลย details
right away、straight away、go ahead
It marks doing something right away or going straight ahead with it, often in commands, permission, or encouragement.
-
ไปเลย pay ləəy Go ahead. ไปเลย details
-
กินเลย kin ləəy Go ahead and eat. กินเลย details
Show more (2)
-
เริ่มเลย rə̂əm ləəy Let’s start right away. เริ่มเลย details
-
ได้เลย dâay ləəy Sure, absolutely. ได้เลย details
so、therefore、as a result
It links a situation to its natural result, similar to “so” or “therefore” in everyday speech. ก็เลย is also very common.
-
ฝนตกหนัก เลยไม่ไป fǒn tòk nàk ləəy mây pay It rained heavily, so I didn’t go. ฝนตกหนัก เลยไม่ไป details
-
เหนื่อยมาก เลยนอนเร็ว nʉ̀ay mâak ləəy nɔɔn rew I was very tired, so I went to bed early. เหนื่อยมาก เลยนอนเร็ว details
pass、go past、exceed
It means to pass or go beyond a point, whether that point is a place, time, amount, or limit.
-
รถเลยป้ายไปแล้ว rót ləəy pâay pay lɛ́ɛw The car has already passed the stop. รถเลยป้ายไปแล้ว details
-
เลยเวลา ləəy weelaa go past the time เลยเวลา details
Show more (1)
-
ราคาเลยงบ raakhaa ləəy ŋóp The price exceeds the budget. ราคาเลยงบ details
Loei Province
This is the name of Loei, a province in northeastern Thailand. It is separate from the grammatical word เลย.
-
จังหวัดเลย caŋwàt ləəy Loei Province จังหวัดเลย details
-
ไปเที่ยวเลย pay thîaw ləəy go travel to Loei ไปเที่ยวเลย details
Learning notes
Explanation
เลย changes function depending on where it appears. As a verb, it means passing beyond a point, as in เลยป้าย “pass the stop.” At the end of a phrase, it adds emphasis, as in ดีมากเลย “really good” or ไม่รู้เลย “don’t know at all.” After a verb, it often encourages immediate or direct action, as in ไปเลย “go ahead.” It also connects a cause to a result in spoken Thai, as in ฝนตกเลยไม่ไป “It rained, so I didn’t go.”
Usage
It is extremely common in everyday conversation, texting, and social media. Learners should especially know patterns such as ไม่...เลย, มากเลย, จังเลย, ไปเลย, ได้เลย, and ก็เลย.
Caution
As a cause-result connector, เลย is conversational; in formal writing, จึง or ดังนั้น may be more appropriate. Its meaning depends strongly on position, so ไม่รู้เลย “don’t know at all” and รู้เลย “know right away / clearly know” should not be interpreted the same way.
Differences from similar words
1 very [emphasis] synonyms
-
มาก is the regular word for “much” or “very.” เลย often follows it to make the statement feel more emphatic and expressive.
2 right away synonyms
3 so synonyms
4 pass synonyms
-
เกิน is widely used for exceeding an amount, degree, or limit. เลย is also natural for physically passing a place or point.