so
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- 1 so、therefore、as a result
A common conversational expression that connects a situation or reason to its consequence, much like “so” or “and therefore.”
so、therefore、as a result
It presents what happened or was done as a natural consequence of the preceding situation.
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ฝนตก ก็เลยไม่ได้ไป fǒn tòk kɔ̂ɔ ləəy mây dâay pay It was raining, so I didn't go. ฝนตก ก็เลยไม่ได้ไป details
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โทรศัพท์พัง ก็เลยต้องซื้อใหม่ thoorasàp phaŋ kɔ̂ɔ ləəy tɔ̂ŋ sʉ́ʉ mày My phone broke, so I had to buy a new one. โทรศัพท์พัง ก็เลยต้องซื้อใหม่ details
Learning notes
Explanation
The basic pattern is “reason or situation + ก็เลย + consequence.” Depending on the context, it can correspond to “so,” “that’s why,” or an English clause with “because.” For practical use, it is best to learn ก็เลย as a single linking expression. If the subject of the result is stated, it can come immediately before ก็เลย: “reason + subject + ก็เลย + predicate.” The expression is conversational and often describes a natural sequence of events rather than presenting a formal logical argument. The pattern เพราะ...ก็เลย... (“because..., so...”) is also common in everyday Thai.
Usage
It is common in everyday explanations of why someone was late, missed something, changed plans, bought something, or took another action. It also works naturally when telling a story as a sequence of events and is frequent in conversation and casual messages.
Caution
What follows ก็เลย should be the consequence or resulting action, not the cause. Also, เลย has several unrelated uses when it appears by itself, so its standalone meanings should not be applied automatically to ก็เลย. In formal documents or tightly reasoned prose, จึง or ดังนั้น may be more appropriate.
Differences from similar words
1 so synonyms
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จึง also introduces a consequence, but it is more common in writing and formal explanations. ก็เลย is more conversational and often suggests a natural “so this happened” progression.
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ดังนั้น is closer to “therefore” and explicitly introduces a logical conclusion, often at the beginning of a new clause. ก็เลย sounds more natural when casually explaining why something happened or why someone acted.