Daily Thai Confidence — Using เชื่อ (chêua)

Verb: เชื่อ (chêua)
Meaning: to believe

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the verb เชื่อ (chêua), which means ‘to believe.’ It is used when you accept something as true or believe what someone says. It can be followed by a person — subject + เชื่อ (chêua) + person, when it means ‘to believe someone.’

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

ฉันเชื่อคุณ

chǎn chêua k^hūn
Literal: I believe you.
I believe you.

The pronoun ฉัน (chǎn) means ‘I’ or ‘me’. It is traditionally associated with female speakers, particularly in everyday polite speech. However, it can also be used by male speakers in certain context, such as informal, literary, or expressive language.

ผมไม่เชื่อเขา

p^hǒm mâi chêua k^hǎo
Literal: I not believe him.
I don’t believe him.

The pronoun ผม (p^hǒm) means ‘I’ or ‘me’. It is generally used by male speakers when speaking politely, particularly with people they are not very close to or in more formal situations.

เขาเชื่อแม่ของเขา

k^hǎo chêua mâe k^hǎwng-k^hǎo
Literal: He believe mother belonging to-him.
He believes his mother.

The possessive adjective ของเขา (k^hǎwng-k^hǎo) means ‘his’ or ‘belonging to him’. When it comes after a noun, it indicates who the noun belongs to — noun + ของเขา (k^hǎwng-k^hǎo).

เธอไม่เชื่อพ่อของเธอ

t^hēr mâi chêua p^hâw k^hǎwng-t^hēr
Literal: She not believe father belonging to-her.
She doesn’t believe her father.

The possessive adjective ของเธอ (k^hǎwng-t^hēr) means ‘her’ or ‘belonging to her.’ When it comes after a noun, it indicates who the noun belongs to — noun + ของเธอ (k^hǎwng-t^hēr).

The verb เชื่อ (chêua) is often followed by the complement clause marker ว่า (wâa), meaning ‘that.’ Together, เชื่อว่า (chêua wâa) forms a verb phrase meaning ‘to believe that…’ and is followed by a complement clause expressing what the speaker believes — subject + เชื่อว่า (chêua wâa) + clause (stating what the speaker believes).

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

ฉันเชื่อว่าเขาพูดความจริง

chǎn chêua wâa k^hǎo p^hûud k^hwāam-jīng
Literal: I believe that he speak truth.
I believe that he is telling the truth.

The complement marker ว่า (wâa) introduces the information or proposition that the speaker believes. In this sentence, เขาพูดความจริง (k^hǎo p^hûud k^hwāam-jīng = he is telling the truth) functions as the complement clause of เชื่อว่า (chêua wâa).

เธอไม่เชื่อว่าเขาพูดความจริง

t^hēr mâi chêua wâa k^hǎo p^hûud k^hwāam-jīng
Literal: She not believe that he say truth.
She doesn’t believe he is telling the truth.

The complement marker ว่า (wâa) introduces the information or proposition that the speaker does not believes. In this sentence, เขาพูดความจริง (k^hǎo p^hûud k^hwāam-jīng = he is telling the truth) functions as the complement clause of ไม่เชื่อว่า (mâi chêua wâa).

พวกเขาไม่เชื่อว่าเรื่องราวนั้นเป็นความจริง

p^hûak-k^hǎo mâi chêua wâa rêuang-rāow nán bpēn k^hwāam-jīng
Literal: They not believe that story that to be truth.
They do not believe that the story is true.

The complement marker ว่า (wâa) introduces the information or proposition that the speaker does not believe. In this sentence, เรื่องราวนั้นเป็นความจริง (rêuang-rāow nán bpēn k^hwāam-jīng = the story is true) functions as the complement clause of ไม่เชื่อว่า (mâi chêua wâa).

เขาเชื่อว่าเพื่อนของเขาเป็นคนที่ไว้ใจได้

k^hǎo chêua wâa p^hêuan k^hǎwng-k^hǎo bpēn k^hōn t^hêe wái-jāi dâi
Literal: He believe that friend belonging to-him to be person that trust can.        
He believes that his friend is trustworthy.

The complement marker ว่า (wâa) introduces the information or proposition that the speaker believes. In this sentence, เพื่อนของเขาเป็นคนที่ไว้ใจได้ (p^hêuan k^hǎwng-k^hǎo bpēn k^hōn t^hêe wái-jāi dâi = his friend is trusthworthy) functions as the complement clause of เชื่อว่า (chêua wâa).

The verb เชื่อ (chêua) can also be combined with other words to form different meanings, such as:

• เชื่อใจ (chêua-jāi) = to trust (literally: ‘to believe-heart’ or ‘to believe-mind.’ It goes beyond believing a particular statement. It suggests that you have confidence in the person’s character, intentions, or reliability.)
• เชื่อฟัง (chêua-fāng) = to obey / to listen to (literally: ‘to believe-to listen.’ It means to listen to and follow someone’s instructions or advice.)
• เชื่อถือ (chêua-t^hěu) = to trust / to have confidence in (literally: ‘to believe-to hold.’ It is used when you consider a person, source, information, or organisation reliable, credible, or worthy of trust.)
• เชื่อมั่น (chêua-mân) = to have confidence in / to be confident in / to firmly believe in (literally: ‘to believe-to be confident.’ It expresses a strong belief or confidence that someone or something is reliable, capable, or likely to succeed.)
• เชื่อได้ว่า (chêua dâi wâa…) = it is safe to assume that… / it can be believed that… / it is reasonable to believe that… (literally: ‘to believe can that…’ It is used when there is enough evidence or reason to believe that something is true.)
• เชื่อกันว่า (chêua gān wâa…) = it is believed that… / it is generally believed that… / it is widely believed that… (literally: ‘to believe each other that…’ It is used when many people or people in general share the same belief about something. It is often used in more general, formal, or informational statements.)

Homework (การบ้าน — gāan-bâan)

Practise putting your newly learned Thai word into a sentence by translating the following sentences below.

1. He doesn’t believe me.
2. They believe that he will come back.
3. I don’t believe this story.
4. Don’t believe everything you hear.
5. I believe that everything will get better.

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