Daily Thai Confidence — Using โดยเฉลี่ย (dōy chà-hlìa)

Adverb: โดยเฉลี่ย (dōy chà-^hlìa)
Meaning: on average / on the whole

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the adverb โดยเฉลี่ย (dōy chà-^hlìa), which means ‘on average’ or ‘on the whole.’ It is used to describe a typical or general value, especially when talking about numbers, time, or frequency.

It is most commonly used when:

• Giving general statistics
• Describing typical situations
• Smoothing out variations

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

โดยเฉลี่ย คนไทยดื่มกาแฟวันละ 1 แก้ว

dōy chà-^hlìa, k^hōn Thāi dèum gāa-fāe wān lá ^hnèung gâew
Literal: On average, people Thai drink coffee day per 1 glass.
On average, Thai people drink one cup of coffee a day.

The word ละ (lá) means ‘per,’ ‘each,’ or ‘for each unit.’ It is used to express distribution or rate. It shows how something is divided (per person), measured (per hour/day), or repeated (times per week) — unit of measurement + ละ (lá) + number + classifier. For example: สัปดาห์ละ 3 ครั้ง (sàb-dāa lá 3 k^hráng = 3 times per week); วันละ 1 ชั่วโมง (wān lá 1 chûa-mōng = 1 hour per day); ขวดละ 100 บาท (k^hùad lá 100 bàad = 100 baht per bottle); คนละ 100 บาท (k^hōn lá 100 bàad = 100 baht per person), etc.

เขาทำงานวันละ 8 ชั่วโมงโดยเฉลี่ย

k^hǎo t^hām-ngāan wān lá bpàed chûa-mōng dōy chà-^hlìa
Literal: He do-work day per 8 hours on average.
He works 8 hours a day on average.

The verb ทำงาน (t^hām-ngāan) means ‘to work.’ It refers to doing a job, working, or carrying out tasks, either for employment or general activity — subject + ทำงาน (t^hām-ngāan).

โดยเฉลี่ย เราใช้เวลา 2 ชั่วโมงในการเดินทาง

dōy chà-^hlìa, rāo chái wāy-lāa sǎwng chûa-mōng nāi gāan-dēuhn-t^hāang
Literal: On average, we use time 2 hours in the act of making journey.
On average, we spend 2 hours traveling.

The verb phrase ใช้เวลา (chái wāy-lāa) means ‘to take time’ or ‘to spend time.’. It is used to describe how long an action or process requires — subject + ใช้เวลา (chái wāy-lāa) + amount of time.

นักเรียนอ่านหนังสือวันละ 1 ชั่วโมงโดยเฉลี่ย

nák-rīan àan ^hnǎng-sěu wān lá ^hnèung chûa-mōng dōy chà-^hlìa
Literal: Student read book day per 1 hour on average.
Students read for 1 hour a day on average.

The verb phrase อ่านหนังสือ (àan ^hnǎng-sěu) means ‘to read a book’ or more general ‘to study’ — subject + อ่านหนังสือ (àan ^hnǎng-sěu).

Homework (การบ้าน — gāan-bâan)

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

1. On average, people in the city spend 1 hour a day commuting.
2. On average, this shop sells 200 cups of coffee per day.
3. Students study Thai for 3 hours per week on average.
4. On average, he sleeps 7 hours a day.
5. On average, monthly expenses are 20,000 baht.

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