Daily Thai Confidence — Using ไม่ลงรอยกัน (mâi lōng-rōy gān)

Verb phrase: ไม่ลงรอยกัน (mâi lōng-rōy gān)
Meaning: to not get along / to be at odds

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the verb phrase ไม่ลงรอยกัน (mâi lōng-rōy gān), which means ‘to not get along’ or ‘to be at odds.’ It describes an ongoing lack of harmony between two or more people, usually because of conflicting personalities, opinions, values, or repeated disagreements.

It made of three words:

• ไม่ (mâi) = not
• ลงรอย (lōng-rōy) = to fit together / to be in harmony / to be compatible
• กัน (gān) = each other / one another

Together, ไม่ลงรอยกัน (mâi lōng-rōy gān) literally means ‘to not fit together with each other’ and implies that the two sides simply don’t ‘match’ or ‘line up’ well. Perhaps due to frequent disagreements, conflicting personalities, ongoing tension, difficulty cooperating, an unhealthy or strained relationship. However, it does not necessarily mean that people are openly fighting all the time. They may simply haver personalities, values, or opinions that constantly clash. It can describe family members, friends, classmates, colleagues, business partners, neighbours, political groups, or organisations.

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

พวกเขาสองคนไม่ลงรอยกันมาหลายปีแล้ว

p^hûak-k^hǎo sǎwng k^hōn mâi lōng-rōy gān māa ^hlǎai bpēe láew
Literal: They two-people not get along come many year already.
The two of them haven’t gotten along for years.

In this sentence, the word มา (māa) does not mean ‘to come.’ Instead, it marks the continuation of a situation from the past up to the present — verb + มา (māa). It is like saying ‘continuously up until now’ or ‘for (a period of time) and still now.’

ฉันกับพี่ชายไม่ลงรอยกันมาตั้งแต่เด็ก

chǎn gàb p^hêe-chāai mâi lōng-rōy gān māa dtâng-dtàe dèk
Literal: I and older brother not get along come since being a child.
My older brother and I haven’t gotten along since we were children.

The preposition ตั้งแต่ (dtâng-dtàe) means ‘since,’ ‘from,’ or ‘starting from.’ It marks the starting point of a time period, place, event, or situation. It tells us when or where something begins, but it does not tell us where it ends.

ทั้งสองครอบครัวไม่ลงรอยกันมาหลายปีแล้ว

t^háng sǎwng k^hrâwb-k^hrūa mâi lōng-rōy gān māa ^hlǎai bpēe láew
Literal: All two family not get along come many year already.
The two families have been at odds for years.

The pronoun ทั้งสอง (t^háng sǎwng) means ‘both,’ ‘the two,’ or ‘both of them.’ It refers to two people or two things together, emphasising that both are included, not just one — ทั้งสอง (t^háng sǎwng) + classifier.

เพื่อนร่วมงานสองคนนี้ไม่ลงรอยกันเลย

p^hêuan-rûam-ngāan sǎwng k^hōn née mâi lōng-rōy gān lēuy
Literal: Friend-involve-work two people this not get along at all.
These two colleagues don’t get along at all.

In this sentence, the word เลย (lēuy) functions as a negative intensifier, meaning ‘at all,’ ‘not at all,’ or ‘completely not at all.’ When used with a negative sentence, it makes the negation stronger and more absolute — negative statement + เลย (lēuy).

Homework (การบ้าน — gāan-bâan)

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

1. He hasn’t gotten along with his neighbour next door for a long time.
2. Because their opinions differ, they don’t get along.
3. The manager and the employee don’t get along because of their different working styles.
4. Even though they don’t get along they can still work together.
5. The two of them started to have a strained relationship after opening a company together.

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