Daily Thai Confidence — Using ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi)

Verb: ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi)
Meaning: to trust / to rely on (someone)

In this Thai lesson, we learn how to use the verb ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi), which means ‘to trust’ or ‘to rely on’ someone. It describe feeling confident that someone is reliable, responsible, honest, or capable of taking care of something or someone.

It made up of two words:

• ไว้ (wái) = to keep / to leave / to entrust
• ใจ (jāi) = heart / mind

Together, ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi), literally meaning ‘to trust’ or ‘to place one’s trust in someone.’ The verbs ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi) and เชื่อใจ (chêua-jāi) are very similar and can both be translated as ‘to trust.’ However, there is a useful distinction for learners.

• เชื่อใจ (chêua-jāi) focuses more on personal or emotional trust. It suggests that you believe in the person’s honesty, intentions, or sincerity.
• ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi) often carries the additional idea of relying on someone or entrusting something to them.

The typical structure usually follows the pattern: subject + ไว้ใจ (wái-jāi) + person.

For examples (ตัวอย่างเช่น — dtūa-^awyàang chên)

ฉันไว้ใจคุณ

chǎn wái-jāi k^hūn
Literal: I trust you.
I trust 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.

เขาไว้ใจเพื่อนของเขา

k^hǎo wái-jāi p^hêuang k^hǎwng-k^hǎo
Literal: He trust friend belonging to-him.
He trusts his friend.

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).

คุณไว้ใจเขาได้

k^hūn wái-jāi k^hǎo dâi
Literal: You trust him can.
You can trust him.

The modal verb ได้ (dâi) means ‘can’ or ‘to be able to. It indicates that someone has the ability, opportunity, or possibility to do something — subject + verb phrase + ได้ (dâi). For example: ฉันพูดภาษาไทยได้ (chǎn p^hûud p^hāa-sǎa Thāi dâi = I can speak Thai.); ฉันกินอาหารเผ็ดได้ (chǎn gīn āa-hǎan p^hèd dâi = I can eat spicy food.); เธอขับรถได้พรุ่งนี้ (t^hēr k^hàb-ród dâi p^hrûng-née = She can drive tomorrow.), etc.

เขาเป็นคนที่ไว้ใจได้

k^hǎo bpēn k^hōn t^hêe wái-jāi dâi
Literal: He to be person that trust can.
He is someone who can be trusted.

The grammatical structure เป็นคนที่ (bpēn k^hōn t^hêe) means ‘to be someone who…’ or ‘to be a person who…’ It is used to describe a person’s character, habits, qualities, or typical behaviour — subject + เป็นคนที่ (bpēn k^hōn t^hêe) + verb / adjective clause. For example: ฉันเป็นคนที่ชอบทำอาหาร (chǎn bpēn k^hōn t^hêe châwb t^hām āa-hǎan = I am someone who likes cooking.); เขาเป็นคนที่ทำงานหนัก (k^hǎo bpēn k^hōn t^hêe t^hām-ngāan ^hnàk = He is someone who works hard.); พ่อเป็นคนที่ใจดีมาก (p^hâw bpēn k^hōn t^hêe jāi-dēe mâak = Dad is a very kind person.), etc.

Homework (การบ้าน — gāan-bâan)

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

1. I don’t trust him.
2. She doesn’t trust strangers.
3. We have to trust each other.
4. I trust him to look after the house.
5. I trust him to help solve the problem.

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