English speaking visitors to major capitals of the world can usually count on getting by with English.  That's true in Paris, Rome, Madrid, Rio or Berlin.  But none of that applies here in Bangkok. In fact, it is not uncommon to see a group of stranded tourists who are unable to communicate with local people or even with the tour operator who may be with them for the day. 

Merchants and taxi cab drivers who see a lot of English speaking tourists have particular difficulty understanding anything beyond the simplest English.   Even if the visitor knows a few Thai words or the names of places, because he doesn't pronounce these words accurately, no one understands him.  Outside of Bangkok and tourist areas, where 56 million of Thailand’s 65 million people live, English is even less well spoken and understood. 

 In general, what is observed in daily life in Thailand can also be observed in most schools whether they are primary, secondary, colleges or universities.  It even extends to Thai English teachers who have the responsibility of teaching English in the school system. 

Listening comprehension is observed to be the least well developed skill.  An study of English ability among ASEAN countries placed Thailand near the very bottom, just above a country that spends very little on English education. 

The inability to converse in English, however, misrepresents the overall problem.  It is not as though Thais have no ability or knowledge in English, it is more that they have been taught no simple strategy for speaking.  Most Thai students have a fairly extensive vocabulary.  When tested they can recognize a considerable number of English words, particularly in areas of personal interest such as entertainment or sports.  Their problem is usually that they can’t use the information they possess. 

The reason for this is that in Thailand English is taught as a subject like history of geography.  This involves a lot of rote memorization of vocabulary grammatic rules and bits of conversation.  This means students have information they can’t use to create language for themselves.  It’s the same as learning about swimming without being able to swim.