I bet everyone knows that ชอบ (chôp) means “to like”. But did you know ชอบ is also frequently used in colloquial Thai to mean “always”?

It makes sense if you think about it (you’ll understand why soon), and usually the only way to tell if ชอบ means to like or always in a sentence is through the context.

Let me show you some examples so you understand.

Examples of ชอบ to mean always

• He always talks loudly
  เขาชอบพูดดังๆ
  kăo chôp pôot dang dang

The above example can mean either “he likes to talk loudly” or “he always talks loudly”. You have to use context to know what someone means but either way, it’s easy to understand because if someone likes talking then they will probably always talk.

• Why do you always travel at night?
  ทำไมชอบเดินทางตอนกลางคืน
  tam-mai chôp dern taang dtor nók laang keun

The above example also can either mean “why do you always travel at night?” or “why do you like to travel at night?”. A good way to tell which one is meant is by listening to the intonation of the way it’s said. If it’s an annoyed tone then it’s probably “why do you always travel at night?”.

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I hope you enjoyed learning about how ชอบ can be used to mean “always”!