Jingjok
Thai phrases › Telling stories
How to say it just so happened that…
in Thai
พอดีว่า
paaw-dii wâa
it just so happened that…
Add ครับ (kráp) if you are a man or ค่ะ (kâ) if you are a woman. It makes the sentence polite, and Thais always use it.
The polite way to start an excuse: พอดีว่ารถติด 'it's just that the traffic was bad'.
- Where
- story
- Register
- polite
Words inside it
From the same situation: Telling stories
- ตอนแรกat first
- หลังจากนั้นafter that
- ต่อมาlater on, subsequently
- ในที่สุดin the end, finally
- ทีหลังlater, afterwards
- ตอนนั้นat that time, back then
- วันหนึ่งone day
- ครั้งหนึ่งonce (on one occasion)
All 78 words and phrases in “Telling stories” →
Your first 90 days of Thai
Jingjok drills พอดีว่า until you can say it without thinking, then shows you where to use it today. Tell a story from beginning to end: set the scene, order the events, add the twist, say how it felt, and keep a listener hooked.
- WEEKS 1–2 · SURVIVEGreet anyone, pay, and order food and 7-Eleven exactly how you like it.
- WEEKS 3–6 · SETTLE INGet around by taxi, Grab and skytrain, find anything, and handle your landlord.
- WEEKS 7–12 · RUN YOUR LIFEPharmacy, bank, SIM and apps, how you feel, and a weekend away, all in Thai.
The first week is free.