The FSI Thai Basic course was launched in 1970 as a way to give US diplomats the necessary language skills they required before being sent to work in Thailand.

It is made up of 40 individual units as well as a comprehensive section on Thai phonology, a challenging aspect for many speakers of non-tonal languages.

The course gives students a good grounding in the basics of Thai before moving quickly on to more advanced aspects, with an emphasis on the spoken language as it is used in real life.

The course is based on authentic dialogs, which are supplemented by a wealth of drills, exercises and audio recordings that help students make rapid progress, allowing them to achieve a good level of proficiency in only a short amount of time.