In Thai, the word “เอา – ao” is commonly used when ordering food because it is a concise and versatile way to express “I want” or “I’ll have.”

The Thai language often relies on context and short, direct expressions. This is why the word “เอา – ao” fits perfectly into this conversational style.

💡 Saying “เอา – ao” while pointing to a dish on the menu communicates clearly that you want that dish without needing extra words.

Let’s look at how to order the food in Thai:

• Identify Your Dish: Study the menu and decide what dish you’d like. For example, if you’re a fan of curry, you might choose dishes with the word แกง (gaaeng) which means “curry”.
• Formulate Your Order: Start by saying “เอา – ao” followed by the name of the dish.
  For instance, if you want one bowl of green curry, you could say,
  “ao gaaeng kǐiaw-wǎan”- เอาแกงเขียวหวาน This means, “I’d like one bowl of green curry.” 
• Specify Quantity: Add the required quantity right after the dish name, such as “หนึ่ง” (one) or “สอง” (two).

  Normally, to tell the amount of any food, we have to put its container (unit words) right after the number as a unit of nouns, but you can drop it if you don’t know the word in Thai.

• Politeness Counts: Always finish your order with “ครับ – kráp“ if you’re male or “ค่ะ – kâ“ if you’re female. This small addition makes your order polite and respectful.

For an example, 
เอาผัดกะเพราหมูหนึ่งจานค่ะ (ao pàt ga-prao muu nèung jaan kâ) 

= I want a dish of pork stir-fried basil. 

📝 Sentence breakdown
– เอา ao = to want (word to casually order)
– ผัดกะเพราหมู pàt ga-prao muu = pork stir-fried basil
– หนึ่ง nèung = one (quantity)
– จาน jaan = plate (container or unit word)
– ค่ะ kâ = polite Thai ending