Isพึ่งอาบน้ำเสร็จ wrong?

[u/Snowman_203]

Only I got an answer that said อาบน้ำพึ่งเสร็จ and I don't know if that's a correction or just an alternative. Or maybe it means something slightly different.

[u/escellun]

Both are correct and means the same thing

[u/PuzzleheadedTap1794 → u/[deleted]]

No, เพิ่ง and พึ่ง are both correct. Here is the entry taken from Royal Institute Dictionary:

พึ่ง ๒
(๑) ว. คำช่วยกริยาหมายถึงเวลาที่ล่วงไปหยก ๆ ในขณะที่พูดนั้น เช่น เขาพึ่งไป, เพิ่ง ก็ว่า
(๒) ว. ใช้ประกอบหลังคำ อย่า เป็น อย่าพึ่ง หมายความว่า ห้ามไม่ให้กระทำในขณะนั้น เช่น อย่าพึ่งไป อย่าพึ่งกิน, เพิ่ง เพิก หรือ เพ่อ ก็ว่า.

Rough translation by me:

พึ่ง (2)
(1) (adv.) A verb helper meaning the time that has passed shortly at the time of utterance, e.g. เขาพึ่งไป, also used as พึ่ง
(2) (adv.) Used after อย่า as อย่าพึ่ง, signaling inhibition of the action at the moment, e.g. อย่าพึ่งไป อย่าพึ่งกิน, also used as เพิ่ง เพิก or เพ่อ.

[u/diffidentblockhead]

Put a space after Is that looks too much like ไร

[u/Own-Animator-7526]

These are different constructions that happen to overlap in this minimal form.

• อาบน้ำเพิ่งเสร็จ is a topic plus comment structure: อาบน้ำ establishes what we're talking about. You can insert lots of words or clauses between the two phrases (at home, using hot water, etc.). เสร็จ is an adjective / stative verb.
• เพิ่งอาบน้ำเสร็จ is a pre-verbal aspect marker เพิ่ง introducing a resultative verb compound. Can't insert much of anything, maybe จะ after the first word. เสร็จ is a completive verb.

[u/pacharaphet2r → u/Own-Animator-7526]

Props for pointing out topic-comment. Much overlooked in Thai learning, despite being super common in spoken language.

[u/Own-Animator-7526 → u/pacharaphet2r]

The thing people really don't get is the role and importance of (bleached) completive verbs.

[u/PuzzleheadedTap1794]

They are both correct, depending on how you treat อาบน้ำ. อาบน้ำ in อาบน้ำพึ่งเสร็จ is either the topic or subject of the sentence, so it might be understood as “The bathing just finished.” อาบน้ำ in พึ่งอาบน้ำเสร็จ, on the other hand, is a verb, so it’s like “[I] just finished bathing.”

[u/Snowman_203 → u/PuzzleheadedTap1794]

So I could say ผมพึ่งอาบน้ำเสร็จ but not ผมอาบน้ำพึ่งเสร็จ?

[u/PuzzleheadedTap1794 → u/Snowman_203]

You can also use ผมอาบน้ำพึ่งเสร็จ too, in which case ผม is acting as a topic and อาบน้ำ is the subject. I feel ผมพึ่งอาบน้ำเสร็จ is more natural, nevertheless.

[u/Snowman_203 → u/PuzzleheadedTap1794]

Why can't it just be a verb chain (so ผม = subject, อาบน้ำพึ่งเสร็จ = verb chain)? Is there a way to tell the difference? Another comment says that in the version with พึ่ง towards the beginning, you can't insert anything much after it, so I guess I can't say พึ่งกลับบ้านอาบน้ำเสร็จ. I guess that would imply it's not a verb chain in that version.

[u/PuzzleheadedTap1794 → u/Snowman_203]

The problem is that the pre-verbal particle has to go before the verb, simple or chained. ผม[เพิ่ง]ไปเที่ยวกรุงเทพ is grammatically correct, but not *ผมไป[เพิ่ง]เที่ยวกรุงเทพ. In addition, you can put a noun in its place. ผมการบ้านพึ่งเสร็จ "I just finished my homework ", lit. "I, homework just finish."

[u/Snowman_203 → u/PuzzleheadedTap1794]

Interesting. I can totally see why pronoun + noun + verb would be seen as topic + subject + verb. At the same time, it seems like swapping in a different part of speech would be likely to change the structure, and it needs to be the same if the analysis is going to be valid for the original structure too. I think a verb chain can have ordering rules.

[u/fiercedurian]

I have checked the chats I have with a Thai friend on Line: she always says อาบน้ำพึงเสร็จ (àap-náam phʉŋ sèt)

[u/TheBrightMage]

เพึ่งอาบน้ำเสร็จ and อาบน้ำเพึ่งเสร็จ are the same thing. You can place it infront or behind verb