Main Translations

English: Capability

Thai: ความสามารถ (kwām sǎa-mârt)

Phonetic: kwām sǎa-mârt (pronounced with a rising tone on "kwām" and a mid tone on "sǎa-mârt")

Detailed Explanation: The word "capability" refers to the inherent ability, skill, or potential to perform a task or achieve a goal. In Thai, "ความสามารถ" is the primary translation and is commonly used in everyday contexts, such as professional settings, education, and personal development. It carries positive emotional connotations, emphasizing empowerment and growth. For instance, in business scenarios, it highlights an individual's or organization's competence (e.g., "team capability" for project success). Semantic nuances include its flexibility; it can denote innate talent or acquired skills, making it versatile for discussions on capability meaning in Thai culture.

Thai: ศักยภาพ (sàk-ká-ya-phâat)

Phonetic: sàk-ká-ya-phâat (pronounced with a low tone on "sàk" and a rising tone on "phâat")

Detailed Explanation: As a secondary translation, "ศักยภาพ" emphasizes potential or capacity, often with a forward-looking connotation. It is used in more formal or strategic contexts, such as in business or national development, where it implies untapped resources or future-oriented capability. Emotionally, it evokes optimism and ambition, but semantically, it differs from "ความสามารถ" by focusing on latent abilities rather than proven ones. For example, in capability usage examples, "ศักยภาพ" might appear in discussions about economic growth, underscoring its role in enhancing overall capability in Thai society.

Overview of Usage Scenarios

The word "capability" is primarily used in contexts involving skills, potential, and performance. A brief summary of its main usage scenarios includes professional environments (e.g., business and technology), personal development (e.g., education and self-improvement), and formal assessments (e.g., evaluations or planning). In Thai, translations like "ความสามารถ" are prevalent in daily conversations, reflecting cultural values of diligence and adaptability. This makes "capability meaning" a key topic for language learners exploring Thai-English vocabulary.

Example Sentences

Example Sentences in Different Scenarios

Business Scenario

English: The company's capability to innovate has led to significant market growth.

Thai: ความสามารถของบริษัทในการสร้างนวัตกรรมทำให้ตลาดเติบโตอย่างมาก (kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng baan-ná-thi nai gaan sà-dèung ná-wát-grà-rùm tâng jà tàt tàt yàang mâak).

Grammatical Breakdown: "The company's capability" (subject) is a noun phrase where "capability" acts as the object of possession; "to innovate" is an infinitive phrase modifying "capability"; "has led" is the present perfect verb; "to significant market growth" is a prepositional phrase indicating result.

Structural Analysis: This sentence follows a subject-verb-object structure, common in business English. In Thai, it uses a similar modifier-head structure, with "ความสามารถ" as the core noun, making it suitable for formal capability usage examples in professional writing.

Leisure Scenario

English: Her capability in playing the guitar amazed everyone at the party.

Thai: ความสามารถของเธอในการเล่นกีตาร์ทำให้ทุกคนที่ปาร์ตี้ประหลาดใจ (kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng thooe nai gaan lên gít-ǎar tâng jà thùk khon thîi bpàat-dtîe bpà-làt-jai).

Grammatical Breakdown: "Her capability" (subject) is a possessive noun phrase; "in playing the guitar" is a prepositional phrase; "amazed everyone" is the main verb clause with "everyone at the party" as the object.

Structural Analysis: The sentence employs a simple declarative structure to highlight personal skills, which translates well in Thai with "ความสามารถ" emphasizing informal, recreational contexts. This aligns with capability meaning in everyday leisure activities.

Formal Occasion

English: We must assess the team's capability before assigning the project.

Thai: เราต้องประเมินความสามารถของทีมก่อนมอบหมายโครงการ (rao dtông bpà-mèun kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng thîm gàwn maaw mòt maai kà-rà-hàat).

Grammatical Breakdown: "We must assess" (subject-verb modal phrase); "the team's capability" (direct object); "before assigning the project" is a subordinate clause.

Structural Analysis: This complex sentence uses a conditional structure for decision-making, with "ความสามารถ" in Thai reinforcing formal tones, ideal for capability usage examples in official settings.

Informal Occasion

English: I didn't know you had the capability to fix cars so quickly!

Thai: ฉันไม่รู้ว่าคุณมีความสามารถในการซ่อมรถได้เร็วขนาดนี้! (chăn mâi róo wâa khun mee kwām sǎa-mârt nai gaan sòm rót dâai reo kà-nàat nîe!).

Grammatical Breakdown: "I didn't know" (main clause); "you had the capability" (subordinate clause with past tense verb); "to fix cars so quickly" (infinitive phrase).

Structural Analysis: An exclamatory-informal mix, this sentence builds surprise, with Thai's "มีความสามารถ" adding a casual, conversational feel to capability meaning in daily interactions.

Example Sentences in Different Sentence Types

Declarative Sentence

English: The new software enhances the system's capability.

Thai: ซอฟต์แวร์ใหม่ช่วยเพิ่มความสามารถของระบบ (sàwt-fàe nàth mâi chûai pèung kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng rá-bàp).

Grammatical Breakdown: "The new software" (subject); "enhances" (verb); "the system's capability" (object).

Structural Analysis: Straightforward subject-verb-object, used for stating facts, with Thai mirroring this for clear capability usage examples.

Interrogative Sentence

English: Do you have the capability to handle this task alone?

Thai: คุณมีความสามารถในการจัดการงานนี้คนเดียวหรือ? (khun mee kwām sǎa-mârt nai gaan jà-nàt ngahn nîe khon dèe-uw rûe?).

Grammatical Breakdown: "Do you have" (question form of auxiliary verb); "the capability" (object); "to handle this task alone" (infinitive phrase).

Structural Analysis: Yes/no question structure, promoting inquiry; Thai uses rising intonation for natural flow in capability meaning queries.

Imperative Sentence

English: Demonstrate your capability in the next meeting.

Thai: แสดงความสามารถของคุณในการประชุมครั้งหน้า (sǎa-dǎng kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng khun nai gaan bpà-rá-chum khráng nâa).

Grammatical Breakdown: "Demonstrate" (imperative verb); "your capability" (object); "in the next meeting" (prepositional phrase).

Structural Analysis: Command form for directives, with Thai adapting it for motivational contexts in capability usage examples.

Exclamatory Sentence

English: What an impressive capability you have!

Thai: ช่างเป็นความสามารถที่น่าประทับใจมาก! (châang bpen kwām sǎa-mârt thîi nâa bpà-thàp-jai mâak!).

Grammatical Breakdown: "What an impressive capability" (exclamatory phrase); "you have" (subject-verb).

Structural Analysis: Emphasizes emotion; Thai exclamation enhances expressiveness for capability meaning in enthusiastic scenarios.

Example Sentences of Different Difficulties

Simple Sentence

English: He has capability.

Thai: เขามีความสามารถ (kăo mee kwām sǎa-mârt).

Grammatical Breakdown: "He" (subject); "has" (verb); "capability" (object).

Structural Analysis: Basic structure for beginners, directly translating capability meaning.

Intermediate Sentence

English: The capability of the device is improving over time.

Thai: ความสามารถของอุปกรณ์กำลังดีขึ้นตามเวลา (kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng ùp-grà-rèn gam-lang dee kûen dtàm wí-laa).

Grammatical Breakdown: "The capability" (subject); "of the device" (prepositional phrase); "is improving" (verb phrase); "over time" (adverbial phrase).

Structural Analysis: Adds complexity with time elements, suitable for intermediate capability usage examples.

Complex Sentence

English: Although she doubted her capability, she successfully completed the project, which demonstrated her true potential.

Thai: แม้เธอจะสงสัยในความสามารถของตัวเอง แต่เธอก็ทำโครงการสำเร็จ ซึ่งแสดงให้เห็นถึงศักยภาพที่แท้จริง (mâe thooe jà sǒng-sǎi nai kwām sǎa-mârt kǎwng dtua-ayng tàe thooe gò tǎm kà-rà-hàat sǎm-rèt tîe sǎa-dǎng hâi hên thǒng sàk-ká-ya-phâat thîi dtàt jìng).

Grammatical Breakdown: "Although she doubted" (subordinate clause); "she successfully completed" (main clause); "which demonstrated" (relative clause).

Structural Analysis: Multi-clause for advanced users, exploring nuanced capability meaning in Thai.

Related Phrases and Expressions

Synonyms/Near Synonyms:

• Ability – Often used interchangeably with capability, referring to the power to perform; e.g., in capability usage examples, it highlights personal skills.
• Capacity – Emphasizes the maximum potential, as in business contexts for scalability.

Antonyms:

• Incapacity – Refers to a lack of ability, contrasting with capability meaning in failure scenarios.
• Inability – Denotes the absence of skill, often used in discussions of limitations.

Common Collocations:

• Enhance capability – Used to describe improvement efforts, e.g., in training programs for better performance.
• Core capabilities – Refers to essential strengths in a company, key for strategic planning in capability in Thai contexts.

Cultural Background and Usage Habits

Cultural Background:

Cultural Point 1: In Thai culture, words like "ความสามารถ" reflect a strong emphasis on collectivism and self-improvement, influenced by Buddhist principles of personal growth. For instance, capability meaning is often tied to educational achievements, where individuals are encouraged to develop skills for community benefit, as seen in Thailand's focus on vocational training and national development programs.

Usage Habits:

Habit 1: "ความสามารถ" is frequently used in everyday conversations, especially among younger generations and professionals, making it highly popular in urban areas. It applies to groups like students and employees, with high frequency in motivational speeches or job interviews, aligning with SEO terms like "capability in Thai" for language learning.

Grammar Explanation

Grammatical Function:

"Capability" functions as a noun in English, typically serving as a subject, object, or complement in sentences (e.g., subject in "Capability is key"). In Thai, "ความสามารถ" also acts as a noun, often modified by adjectives or prepositions for detail.

Tense and Voice:

As a noun, "capability" does not change with tenses like verbs do; however, it can appear in various verb tenses through associated actions (e.g., "had capability" in past tense). In voice, it remains neutral but can be passive in constructions like "capability was enhanced." In Thai, it maintains its form across contexts, with voice implied through sentence structure.

References

Etymology and History:

The word "capability" originates from the Latin "capabilis," meaning "able to take in or hold," evolving through Middle English to denote ability or potential. Its history ties to philosophical discussions in the 17th century, influencing modern usage in capability meaning for business and technology fields.

Literary References:

In literature, "capability" appears in business texts like Peter Drucker's "The Effective Executive," where he states: "The executive's capability to make decisions is crucial." In Thai literature, it echoes in works like "The Art of War" translations, emphasizing strategic capability for cultural adaptation.