in Tamil texts
Short in Tamil texts with a translation alongside and comprehension questions. Levels A1–A2: a stock of two or three hundred everyday words is already enough. The translation stands next to it whole, not word by word — a dictionary is still too early at this level: stopping at every other word tears the sentence apart.
All texts
- 📖காலைA1 · Hello. My name is Kumar. I live in Jaffna. In the morning I drink tea and eat a…
- 📖சந்தையிலA2 · Tomorrow we are going to the market. The market is close to the house. The fish there is…
- 📖மளிகைக் கடையிலA2 · Today I went to the grocery store. I took a basket and bought vegetables and milk. The…
- 📖எங்க குடியிருப்புA2 · Our dwelling is on the third floor. There is no lift, only stairs. There are two rooms, a…
- 📖ஆஸ்பத்திரியிலA2 · Yesterday I felt unwell. There was a fever and my throat hurt. I went to the hospital and…
- 📖மழைக்காலம்A2 · In Jaffna this month is the rainy season. In the morning there is sun, in the evening…
- 📖என் வேலைA2 · My name is Rani. I am a teacher. From Monday to Friday I work at school. My friend is an…
- 📖காணாமல் போன பெட்டிA2 · Yesterday I went to the airport. I took one suitcase and a backpack with me. At check-in…
- 📖எங்க தோட்டம்A2 · In our garden grows one palmyra and two banana trees. In the mornings I water it. There…
- 📖எனக்கு பிடிச்ச நிறம்A2 · I like the color red very much. My shirt is red, my trousers black. My friend likes…
- 📖என் நண்பன்A2 · My friend is called Raja. He is a very kind person, always cheerful. But a little lazy…
- 📖எங்க சமையலறைA2 · In our kitchen stands a big refrigerator. On the table there are plates, glasses and…
- 📖ஒரு நாள் மெசேஜ்A2 · In the morning a voice message from mother came to me. She sent two photographs — one of…
- 📖திரை உடைஞ்சு போச்சுA2 · Yesterday my phone fell, and the screen shattered. I went to the workshop. There I was…
- 📖சனிக்கிழமை படம்A2 · Last Saturday we went to the cinema. The film began at seven. We were a little late…
- 📖கோயில் திருவிழாA2 · Every year a big temple festival takes place in our town. It happens in August. In the…
- 📖எங்க வீடும் முற்றமும்A2 · Our house is small, but the yard is wide. Outside there is a fence and a gate. Next to…
- 📖பரீட்சைக்கு முந்தின வாரம்A2 · My younger sister is in her final school year this year. Next week she has a test.…
- 📖மாசக் கணக்குB1 · Every month I write the budget into a notebook. Income on top, expenses below. Rent, the…
- 📖வைத்தியசாலையில ஒரு நாள்B1 · On Monday morning my uncle had a bad stomachache. We called an ambulance at once. At the…
- 📖புது வேலையின் முதல் நாள்B1 · Last month a firm took me on. On the first day in the morning I signed the employment…
- 📖புது வீட்டுக்குA2 · Last month we moved. In the old house the rent was high, and there was much noise from…
- 📖வீதி விதிகள்A2 · We rented a car in Jaffna. The office said that insurance was included in the price, but…
- 📖ஒரு பதிவும் ஒரு வதந்தியும்B1 · Yesterday a post spread through a social network. It said that the school in our town…
- 📖பொலிஸ் நிலையத்திலB1 · An incident happened at a shop. One man took the money and ran away. The shopkeeper at…
- 📖எனக்கு ஒரு சந்தேகம்B1 · A job opportunity came my way. The salary is good, but the city is far. On one hand, this…
- 📖ஒரு நாள் வரிசையாB1 · Yesterday morning I first went to the government office. Since the reception hours begin…
- 📖என்ர மாமாA2 · My uncle is a man of medium height. He is bald, and the remaining hair has gone gray. His…
- 📖ஒரு பிணக்கும் ஒரு சமாதானமும்B1 · Last week we quarreled with an old friend. Over a trifle: I lent her a book, and she did…
- 📖ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை சமையல்A2 · On Sunday morning we all gathered in the kitchen. Mother took out an old recipe — it came…
- 📖வணிக வளாகத்தில ஒரு நாள்B1 · On Saturday I went to the shopping center. I took a trolley and went up to the top floor.…
- 📖பழுதுபார்க்க கொண்டு போனேன்B1 · My phone had been working badly for a week. First it often froze, then it began to get…
- 📖வெள்ளம் வந்த நாள்A2 · Last year there was a big flood in our town. For three days without a break poured a…
- 📖எங்கட ஊர் வீதிகள்A2 · Our house is in a small lane. When the lane ends, an avenue begins. On that street there…
- 📖நான் தமிழ் படிக்கிறேன்B1 · I have been learning Tamil for two years. At first I began on my own, with a dictionary.…
- 📖என்ர வாழ்க்கைB1 · I was born in a small village. My native town stands by the sea. In childhood I bathed in…
- 📖கதைக்கிறதும் ஒரு கலைB1 · People think that talking is simple, but it is an art. The first rule — do not interrupt.…
- 📖என்ர வேலை நாள்A2 · My name is Kumar. I work as a mechanic at a factory. In the morning I come by seven; at…
- 📖எழுத்தில இல்லாத ஒப்பந்தம்B1 · Last year a man came to my neighbor and said: I will sell your land at a good price. The…
- 📖எங்கட பகுதியும் எங்கட சங்கமும்B1 · About a thousand people live in our district. The majority are Tamil-speaking families…
- 📖சிவகாமியின்ர முதல் கண்காட்சிB1 · Sivagami is an artist. She was born in Jaffna and has drawn since childhood. Earlier she…
- 📖ராஜன்ர மராதன்A2 · My younger brother Rajan loves running very much. Three years ago he began going to the…
- 📖கரண்ட் போன இரவுA2 · Yesterday at eight in the evening the light was cut off. The whole town in darkness; not…
- 📖ஐம்பது வயசில ஒரு முடிவுB1 · My uncle smoked a pack a day for thirty years. He himself knew it was a harmful habit…
- 📖எங்கட அறுவடைத் திருநாள்B1 · In the month of Thai the harvest festival comes to our town. It is also a state holiday…
- 📖ஒரு கூட்டமும் ஒரு தீர்மானமும்B1 · In our quarter there is an old fountain. To repair it or to tear it down and make a…
- 📖ஒரு ஊகமும் ஒரு கடிதமும்B1 · For two weeks the door at the neighbor's was locked. Not a single lamp burned, the…
- 📖மச்சில கிடந்த பெட்டிB1 · In the attic of our house lay an old box. On top a dusty wrapper, beneath it a wooden…
- 📖குறுக்கு வழிB1 · The three of us set out on foot in the morning. We decided to go not by the usual street…
- 📖ஒரு வருஷக் கணக்குB1 · The annual report of our village shop father writes every year. This year the growth of…
- 📖கைவிடாத திட்டம்B1 · In our school there was a design to build a library. It had to be done from scratch — no…
- 📖கேள்விப்பட்ட கதையும் உண்மையும்B1 · Talk went through the village: the water in the well has spoiled. At first everyone…
- 📖ஊரின்ர பழைய கிணறுB1 · In the middle of our village stands an ancient well. Of which century it is, no one knows…
- 📖கடற்கரையில ஒரு காலைப்பொழுதுB1 · On Saturday morning we went to the seashore. On the shore lay much waste — plastic bags…
- 📖ஒரு வீடு எப்பிடி எழும்புதுB1 · On our plot we began to build a house. First we cleared the building site and tore down…
- 📖ஒரு தரம் நடந்த கதைB1 · Once I was returning home from work. At that moment rain suddenly began. Just then not a…
- 📖என்ர சின்ன வயசு நண்பன்B1 · My childhood friend is called Selvan. He was a shy boy. In class it was frightening for…
How to read a text in a language you barely know
First pass — all the way through, without peeking at the translation. The goal is not to understand but to catch familiar words: there will be more of them than you expect, and that feeling matters more than any rule.
Second pass — with the translation beside you. Now it becomes clear what exactly was in the way: an unknown word, a construction you did not get, or just reading speed.
Third pass — all the way through again. The second pass brings noticeably more, and this step is what makes reading useful: it turns analysis into recognition.
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read texts in Tamil?
A1–A2: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred. The translation sits next to it, so an unknown word does not stop the reading.
How many times should you reread the text?
Three times: without the translation, with it, and without it again. The third pass is what all of this is for — the second time you recognize noticeably more.