LingoflyTamil grammar
Tamil grammar explained in plain words. No gender for things, and case endings are nearly the same for every noun. What is harder: a wide gap between written and spoken Tamil, the verb at the end, and long chains of endings.
Notes
- The verb always comes last📐The verb always comes lastTo say 'I eat rice', put the action at the very end: first who, then what, and only then the verb. நான் (nāṉ) சாதம் (sādam)…
- 📐The verb knows who is speakingHere Tamil takes the opposite road to English: the verb changes for person, and the ending names the speaker by itself.
- 📐No prepositions — endings insteadAn English preposition does its work in front. Tamil glues the same work to the end of the word, and it can glue…
- 📐A question: a word or the particle -ஆThere are two ways to ask, and both are easy.
- 📐Two Tamils: spoken and bookishThe Tamil people speak and the Tamil they write are almost two languages. The endings differ, the pronouns differ, and…
- Bigger than: the particle விட (viḍa)📐Bigger than: the particle விட (viḍa)A Tamil adjective never changes. There is no pair 'big — bigger': பெரிய (periya) stays பெரிய (periya) however much you compare.
- 📐Rational and irrationalThe main split in Tamil grammar is not where you would look for it. Gender plays no part. The language sorts everything…
- Where exactly: the ending -இல📐Where exactly: the ending -இலThe ending -க்கு answers 'where to': கடைக்கு (kaḍaikku) போறன் (pōṟaṉ) — 'I am going to the shop'. For 'where' you need another ending…
- 📐Yesterday: the past tenseIn the past the person endings are the same as in the present: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only…
- 📐You, you and they: three steps of politenessTamil has not two steps of address but three, and English keeps no slot for the third.
- 📐Tomorrow: the future tenseTo say 'I will go', slip -வ- in between the root and the person ending — the same one as in the present. போ 'go' gives…
- 📐To me and me: எனக்கு (eṉakku) and என்னை (eṉṉai)English uses 'me' for both jobs. Tamil keeps them strictly apart, with two endings on the pronoun. -க்கு answers 'to…
- 📐No articles: ஒரு (oru) and the bare wordTamil has no articles, so 'a shop', 'one shop' and 'the shop' are told apart by other means. There are three, and all…
- 📐One and many: number for the rational and the irrationalTamil sorts everything into rational and irrational: people on one side, things and animals on the other. The plural…
- Must, can, must not: வேணும் (vēṇum), முடியும் (muḍiyum), கூடாது (kūḍādu)📐Must, can, must not: வேணும் (vēṇum), முடியும் (muḍiyum), கூடாது (kūḍādu)These words do not bend for person. They are separate words after a verb stem in -அ, and four of them carry almost all…
- This and that: இந்த (inda), அந்த (anda), இது (idu), அது (adu)📐This and that: இந்த (inda), அந்த (anda), இது (idu), அது (adu)'This' and 'that' share one mark in Tamil: i- means nearer me, a- means farther off. It runs through the language…
- My and your: என்ர (eṉra), உன்ர (uṉra), அவர்ர (avarra)📐My and your: என்ர (eṉra), உன்ர (uṉra), அவர்ர (avarra)'My' and 'your' are not separate words here. They are a special shape of the pronoun, standing straight before the…
- Very, a little, too much: மிகவும் (migavum), கொஞ்சம் (koñcam), அதிகம் (adigam)📐Very, a little, too much: மிகவும் (migavum), கொஞ்சம் (koñcam), அதிகம் (adigam)Degree goes before the word it belongs to, almost always as one short adverb. The two main ones are மிகவும் (migavum) 'very' and…
- 📐He didn't come, I won't come, don't go: four negationsThere is no word 'not' standing before the verb. The negative is a form of its own for each case, chosen by what you…
- 📐There is, there is not, need: impersonal turnsHalf the everyday phrases get by with nobody doing anything. Not 'I have' but 'to me there is'; not 'I want' but 'to me…
- 📐Because, if, when: the first complex sentenceAn English complex sentence leans on a word at the front of the second half. Tamil hangs nearly everything on the end…
- The person who works: a participle instead of 'who'📐The person who works: a participle instead of 'who'English 'who' and 'which' have no match here. The verb steps straight in front of the noun instead. வேலை (vēlai) செய்யிற (seyyiṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) is…
- A group of modifiers: -ஆன, -ஆ and the word order📐A group of modifiers: -ஆன, -ஆ and the word orderAdjectives barely exist here as a kind of word. There is a noun plus an ending: அழகு (aḻagu) 'beauty' gives அழகான (aḻagāṉa) 'beautiful'…
- 📐If: the ending -ஆ and the full -ஆல்There is no separate word for 'if'. The condition shows as an ending on the verb of the first half. In live speech that…
- The most: எல்லாத்தையும் (ellāttaiyum) விட (viḍa) and மிக📐The most: எல்லாத்தையும் (ellāttaiyum) விட (viḍa) and மிகComparison runs on -ஐ விட (viḍa): இது (idu) அதை (adai) விட (viḍa) நல்லது (nalladu) — 'this is better than that'. 'The most' uses the very same trick, only…
- 📐Already done and still doing: -இட்டன் and -கொண்டு இரு (iru)Tamil has three tenses but more shades than that. Whether a thing is over or still running is hung on a second verb…
- 📐He said that…: the particle எண்டு (eṇḍu)There is no 'that' clause in Tamil. Reported words go in exactly as they were said. The particle எண்டு (eṇḍu) is hung on the…
- By whom it was done: the passive nobody speaks📐By whom it was done: the passive nobody speaksOn signs and in newspapers you meet the ending -படு: தடை செய்யப்பட்டது (taḍai seyyappaṭṭadu) 'forbidden', கைது (kaidu) செய்யப்பட்டார் 'was arrested'.…
- 📐Probably, hardly, will have to: a guess at the end of the verbThe endings you use to ask permission do a second job as well. They also say how likely something is, and only the talk…
- 📐A complex sentence in full: the link hangs on the verbAn English complex sentence holds together on a link word in front: 'because', 'in order to', 'when'. The Tamil one…
- He is good: a modifier turned predicate📐He is good: a modifier turned predicateYou cannot say 'the house is big' with the word that gives you 'a big house'. பெரிய (periya) lives only before a noun. So the…
- 📐I am afraid: a feeling without a subjectEnglish says 'I am afraid'. Tamil says 'to me there is fear'. A feeling here is not an action but a state belonging to…
- 📐Put it, do not put it: command and prohibitionThe command form is the shortest thing in the Tamil verb: the bare stem. வா 'come', சொல் (sol) 'say', போடு (pōḍu) 'put'. You use it…
- In order to: -அ, -றதுக்கு (-ṟadukku) and the word for purpose📐In order to: -அ, -றதுக்கு (-ṟadukku) and the word for purposeEnglish 'in order to' is shown here not by a link word but by an ending on the first verb. The purpose then moves to…
- 📐It broke by itself and I broke it: verb pairsA Tamil verb usually has a twin. One says the thing did it by itself, the other that somebody did it to the thing.…
- 📐The rain pours, the thunder rolls: the weather has its own subjectEnglish speaks of weather with nobody doing anything: 'it is raining'. Tamil almost always names a doer, and the doer…
- 📐Opposite, behind, along: Tamil has no prepositionsAn English preposition stands before the word: 'opposite the school'. Tamil keeps no such word. It has a helper that…
- In childhood I ran: a future that tells about the past📐In childhood I ran: a future that tells about the pastThe form in -வன் is the future: நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) வருவன் (varuvaṉ) — 'I will come tomorrow'. But it holds a second job as well. It tells…
- To soften: கொஞ்சம் (koñcam), the tail -ஆ and other particles of tone📐To soften: கொஞ்சம் (koñcam), the tail -ஆ and other particles of toneA bare command is rougher than it looks. சொல்லு (sollu) 'say' with nothing round it lands like a shout. The first softener is…
- 📐Baker, guard, gardener: how Tamil makes the name of a doerTamil assembles job names more often than it learns them. It takes the name of the work and glues on an ending for the…
- செய் and போடு (pōḍu): how any word becomes a verb📐செய் and போடு (pōḍu): how any word becomes a verbHalf the actions in Tamil look alike: ரத்து (rattu) செய்யிறன் (seyyiṟaṉ), ஓடர் (ōḍar) செய்தன் (seytaṉ), கையெழுத்து போடுறன் (kaiyeḻuttu pōḍuṟaṉ). This is how the language takes…
- One 'we': நாங்கள் (nāṅgaḷ)📐One 'we': நாங்கள் (nāṅgaḷ)In Tamil Nadu 'we' is double: நாங்கள் (nāṅgaḷ) is we without you, நாம is we with you. On the island there is no such split: 'we…
- 📐And, or, too: Tamil has no conjunctions — it has tailsListing in Tamil means hanging an ending on every word of the list. There is nothing here like the English 'and'…
- Twice a week: how Tamil counts repeats and time📐Twice a week: how Tamil counts repeats and timeA 'time' you count is தரம் (taram) or முறை (muṟai): ஒரு தரம் (oru taram) 'once', ரெண்டு தரம் (reṇḍu taram) 'twice', எத்தனை (ettaṉai) தரம் (taram)? 'how many times?'. The island…
- Two meters long: number, measure and 'about'📐Two meters long: number, measure and 'about'Tamil measures one way, and it is worth learning once: number, measure, noun, with nothing changing in between. ரெண்டு (reṇḍu)…
- 📐Smoking is harmful: how a verb becomes a nounEnglish gets by with 'to smoke' or 'smoking'. Tamil has no such form: only a noun can be the main word of a phrase. So…
- 📐Let it be so: the wish and the form -அட்டும்A wish is the third form beside the command and the ban. It is aimed not at the person opposite but at fate, and…
- 📐They say he will come: the tail -ஆம and referring to a sourceTo take the weight of somebody else's words off yourself, one syllable is enough. -ஆம் hangs on the end of the verb and…
- This, that and all said before: அது (adu) as a link back📐This, that and all said before: அது (adu) as a link backஇந்த (inda) 'this' and அந்த (anda) 'that' do not only point with a finger. They point at the phrase just spoken, and without that no…
- Rough, rusty, faded: where Tamil takes its adjectives from📐Rough, rusty, faded: where Tamil takes its adjectives fromTamil has few adjectives of its own — a dozen short words like நல்ல (nalla), பெரிய (periya), சின்ன (siṉṉa), புது (pudu). Everything else is put…
- Across, through, past: the word comes after the noun📐Across, through, past: the word comes after the nounEnglish 'across the road' puts its word in front. The Tamil வீதியை (vīdiyai) குறுக்கால (kuṟukkāla) is the same word, only after the noun. The…
- Double, a third, even: how Tamil counts fractions and multiples📐Double, a third, even: how Tamil counts fractions and multiplesTamil keeps no separate word for 'a third'. A fraction is said as 'out of how many, how many'. மூண்டில ஒரு பங்கு (mūṇḍila oru paṅgu) is…
- 📐To start, to finish, to drag on: phase through a service verb'To stop', 'to finish', 'to set about' are separate words in English. In Tamil they are the main verb plus a helper.…
- 📐Therefore it means: how Tamil ties an argument to a conclusionTamil can say what follows from what without any link words. It has endings for that.
- 📐A century, the day before, every other time: cases with a stretch of timeAlmost every expression of time here is a noun with an ending. Working out what each ending means is cheaper than…
- 📐Greening, lag, measurement: how a verb becomes a nounTalking about nature needs names for actions: 'greening', 'pollution', 'watching'. Tamil makes them out of verbs, and…
- Waybill, carbon footprint, service life: noun plus noun with no case📐Waybill, carbon footprint, service life: noun plus noun with no caseTerms of two or three words — சரக்குப் பட்டியல் (sarakkup paṭṭiyal), உத்தரவாதக் காலம் (uttaravādak kālam) — are not phrases but single compound nouns. Three…
- 📐He explained, as I understood it, supposedly: how far you vouchTamil can not only pass on somebody else's words but show how far you vouch for them. English does this with words like…
- 📐Laziness, stubbornness, carelessness: how a person becomes a propertyNames for qualities — 'kindness', 'laziness', 'patience' — are almost always put together from a person or a feature…
- வா, வாங்கோ (vāṅgō), வாருங்கள்: the command names the relationship📐வா, வாங்கோ (vāṅgō), வாருங்கள்: the command names the relationshipThe English 'come here' is one form for everybody, and the tone carries the politeness. In Tamil politeness sits inside…
- எப்படி இருக்க? (eppaḍi irukka) and எப்படி இருக்கிறியள்? (eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ): plain and polite📐எப்படி இருக்க? (eppaḍi irukka) and எப்படி இருக்கிறியள்? (eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ): plain and politeThere are two ways to ask how somebody is, and one tail tells them apart. எப்படி இருக்கிறியள்? (eppaḍi irukkiṟiyaḷ) is for a stranger, an…
- மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) and தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu): the apology and the request📐மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) and தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu): the apology and the requestமன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) does both jobs of the English 'excuse me': it asks pardon, and it stops a stranger before a question. It…
What works differently from what you know
Tamil has two different “we”: நாம் — “we including you”, நாங்கள் (nāṅgaḷ) — “we without you”. To get this wrong is not a grammar mistake: it is excluding your listener from the company, out loud.
Harold Schiffman, «A Reference Grammar of Spoken Tamil», 1999
What is hard about Tamil and what comes for free
Hard: a wide gap between written and spoken Tamil, the verb at the end, and long chains of endings.
Easy: no gender for things, and case endings are nearly the same for every noun.
This is not a verdict on the language but a hint on where to spend effort. The hard parts are best taken a little at a time and often; the easy parts — left alone while they work by themselves.
Frequently asked
Is the grammar of Tamil complicated?
A wide gap between written and spoken Tamil, the verb at the end, and long chains of endings is the main difficulty. In return, no gender for things, and case endings are nearly the same for every noun.
Should grammar be learned separately?
Not as a separate course. A rule learned before you need it is forgotten before you meet it. It is more useful to work it out at the moment you stumble over it.