LingoflyNo prepositions — endings instead
An English preposition does its work in front. Tamil glues the same work to the end of the word, and it can glue several tails in a row. For example: “எனக்கு டீ வேணும்” (eṉakku ṭī vēṇum) — I need tea. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
An English preposition does its work in front. Tamil glues the same work to the end of the word, and it can glue several tails in a row.
- -க்கு — 'to, for': வீட்டுக்கு (vīṭṭukku) home, எனக்கு (eṉakku) to me.
- -ல — 'in, on, at': கடையில (kaḍaiyila) at the shop, காலையில (kālaiyila) in the morning.
- -இன்ர — 'whose': ராஜாவின்ர Raja's, என்ர (eṉra) my, உங்கட (uṅgaḍa) your. In Tamil Nadu it is -ஓட (-ōḍa).
The stem before the tail sometimes shifts: வீடு (vīḍu) → வீட்டு- (vīṭṭu). Words ending in -டு all do this, and it is easier to recognize than to work out.
Table
| Ending | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -க்கு | to, for | வீட்டுக்கு (vīṭṭukku) — home |
| -ல | in, on, at | கடையில (kaḍaiyila) — at the shop |
| -இன்ர | whose | என்ர (eṉra) — my |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
No prepositions — endings instead: how does it work in Tamil?
An English preposition does its work in front. Tamil glues the same work to the end of the word, and it can glue several tails in a row.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“எனக்கு டீ வேணும்” (eṉakku ṭī vēṇum) — I need tea. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.