எப்படி இருக்க? and எப்படி இருக்கீங்க?: plain and polite
There are two ways to ask how somebody is, and one tail tells them apart. எப்படி இருக்கீங்க? is for a stranger, an elder, anyone you are not close to. எப்படி இருக்க? is for someone your own age, a younger person, a close friend. For example: “எப்படி இருக்கீங்க?” — How are you? (to a stranger or an elder). A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
There are two ways to ask how somebody is, and one tail tells them apart. எப்படி இருக்கீங்க (eppaḍi irukkīṅga)? is for a stranger, an elder, anyone you are not close to. எப்படி இருக்க (eppaḍi irukka)? is for someone your own age, a younger person, a close friend.
The slip costs more than it looks, because politeness rests on the ending and not on the words. Saying எப்படி இருக்க? and நீ (nī) to a stranger is not plain speaking, it is rude. Until a person is yours, take the full form with -ங்க.
The answer is the same to both questions — நல்லா இருக்கேன் (nallā irukkēṉ), word for word 'I am well'.
Table
| to whom | the question | how it reads | the pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|
| a stranger, an elder | எப்படி இருக்கீங்க? | eppaḍi irukkīṅga? | நீங்க |
| a peer, someone younger, a friend | எப்படி இருக்க? | eppaḍi irukka? | நீ |
| the answer — to anyone | நல்லா இருக்கேன் | nallā irukkēṉ | நான் can be dropped |
By example
- எப்படி இருக்கீங்க?eppaḍi irukkīṅga?How are you? (to a stranger or an elder)
- எப்படி இருக்க?eppaḍi irukka?How are you? (to a peer or someone younger)
- நல்லா இருக்கேன்nallā irukkēṉI am doing well
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
How to ask how are you in Tamil?
There are two ways to ask how somebody is, and one tail tells them apart. எப்படி இருக்கீங்க? is for a stranger, an elder, anyone you are not close to. எப்படி இருக்க? is for someone your own age, a younger person, a close friend.
Eppadi irukka vs eppadi irukkinga?
The slip costs more than it looks, because politeness rests on the ending and not on the words. Saying எப்படி இருக்க? and நீ to a stranger is not plain speaking, it is rude. Until a person is yours, take the full form with -ங்க.
How to ask how are you politely in Tamil?
The answer is the same to both questions — நல்லா இருக்கேன், word for word 'I am well'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“எப்படி இருக்கீங்க?” (eppaḍi irukkīṅga?) — How are you? (to a stranger or an elder). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.