LingoflyWhere exactly: the ending -இல
The ending -க்கு answers 'where to': கடைக்கு (kaḍaikku) போறன் (pōṟaṉ) — 'I am going to the shop'. For 'where' you need another ending, -இல, shortened in speech to -ல: கடையில (kaḍaiyila) இருக்கிறன் (irukkiṟaṉ) — 'I am at the shop'. For example: “நான் (nāṉ) வீட்டில (vīṭṭila) இருக்கிறன்” (irukkiṟaṉ) — I am at home. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The ending -க்கு answers 'where to': கடைக்கு (kaḍaikku) போறன் (pōṟaṉ) (kaḍaikku pōṟaṉ) — 'I am going to the shop'. For 'where' you need another ending, -இல, shortened in speech to -ல: கடையில (kaḍaiyila) இருக்கிறன் (irukkiṟaṉ) (kaḍaiyila irukkiṟaṉ) — 'I am at the shop'.
That is the gap between 'to the hospital' and 'at the hospital', and it is mixed up constantly. The test is short: a verb of moving (போ (pō), வா (vā)) takes -க்கு, a verb of being (இரு (iru), வேலை (vēlai) செய்) takes -ல.
Add இருந்து (irundu) 'starting from' to -ல and you get 'from': வீட்டில (vīṭṭila) இருந்து (irundu) (vīṭṭila irundu) 'from the house', ஆஸ்பத்திரியில (āspattiriyila) இருந்து (irundu) (āspattiriyila irundu) 'from the hospital'.
The stem sometimes shifts first: வீடு (vīḍu) → வீட்டில (vīṭṭila), படிவம் (paḍivam) → படிவத்தில (paḍivattila). Words in -டு and -ம் behave so, and sight recognition beats working it out.
Table
| Word | To where (-க்கு) | Where (-ல) |
|---|---|---|
| வீடு (vīḍu) | வீட்டுக்கு (vīṭṭukku) — to the house, home | வீட்டில (vīṭṭila) — at home |
| கடை (kaḍai) | கடைக்கு (kaḍaikku) — to the shop | கடையில (kaḍaiyila) — at the shop |
| ஆஸ்பத்திரி (āspattiri) | ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு — to the hospital | ஆஸ்பத்திரியில (āspattiriyila) — at the hospital |
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
Where exactly: how does it work in Tamil?
The ending -க்கு answers 'where to': கடைக்கு (kaḍaikku) போறன் (pōṟaṉ) — 'I am going to the shop'. For 'where' you need another ending, -இல, shortened in speech to -ல: கடையில (kaḍaiyila) இருக்கிறன் (irukkiṟaṉ) — 'I am at the shop'.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“நான் (nāṉ) வீட்டில (vīṭṭila) இருக்கிறன்” (irukkiṟaṉ) (nāṉ vīṭṭila irukkiṟaṉ) — I am at home. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.