LingoflyYesterday: the past tense
In the past the person endings are the same as in the present: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only the piece before them changes. For example: “நேற்று (nēṟṟu) நான் (nāṉ) சந்தைக்கு (sandaikku) போனன்” (pōṉaṉ) — Yesterday I went to the market. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
In the past the person endings are the same as in the present: -ஏன் (-ēṉ) 'I', -ஓம் (-ōm) 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only the piece before them changes.
Here Tamil asks for patience. That piece comes in three shapes: -த்-, -ந்த்-, -ன்-. And many verbs bend the root instead: போறன் (pōṟaṉ) → போனன் (pōṉaṉ), வாறன் (vāṟaṉ) → வந்தன் (vandaṉ), குடிக்கிறன் (kuḍikkiṟaṉ) → குடிச்சன் (kuḍiccaṉ). The dictionary form will not tell you which.
So learn every verb as a pair from the start — 'I do' and 'I did'. Five or six of the commonest cover almost all daily talk.
Table
| Now | Yesterday | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| போறன் (pōṟaṉ) | போனன் (pōṉaṉ) | go — went |
| சாப்பிடுறன் (sāppiḍuṟaṉ) | சாப்பிட்டன் (sāppiṭṭaṉ) | eat — ate |
| குடிக்கிறன் (kuḍikkiṟaṉ) | குடிச்சன் (kuḍiccaṉ) | drink — drank |
| பேசுறன் (pēsuṟaṉ) | பேசினன் | speak — spoke |
| வாறன் (vāṟaṉ) | வந்தன் (vandaṉ) | come — came |
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
Yesterday: how does it work in Tamil?
In the past the person endings are the same as in the present: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only the piece before them changes.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“நேற்று (nēṟṟu) நான் (nāṉ) சந்தைக்கு (sandaikku) போனன்” (pōṉaṉ) (nēṟṟu nāṉ sandaikku pōṉaṉ) — Yesterday I went to the market. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.