Yesterday: the past tense
In the past the person endings are the ones you know: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only the piece before them changes. For example: “நேற்று நான் சந்தைக்கு போனேன்” — 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 ones you know: -ஏன் (-ēṉ) 'I', -ஓம் '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: போறேன் (pōṟēṉ) → போனேன் (pōṉēṉ), வாறேன் (vāṟēṉ) → வந்தேன் (vandēṉ), குடிக்கிறேன் (kuḍikkiṟēṉ) → குடிச்சேன் (kuḍiccēṉa). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| போறேன் | போனேன் | go — went |
| சாப்பிடறேன் | சாப்பிட்டேன் | eat — ate |
| குடிக்கிறேன் | குடிச்சேன் | drink — drank |
| பேசுறேன் | பேசினேன் | speak — spoke |
| வாறேன் | வந்தேன் | come — came |
By example
- நேற்று நான் சந்தைக்கு போனேன்nēṟṟu nāṉ sandaikku pōṉēṉYesterday I went to the market
- நாங்க ஒரு மாத்திரை குடிச்சோம்nāṅga oru māttirai kuḍiccōmWe took the tablet
- நீங்க என்ன சொன்னீங்க?nīṅga eṉṉa soṉṉīṅga?What did you say?
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 ones you know: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only the piece before them changes.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“நேற்று நான் சந்தைக்கு போனேன்” (nēṟṟu nāṉ sandaikku pōṉēṉ) — 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.