Lingoflyமன்னிக்கவும் and தயவுசெய்து: the apology and the request
மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) does both jobs of the English 'excuse me': it asks pardon, and it stops a stranger before a question. It sounds bookish and formal. In ordinary talk people apologize with a short சாரி and call a stranger by role: அண்ணா (aṇṇā), அக்கா (akkā), சார், மேடம். For example: “மன்னிக்கவும்” (maṉṉikkavum) — Excuse me (asking pardon, and hailing before a question). A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) does both jobs of the English 'excuse me': it asks pardon, and it stops a stranger before a question. It sounds bookish and formal. In ordinary talk people apologize with a short சாரி and call a stranger by role: அண்ணா (aṇṇā), அக்கா (akkā), சார், மேடம்.
தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) means 'please' only at the head of a request. It is bookish too, and you will barely hear it aloud. It is not the answer to நன்றி (naṉṟi): Tamil keeps no separate word for 'you are welcome'.
Most of the time neither is needed. Politeness lives in the ending -உங்கோ: சொல்லுங்கோ (solluṅgō), இருங்கோ (iruṅgō), வாங்கோ (vāṅgō) are polite already, and 'please' is not added to them.
Table
| the tool | how it reads | what it does | what it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) | maṉṉikkavum | pardon and hail; bookish-polite | does not open a request in place of 'please' |
| சாரி / அண்ணா (aṇṇā), அக்கா (akkā) | sāri / aṇṇā, akkā | the same in speech: apologize and hail | not for letters or anything official |
| தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) | tayavuseydu | 'please' at the head of a request; bookish | never an answer to நன்றி (naṉṟi) |
| -உங்கோ | -uṅgō | a polite request by the ending alone | needs no separate 'please' |
| … வேண்டாம் (vēṇḍām) | … vēṇḍām | a polite ban: infinitive + வேண்டாம் (vēṇḍām) | not an apology |
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
How to say sorry in Tamil?
தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) means 'please' only at the head of a request. It is bookish too, and you will barely hear it aloud. It is not the answer to நன்றி (naṉṟi): Tamil keeps no separate word for 'you are welcome'.
Mannikkavum vs tayavuseydu?
மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) does both jobs of the English 'excuse me': it asks pardon, and it stops a stranger before a question. It sounds bookish and formal. In ordinary talk people apologize with a short சாரி and call a stranger by role: அண்ணா (aṇṇā), அக்கா (akkā), சார், மேடம்.
How to say please in Tamil?
தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) means 'please' only at the head of a request. It is bookish too, and you will barely hear it aloud. It is not the answer to நன்றி (naṉṟi): Tamil keeps no separate word for 'you are welcome'.
How to address a stranger in Tamil?
மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) does both jobs of the English 'excuse me': it asks pardon, and it stops a stranger before a question. It sounds bookish and formal. In ordinary talk people apologize with a short சாரி and call a stranger by role: அண்ணா (aṇṇā), அக்கா (akkā), சார், மேடம்.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“மன்னிக்கவும்” (maṉṉikkavum) — Excuse me (asking pardon, and hailing before a question). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.