LingoflyA question: a word or the particle -ஆ
There are two ways to ask, and both are easy. For example: “கடை எங்கே?” (kaḍai eṅgē) — Where is the shop? A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
There are two ways to ask, and both are easy.
The first is a question word. Five cover daily life: என்ன (eṉṉa) what, எங்கே (eṅgē) where, யார் (yār) who, எவ்வளவு (evvaḷavu) how much, எப்படி (eppaḍi) how. All start with எ, so a question shows at a glance.
The second is the tail -ஆ (-ā) on the end of any word: தூரமா (tūramā)? 'is it far?', பால் (pāl) டீயா (pāl ṭīyā)? 'tea with milk?'. Word order stays exactly as it was.
Table
| Word | Meaning | In a phrase |
|---|---|---|
| என்ன (eṉṉa) | what | இது (idu) என்ன (eṉṉa)? — what is this? |
| எங்கே (eṅgē) | where | கடை எங்கே? (kaḍai eṅgē) — where is the shop? |
| எவ்வளவு (evvaḷavu) | how much | இது எவ்வளவு? (idu evvaḷavu) — how much is it? |
| -ஆ | turns a word into a question | தூரமா (tūramā)? — is it far? |
By example
- தூரமா?tūramā?Is it far?
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
A question: how does it work in Tamil?
There are two ways to ask, and both are easy.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“கடை எங்கே?” (kaḍai eṅgē?) — Where is the shop? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.