LingoflyTherefore it means: how Tamil ties an argument to a conclusion
Tamil can say what follows from what without any link words. It has endings for that. For example: “மழை (maḻai) வந்தபடியால அளவீடு (aḷavīḍu) எடுக்க (eḍukka) ஏலேல்லை, அதனால (adaṉāla) நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) போறம்” (pōṟam) — Since it rained, the measurement failed, so we shall go tomorrow. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Tamil can say what follows from what without any link words. It has endings for that.
-ஆல (-āla) (--āla) — 'because of'. It glues onto a noun: மழையால (maḻaiyāla) வேலை (vēlai) நிண்டுது — 'the rain brought the work to a halt'. This is the commonest cause link, and it asks for no second sentence.
அதனால (adaṉāla) — 'therefore'. The same -ஆல (-āla), sitting on the word அது (adu): அதனால (adaṉāla) போகேல்லை (pōgēllai) (adaṉāla pōgēllai). It opens the second half, like the English 'so'.
-அபடியால — 'since'. மழை (maḻai) வந்தபடியால (maḻai vandabaḍiyāla) is 'since it rained'. Longer, but it makes a whole phrase the cause, not one noun. A denial goes the same way: நிரூபணம் (nirūbaṇam) இல்லாதபடியால (nirūbaṇam illādabaḍiyāla) — 'for want of proof'.
Table
| Link | What it clings to | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ஆல (-āla) | a noun | மழையால (maḻaiyāla) | because of the rain |
| அதனால (adaṉāla) | the previous phrase | அதனால (adaṉāla) போகேல்லை (pōgēllai) | therefore we did not go |
| -அபடியால | a whole sentence | மழை (maḻai) வந்தபடியால | since it rained |
| ஆகவே | the conclusion, bookish | ஆகவே இது (idu) தவறு (tavaṟu) | consequently this is a mistake |
| அடிப்படையில (aḍippaḍaiyila) | the evidence | சாட்சியின்ர (sāṭciyiṉra) அடிப்படையில (aḍippaḍaiyila) | on the basis of the testimony |
| -படி | the rule | சட்டப்படி (saṭṭappaḍi) | by law |
By example
- sāṭciyiṉra aḍippaḍaiyila avarra niyāyam sari eṇḍu teriyuduOn the basis of the testimony it is clear that his argument is correct
- நிரூபணம் இல்லாதபடியால அந்தக் கருத்தை மறுத்துத் தள்ளினம்nirūbaṇam illādabaḍiyāla andak karuttai maṟuttut taḷḷiṉamFor lack of proof we rejected that opinion
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
Therefore it means: how does it work in Tamil?
Tamil can say what follows from what without any link words. It has endings for that.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“மழை (maḻai) வந்தபடியால அளவீடு (aḷavīḍu) எடுக்க (eḍukka) ஏலேல்லை, அதனால (adaṉāla) நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) போறம்” (pōṟam) (maḻai vandabaḍiyāla aḷavīḍu eḍukka ēlēllai, adaṉāla nāḷaikku pōṟam) — Since it rained, the measurement failed, so we shall go tomorrow. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.