Lingoflyவா, வாங்கோ, வாருங்கள்: the command names the relationship
The English 'come here' is one form for everybody, and the tone carries the politeness. In Tamil politeness sits inside the verb form, and there is no neutral middle to fall back on. For example: “கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) இருங்கோ (iruṅgō), இப்ப (ippa) வாறன்” (vāṟaṉ) — Wait a little, I will come at once. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The English 'come here' is one form for everybody, and the tone carries the politeness. In Tamil politeness sits inside the verb form, and there is no neutral middle to fall back on.
வா (vā) is the bare stem. For a child, a younger relative, a close friend. To an adult stranger it is not said at all: that is plain rudeness, like calling out 'hey, you'.
வாங்கோ (vāṅgō) is the polite one, with -உங்கோ. A neighbor, a shopkeeper, a driver, an elder, any stranger. In doubt take it: இரு (iru) → இருங்கோ (iruṅgō), சொல்லு (sollu) → சொல்லுங்கோ (solluṅgō). A ban runs the same two steps: தொடாதே → தொட வேண்டாம் (toḍa vēṇḍām).
A foreigner is forgiven tense and stress, since those are heard as an accent. The step of politeness is not. It speaks of your attitude, not your grammar, so with everyone but children and close friends take the form in -உங்கோ.
Table
| To whom | to come | to wait | not to touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| to a child, a close friend | வா | இரு (iru) | தொடாதே |
| to a stranger, an elder, a neighbor | வாங்கோ (vāṅgō) | இருங்கோ (iruṅgō) | தொட வேண்டாம் (toḍa vēṇḍām) |
| in an announcement, from the podium | வாருங்கள் | இருங்கள் | தொடாதீர்கள் |
By example
- பிள்ளை, இஞ்ச வாpiḷḷai, iñca vāKiddo, come here
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
the command names the relationship: how does it work in Tamil?
The English 'come here' is one form for everybody, and the tone carries the politeness. In Tamil politeness sits inside the verb form, and there is no neutral middle to fall back on.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) இருங்கோ (iruṅgō), இப்ப (ippa) வாறன்” (vāṟaṉ) (koñcam iruṅgō, ippa vāṟaṉ) — Wait a little, I will come at once. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.