LingoflyHe explained, as I understood it, supposedly: how far you vouch
Tamil can not only pass on somebody else's words but show how far you vouch for them. English does this with words like 'apparently'; Tamil does it with endings. For example: “அவர் (avar) நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) வருவார் (varuvār) எண்டு (eṇḍu) சொன்னார் (soṉṉār), ஆனா (āṉā) வர (vara) மாட்டார் (māṭṭār) எண்டாம்” (eṇḍām) — He said he would come tomorrow, but supposedly he will not. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Tamil can not only pass on somebody else's words but show how far you vouch for them. English does this with words like 'apparently'; Tamil does it with endings.
எண்டு (eṇḍu) — I vouch, this is word for word: அவர் (avar) வருவார் (varuvār) எண்டு (eṇḍu) சொன்னார் (soṉṉār) (avar varuvār eṇḍu soṉṉār) 'he said he would come'. -படி (-paḍi) puts the weight on the source: நேரா பாத்தவர் சொன்னபடி (nērā pāttavar soṉṉapaḍi) 'by an eyewitness'.
மட்டில (maṭṭila) draws the border of your own knowledge: எனக்கு விளங்கின மட்டில (eṉakku viḷaṅgiṉa maṭṭila) 'as far as I understood'. போல (pōla) is softer still: கேள்விப்பட்டனான் (kēḷvippaṭṭaṉāṉ) போல (pōla) (kēḷvippaṭṭaṉāṉ pōla) 'I think I heard'. And -ஆம் drops the weight entirely: இல்லை (illai) எண்டாம் (eṇḍām) (illai eṇḍām) 'supposedly not'.
The whole scale runs from full vouching to none: எண்டு (eṇḍu), -படி, மட்டில (maṭṭila), போல (pōla), -ஆம். Take the wrong step and you either claim someone's words as your own or offend the one who said them.
Table
| Form | How much commitment | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| எண்டு (eṇḍu) | full, word for word | வருவார் (varuvār) எண்டு (eṇḍu) சொன்னார் (soṉṉār) | he said he will come |
| -படி | a reference to a source | சொன்னபடி (soṉṉapaḍi) | by the words of so-and-so |
| மட்டில (maṭṭila) | within my knowledge | விளங்கின (viḷaṅgiṉa) மட்டில (maṭṭila) | as far as I understand |
| போல (pōla) | it seems | கேள்விப்பட்டனான் (kēḷvippaṭṭaṉāṉ) போல (pōla) | I gather that |
| -ஆம் | they say, I am not in it | இல்லை (illai) எண்டாம் (eṇḍām) | supposedly not |
| சொல்லி (solli) | a request, not a report | தரச் (tarac) சொல்லி (solli) கேட்டார் (kēṭṭār) | he asked to give |
By example
- eṉakku viḷaṅgiṉa maṭṭila kaḍai mūḍiṭṭiṉam, nērā pāttavar soṉṉapaḍi nēṟṟēAs far as I understand, the shop was closed, and by an eyewitness — already yesterday
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
He explained, as I understood it, supposedly: how does it work in Tamil?
Tamil can not only pass on somebody else's words but show how far you vouch for them. English does this with words like 'apparently'; Tamil does it with endings.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“அவர் (avar) நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) வருவார் (varuvār) எண்டு (eṇḍu) சொன்னார் (soṉṉār), ஆனா (āṉā) வர (vara) மாட்டார் (māṭṭār) எண்டாம்” (eṇḍām) (avar nāḷaikku varuvār eṇḍu soṉṉār, āṉā vara māṭṭār eṇḍām) — He said he would come tomorrow, but supposedly he will not. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.