My and your: என், உன், அவர் and the possessive
'My' and 'your' are not separate words here. They are a special shape of the pronoun, standing straight before the thing: என் வீடு 'my house', உங்க முகவரி 'your address'. Nothing has to agree with anything. For example: “இது என் முகவரி” — This is my address. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
'My' and 'your' are not separate words here. They are a special shape of the pronoun, standing straight before the thing: என் வீடு (eṉ vīḍu) 'my house', உங்க முகவரி (uṅga mugavari) 'your address'. Nothing has to agree with anything.
The shapes are easiest to learn paired with the familiar 'to me'. நான் (nāṉ) gives என் (eṉ) 'my' and எனக்கு (eṉakku) 'to me'; நீங்க (nīṅga) gives உங்க (uṅga) and உங்களுக்கு (uṅgaḷukku). With அவங்க (avaṅga) 'their' the shape and the pronoun are the same word.
With a noun the same sense comes from -ஓட (-ōḍa): ராஜாவோட வீடு 'Raja's house', கடையோட பெயர் 'the shop's name'. Often there is no ending at all: வீட்டு கதவு (vīṭṭu kadavu) 'the house door'.
Jaffna speech says என்ர (eṉra) for என் and உங்கட (uṅgaḍa) for உங்க. That is the northern norm, not a slip, and என்ர வீடு (eṉra vīḍu) is worth knowing by ear from day one.
Table
| Who | My (before a thing) | To me (dative) | Me (object) |
|---|---|---|---|
| நான் — I | என் | எனக்கு | என்னை |
| நீங்க — you | உங்க | உங்களுக்கு | உங்களை |
| அவர் — he (polite) | அவரோட | அவருக்கு | அவரை |
| அவங்க — they | அவங்க | அவங்களுக்கு | அவங்களை |
| நாங்க — we | எங்க | எங்களுக்கு | எங்களை |
By example
- இது என் முகவரிidu eṉ mugavariThis is my address
- உங்க போன் நம்பர் என்ன?uṅga pōṉ nambar eṉṉa?What is your phone number?
- அவங்க வீட்டு முற்றம் பெரிசுavaṅga vīṭṭu muṟṟam perisuThe yard of their house is big
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
My and your: how does it work in Tamil?
'My' and 'your' are not separate words here. They are a special shape of the pronoun, standing straight before the thing: என் வீடு 'my house', உங்க முகவரி 'your address'. Nothing has to agree with anything.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“இது என் முகவரி” (idu eṉ mugavari) — This is my address. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.