LingoflyThere is, there is not, need: impersonal turns
Half the everyday phrases get by with nobody doing anything. Not 'I have' but 'to me there is'; not 'I want' but 'to me it is needed'. The person stands in -க்கு, and the verb never bends for person. For example: “எனக்கு (eṉakku) ஒரு (oru) அட்டைப் பெட்டி (aṭṭaip peṭṭi) வேணும்” (vēṇum) — I need a box. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Half the everyday phrases get by with nobody doing anything. Not 'I have' but 'to me there is'; not 'I want' but 'to me it is needed'. The person stands in -க்கு, and the verb never bends for person.
The pair இருக்கு (irukku) / இல்லை (illai) is 'there is' and 'there is not'. கடையில (kaḍaiyila) பால் (pāl) இருக்கு (irukku) (kaḍaiyila pāl irukku) 'the shop has milk', எனக்கு நேரம் இல்லை (eṉakku nēram illai) (eṉakku nēram illai) 'I have no time'. Owning runs the same way: என்னட்ட (eṉṉaṭṭa) காசு (kāsu) இருக்கு (irukku) (eṉṉaṭṭa kāsu irukku), 'with me money is'.
வேணும் (vēṇum) 'need' and வேண்டாம் (vēṇḍām) 'no need' behave alike: எனக்கு (eṉakku) தண்ணி (taṇṇi) வேணும் (vēṇum) (eṉakku taṇṇi vēṇum). The thing keeps its plain shape. With a verb it becomes 'must do': எனக்கு (eṉakku) போக (pōga) வேணும் (vēṇum) (eṉakku pōga vēṇum).
The same pattern gives எனக்கு (eṉakku) பிடிக்கும் (piḍikkum) (eṉakku piḍikkum) 'I like it', with பிடிக்கேல்லை (piḍikkēllai) for the negative. So too எனக்கு (eṉakku) பசிக்குது (pasikkudu) (eṉakku pasikkudu) and எனக்கு தலை வலிக்குது (eṉakku talai valikkudu) (eṉakku talai valikkudu).
Table
| Turn | Word for word | English |
|---|---|---|
| எனக்கு நேரம் இல்லை (eṉakku nēram illai) | to me time is not | I have no time |
| என்னட்ட (eṉṉaṭṭa) காசு (kāsu) இருக்கு (irukku) | with me money is | I have money |
| எனக்கு (eṉakku) தண்ணி (taṇṇi) வேணும் (vēṇum) | to me water is-needed | I need water |
| எனக்கு (eṉakku) போக (pōga) வேணும் (vēṇum) | to me go-must | I must go |
| எனக்கு (eṉakku) இது (idu) பிடிக்கும் (piḍikkum) | to me this pleases | I like this |
| எனக்கு (eṉakku) அது (adu) பிடிக்கேல்லை (piḍikkēllai) | to me that did not please | I do not like that |
By example
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
There is, there is not, need: how does it work in Tamil?
Half the everyday phrases get by with nobody doing anything. Not 'I have' but 'to me there is'; not 'I want' but 'to me it is needed'. The person stands in -க்கு, and the verb never bends for person.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“எனக்கு (eṉakku) ஒரு (oru) அட்டைப் பெட்டி (aṭṭaip peṭṭi) வேணும்” (vēṇum) (eṉakku oru aṭṭaip peṭṭi vēṇum) — I need a box. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.