There 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 ஒரு அட்டைப் பெட்டி வேணும்” — 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 பால் இருக்கு (kaḍaiyila pāl irukku) 'the shop has milk', எனக்கு நேரம் இல்லை (eṉakku nēram illai) 'I have no time'. Owning runs the same way: என்கிட்ட காசு இருக்கு (eṉkiṭṭa kāsu irukku), 'with me money is'.
வேணும் (vēṇum) 'need' and வேண்டாம் (vēṇḍām) 'no need' behave alike: எனக்கு தண்ணி வேணும் (eṉakku taṇṇi vēṇum). The thing keeps its plain shape. With a verb it becomes 'must do': எனக்கு போகணும் (eṉakku pōgaṇuma).
The same pattern gives எனக்கு பிடிக்கும் (eṉakku piḍikkum) 'I like it', with பிடிக்கலை (piḍikkalai) for the negative. So too எனக்கு பசிக்குது (eṉakku pasikkudu) and எனக்கு தலை வலிக்குது (eṉakku talai valikkudu).
Table
| Turn | Word for word | English |
|---|---|---|
| எனக்கு நேரம் இல்லை | to me time is not | I have no time |
| என்கிட்ட காசு இருக்கு | with me money is | I have money |
| எனக்கு தண்ணி வேணும் | to me water is-needed | I need water |
| எனக்கு போகணும் | to me go-must | I must go |
| எனக்கு இது பிடிக்கும் | to me this pleases | I like this |
| எனக்கு அது பிடிக்கலை | to me that did not please | I do not like that |
By example
- எனக்கு ஒரு அட்டைப் பெட்டி வேணும்eṉakku oru aṭṭaip peṭṭi vēṇumI need a box
- இங்கே வை-ஃபை இல்லைiṅgē vai-fai illaiThere is no wi-fi here
- எனக்கு இந்த பாட்டு ரொம்ப பிடிக்கும்eṉakku inda pāṭṭu romba piḍikkumI like this song very much
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 an example sentence Tamil?
“எனக்கு ஒரு அட்டைப் பெட்டி வேணும்” (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.