LingoflyThe person who works: a participle instead of 'who'
English 'who' and 'which' have no match here. The verb steps straight in front of the noun instead. வேலை (vēlai) செய்யிற (seyyiṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) is 'the man who works', word for word 'the working man'. For example: “வங்கியில (vaṅgiyila) வேலை (vēlai) செய்யிற (seyyiṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) என் (eṉ) தோழன்” (tōḻaṉ) — The person who works at the bank is my buddy. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English 'who' and 'which' have no match here. The verb steps straight in front of the noun instead. வேலை (vēlai) செய்யிற (seyyiṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) (vēlai seyyiṟa āḷ) is 'the man who works', word for word 'the working man'.
It is made simply: take the verb in the tense you want and swap the person ending for -அ. Now — படிக்கிற 'who studies'. Yesterday — படிச்ச. Always — படிக்கும். One shape for any gender and number.
The real difference is order. This block always sits left of the noun: நான் (nāṉ) நேற்று (nēṟṟu) வாங்கின புத்தகம் (puttagam) (nāṉ nēṟṟu vāṅgiṉa puttagam) — 'the book I bought yesterday'. First 'I yesterday bought', then 'book'.
The block holds as many words as you like: பக்கத்து (pakkattu) வீட்டில (vīṭṭila) குடியேறின புது (pudu) ஆள் (āḷ). There is a limit, though. 'The man I gave the book to' will not go this way, and the phrase splits in two.
Table
| Tense | Personal form | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | படிக்கிறன் (paḍikkiṟaṉ) | படிக்கிற | படிக்கிற மாணவர் (māṇavar) — 'the student who studies' |
| past | படிச்சன் (paḍiccaṉ) | படிச்ச | நான் (nāṉ) படிச்ச புத்தகம் (puttagam) — 'the book I read' |
| future / general | படிப்பன் | படிக்கும் | படிக்கும் பிள்ளை (piḷḷai) — 'the child who studies' |
| present of வா | வாறன் (vāṟaṉ) | வாற (vāṟa) | நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) வாற (vāṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) — 'the person who will come tomorrow' |
| past of செய் | செய்தன் (seytaṉ) | செய்த (seyda) | நான் (nāṉ) செய்த (seyda) தவறு (tavaṟu) — 'the mistake I made' |
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
The person who works: how does it work in Tamil?
English 'who' and 'which' have no match here. The verb steps straight in front of the noun instead. வேலை (vēlai) செய்யிற (seyyiṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) is 'the man who works', word for word 'the working man'.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“வங்கியில (vaṅgiyila) வேலை (vēlai) செய்யிற (seyyiṟa) ஆள் (āḷ) என் (eṉ) தோழன்” (tōḻaṉ) (vaṅgiyila vēlai seyyiṟa āḷ eṉ tōḻaṉ) — The person who works at the bank is my buddy. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.