LingoflyProbably, hardly, will have to: a guess at the end of the verb
The endings you use to ask permission do a second job as well. They also say how likely something is, and only the talk around them tells the two apart. For example: “அவர் (avar) இப்ப (ippa) அலுவலகத்தில (aluvalagattila) இருக்கலாம்” (irukkalām) — He is probably at the office now. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The endings you use to ask permission do a second job as well. They also say how likely something is, and only the talk around them tells the two apart.
-லாம் is not just 'may' but also 'possibly'. இருக்கலாம் (irukkalām) means both 'you may stay here' and 'he may well be here'. -உம் (-um) (--um) is not just the future but also 'probably': வருவார் (varuvār) is 'he will come' and 'he will probably come'.
-ஆது is not just 'I cannot' but also 'hardly': வராது (varādu) போல (pōla) (varādu pōla) — 'hardly likely to come'. In Jaffna ஏலாது (ēlādu) stands where முடியாது (muḍiyādu) would: எனக்கு (eṉakku) ஏலாது (ēlādu) (eṉakku ēlādu) 'I cannot'.
All of this sits at the end of the verb, and the verb here comes last. English puts 'probably' up front and can stop there. A Tamil speaker finishes the phrase, then says how sure he is.
Table
| Ending | About possibility | About probability |
|---|---|---|
| -லாம் | இருக்கலாம் (irukkalām) — one may stay | இருக்கலாம் (irukkalām) — he may be here |
| -உம் (-um) | வருவார் (varuvār) — he will come | வருவார் (varuvār) — he will probably come |
| -ஆது | முடியாது (muḍiyādu) — I cannot | வராது (varādu) போல (pōla) — hardly will come |
| -த்தான் வேணும் (vēṇum) | — | போகத்தான் (pōgattāṉ) வேணும் (vēṇum) — will have to go |
| வேண்டியிருக்கு | — | போக (pōga) வேண்டியிருக்கு — circumstances make one go |
| ஏலாது (ēlādu) (Jaffna) | எனக்கு (eṉakku) ஏலாது (ēlādu) — I cannot | அது (adu) ஏலாது (ēlādu) — it will not work |
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
Probably, hardly, will have to: how does it work in Tamil?
The endings you use to ask permission do a second job as well. They also say how likely something is, and only the talk around them tells the two apart.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“அவர் (avar) இப்ப (ippa) அலுவலகத்தில (aluvalagattila) இருக்கலாம்” (irukkalām) (avar ippa aluvalagattila irukkalām) — He is probably at the office now. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.