He said that…: the tail -ன்னு and the Jaffna எண்டு
There is no 'that' clause in Tamil. Reported words go in exactly as they were said. The tail -ன்னு is hung on the end, and the verb of speaking comes last. வாறேன்ன்னு சொன்னார் — 'he: I am coming, so, said'. For example: “விமானம் இரத்தாகும்ன்னு அவங்க சொன்னாங்க” — They said the flight would be cancelled. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
There is no 'that' clause in Tamil. Reported words go in exactly as they were said. The tail -ன்னு is hung on the end, and the verb of speaking comes last. வாறேன்ன்னு சொன்னார் — 'he: I am coming, so, said'.
English rewrites the person and says 'he said he would come'. Tamil touches nothing: inside the quote வாறேன் (vāṟēṉ) 'I am coming' stays as it was.
On the island the tail sounds எண்டு (eṇḍu): வாறன் எண்டு சொன்னார் (vāṟaṉ eṇḍu soṉṉār). In Tamil Nadu it is -ன்னு. Both are worth having: one in film and song, the other at the Jaffna market.
The same tail carries thought and hearsay. சரி இல்லைன்னு நினைக்கிறேன் (sari illaiṉṉu niṉaikkiṟēṉ) — 'I think it is wrong'. விலை ஏறும்ன்னு சொல்றாங்க (vilai ēṟumṉṉu solṟāṅga) — 'they say prices will rise'.
Table
| What we introduce | Turn | Example |
|---|---|---|
| others' words | -ன்னு சொன்னார் | வாறேன்ன்னு சொன்னார் |
| the same in Jaffna | எண்டு சொன்னார் | வாறன் எண்டு சொன்னார் |
| one's own thought | -ன்னு நினைக்கிறேன் | சரி இல்லைன்னு நினைக்கிறேன் |
| hearsay, rumor | -ன்னு சொல்றாங்க | விலை ஏறும்ன்னு சொல்றாங்க |
| a question in reported speech | -ன்னு கேட்டார் | எப்ப வருவீங்கன்னு கேட்டார் |
| knowledge, naming | -ன்னு தெரியும் | அவர் வைத்தியர்ன்னு தெரியும் |
By example
- விமானம் இரத்தாகும்ன்னு அவங்க சொன்னாங்கvimāṉam irattāgumṉṉu avaṅga soṉṉāṅgaThey said the flight would be cancelled
- அந்த செய்தி உண்மை இல்லை எண்டு நான் நினைக்கிறேன்anda seydi uṇmai illai eṇḍu nāṉ niṉaikkiṟēṉI believe this news is not true
- அவர் எப்ப திரும்புவார்ன்னு பத்திரிகையாளர் கேட்டார்avar eppa tirumbuvārṉṉu pattirigaiyāḷar kēṭṭārThe journalist asked when he would return
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
He said that…: how does it work in Tamil?
There is no 'that' clause in Tamil. Reported words go in exactly as they were said. The tail -ன்னு is hung on the end, and the verb of speaking comes last. வாறேன்ன்னு சொன்னார் — 'he: I am coming, so, said'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“விமானம் இரத்தாகும்ன்னு அவங்க சொன்னாங்க” (vimāṉam irattāgumṉṉu avaṅga soṉṉāṅga) — They said the flight would be cancelled. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.