LingoflyAlready done and still doing: -இட்டன் and -கொண்டு இரு
Tamil has three tenses but more shades than that. Whether a thing is over or still running is hung on a second verb after the first. The first carries the meaning, the second works like an ending. For example: “நான் (nāṉ) ஒரு இரவு முழுக்க விமான நிலையத்தில மாட்டிக்கொண்டன்” (oru iravu muḻukka vimāṉa nilaiyattila māṭṭikkoṇḍaṉ) — I got stuck at the airport for the whole night. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Tamil has three tenses but more shades than that. Whether a thing is over or still running is hung on a second verb after the first. The first carries the meaning, the second works like an ending.
The commonest is -இட்டன், from விடு 'to let go'. It says the matter is closed, with no taking it back: தொலைச்சிட்டன் (tolaicciṭṭaṉ) — 'I lost it, and that is that'.
The opposite tail is -கொண்டு இரு (iru) (-koṇḍu iru): the action is running right now, or ran a long while (in Tamil Nadu, -கிட்டு இரு (iru)). படிச்சுக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறன் (irukkiṟaṉ) is 'I am studying this minute', against படிக்கிறன் (paḍikkiṟaṉ) 'I study'. காத்துக்கொண்டு இருந்தன் (irundaṉ) (kāttukkoṇḍu irundaṉ) — 'I kept on waiting'.
How long it lasts is measured by a noun with -ஆ (-ā), not by a verb: ரெண்டு (reṇḍu) நாளா (nāḷā) (reṇḍu nāḷā) — 'for two days now'.
Table
| Tail | What it adds | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| -இட்டன் | the deed is done, no way back | தொலைச்சிட்டன் (tolaicciṭṭaṉ) | lost (and that is final) |
| -இட்டுது | the same about a thing | மின்சாரம் (miṉsāram) போயிட்டுது (pōyiṭṭudu) | the electricity went out |
| -கொண்டு இருக்கிறன் (irukkiṟaṉ) | going on right now | படிச்சுக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறன் (irukkiṟaṉ) | I am studying right now |
| -கொண்டு இருந்தன் (irundaṉ) | went on for long | காத்துக்கொண்டு இருந்தன் (irundaṉ) | I kept waiting and waiting |
| -கொண்டன் (past) | got in and stayed | மாட்டிக்கொண்டன் (māṭṭikkoṇḍaṉ) | got stuck |
| நேரமா | how long already | ரெண்டு (reṇḍu) நாளா (nāḷā) | already two days |
By example
- nāṉ oru iravu muḻukka vimāṉa nilaiyattila māṭṭikkoṇḍaṉI got stuck at the airport for the whole night
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
Already done and still doing: how does it work in Tamil?
Tamil has three tenses but more shades than that. Whether a thing is over or still running is hung on a second verb after the first. The first carries the meaning, the second works like an ending.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“நான் (nāṉ) ஒரு இரவு முழுக்க விமான நிலையத்தில மாட்டிக்கொண்டன்” (oru iravu muḻukka vimāṉa nilaiyattila māṭṭikkoṇḍaṉ) (nāṉ oru iravu muḻukka vimāṉa nilaiyattila māṭṭikkoṇḍaṉ) — I got stuck at the airport for the whole night. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.