He is good: a modifier turned predicate
You cannot say 'the house is big' with the word that gives you 'a big house'. பெரிய lives only before a noun. So the language turns it into a noun of its own: பெரியது 'the big one', நல்லவர் 'the good one'. For example: “என்ர அப்பா ரொம்ப பொறுமையானவர்” — My father is very patient. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
You cannot say 'the house is big' with the word that gives you 'a big house'. பெரிய (periya) lives only before a noun. So the language turns it into a noun of its own: பெரியது 'the big one', நல்லவர் (nallavar) 'the good one'.
The ending follows who is meant. About a thing — -து: இந்த வீடு பெரியது. About a person you respect — -அவர் (-avar): அவர் நல்லவர் (avar nallavar). About a plainer man — -அவன் (-avaṉ), about a woman — -அவள் (-avaḷ), about many — -அவங்க (-avaṅga).
With words in -ஆன it is easier still: -ஆன turns into -ஆனவர். பொறுமையான (poṟumaiyāṉa) 'patient' gives என்ர அப்பா ரொம்ப பொறுமையானவர் (eṉra appā romba poṟumaiyāṉavar) — 'my father is very patient'.
The negative goes only through the noun form: அவர் நல்லவர் இல்லை (avar nallavar illai) — 'he is not good'. You cannot hang இல்லை (illai) on a bare நல்ல (nalla).
Table
| About whom | Ending | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| about a thing | -து | இந்த வீடு பெரியது | this house is big |
| about a respected one | -அவர் | அவர் நல்லவர் | he is good |
| about a man | -அவன் | அவன் கஞ்சன் | he is greedy |
| about a woman | -அவள் | அவ அடக்கமானவள் | she is modest |
| about many | -அவங்க | அவங்க உழைப்பாளிகள் | they are hardworking |
| negation | noun + இல்லை | அவர் நல்லவர் இல்லை | he is not good |
By example
- என்ர அப்பா ரொம்ப பொறுமையானவர்eṉra appā romba poṟumaiyāṉavarMy father is very patient
- இந்த சாமான் தரமானது, அது போலிinda sāmāṉ taramāṉadu, adu pōliThis goods is of quality, and that is a fake
- அவன் நம்பகமானவன் இல்லைavaṉ nambagamāṉavaṉ illaiHe is not reliable
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 is good: how does it work in Tamil?
You cannot say 'the house is big' with the word that gives you 'a big house'. பெரிய lives only before a noun. So the language turns it into a noun of its own: பெரியது 'the big one', நல்லவர் 'the good one'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“என்ர அப்பா ரொம்ப பொறுமையானவர்” (eṉra appā romba poṟumaiyāṉavar) — My father is very patient. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.