LingoflyI know how and I can: தெரியும் and முடியும்
Knowing how is the stem in -அ plus தெரியும் (teriyum). எனக்கு (eṉakku) நீந்தத் தெரியும் (teriyum) — 'I can swim'. One தெரியும் (teriyum) covers 'I know' and 'I know how', and the person stands in -க்கு. For example: “எனக்கு (eṉakku) தமிழ் (tamiḻ) கதைக்கத் தெரியும் (teriyum), ஆனா (āṉā) எழுதத் தெரியாது” (teriyādu) — I can speak Tamil but cannot write. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Knowing how is the stem in -அ plus தெரியும் (teriyum). எனக்கு (eṉakku) நீந்தத் தெரியும் (teriyum) — 'I can swim'. One தெரியும் (teriyum) covers 'I know' and 'I know how', and the person stands in -க்கு.
முடியும் (muḍiyum) is 'can' by strength and circumstance, and the person stands in -ஆல (-āla) (--āla): என்னால (eṉṉāla) வர (vara) முடியும் (muḍiyum) (eṉṉāla vara muḍiyum). The difference is not optional. எனக்கு (eṉakku) நீந்தத் தெரியும் (teriyum) is 'I know how to swim', என்னால (eṉṉāla) நீந்த (nīnda) முடியாது (muḍiyādu) (eṉṉāla nīnda muḍiyādu) is 'I can't swim right now'.
To talk about the action itself — 'talking is hard' — Tamil makes a noun out of the verb with -றது: கதைக்கிறது (kadaikkiṟadu) கஷ்டம் (kaṣṭam) (kadaikkiṟadu kaṣṭam). Such a noun takes the usual endings: படிக்கிறதுக்கு நேரம் (nēram) இல்லை (illai) — 'there is no time for study'.
Table
| What is needed | How it is built | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| a verb as a noun | stem + -றது | கதைக்கிறது (kadaikkiṟadu) கஷ்டம் (kaṣṭam) | speaking is difficult |
| a noun in a case | -றது + ending | படிக்கிறதுக்கு நேரம் (nēram) இல்லை (illai) | there is no time for study |
| I know how | to whom + infinitive + தெரியும் (teriyum) | எனக்கு (eṉakku) நீந்தத் தெரியும் (teriyum) | I know how to swim |
| I do not know how | to whom + infinitive + தெரியாது (teriyādu) | எனக்கு (eṉakku) நீந்தத் தெரியாது (teriyādu) | I do not know how to swim |
| I can | by whom -ஆல (-āla) + infinitive + முடியும் (muḍiyum) | என்னால (eṉṉāla) வர (vara) முடியும் (muḍiyum) | I can come |
| I will not manage (island) | by whom -ஆல (-āla) + ஏலாது (ēlādu) | என்னால (eṉṉāla) ஏலாது (ēlādu) | I cannot manage |
By example
- கேட்டு புரிஞ்சுக்கிறது எனக்கு கஷ்டமா வருதுkēṭṭu puriñcukkiṟadu eṉakku kaṣṭamā varuduUnderstanding by ear is hard for me
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
I know how and I can: how does it work in Tamil?
Knowing how is the stem in -அ plus தெரியும் (teriyum). எனக்கு (eṉakku) நீந்தத் தெரியும் (teriyum) — 'I can swim'. One தெரியும் (teriyum) covers 'I know' and 'I know how', and the person stands in -க்கு.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“எனக்கு (eṉakku) தமிழ் (tamiḻ) கதைக்கத் தெரியும் (teriyum), ஆனா (āṉā) எழுதத் தெரியாது” (teriyādu) (eṉakku tamiḻ kadaikkat teriyum, āṉā eḻudat teriyādu) — I can speak Tamil but cannot write. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.