LingoflyThis, that and all said before: அது as a link back
இந்த (inda) 'this' and அந்த (anda) 'that' do not only point with a finger. They point at the phrase just spoken, and without that no connected story comes out. For example: “மழை பெய்யேல்லை, அதன் விளைவா அறுவடை குறைவு” (maḻai peyyēllai, adaṉ viḷaivā aṟuvaḍai kuṟaivu) — There were no rains; as a result the harvest is small. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
இந்த (inda) 'this' and அந்த (anda) 'that' do not only point with a finger. They point at the phrase just spoken, and without that no connected story comes out.
The rule is short and firm: அது (adu) looks back, இது (idu) looks forward. அது சரி (adu sari) means 'what you said is right'. இது (idu) சரி (sari) (idu sari) means 'here is what is right, listen'. English uses 'this' both ways, so it puts இது (idu) where a Tamil speaker waits for அது (adu).
From there அது (adu) enters ready links, all one word with different endings. அதனால (adaṉāla) is 'therefore', அதுக்காக 'for that', அதன் விளைவா (adaṉ viḷaivā) 'as a result'.
So the whole Tamil conclusion is built not on a word in front but on a pointer back. English 'consequently' stands first and names nothing. அதன் விளைவா (adaṉ viḷaivā) points back at the thing itself.
Table
| Link | What it is assembled from | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| அதனால (adaṉāla) | அது (adu) + -ஆல (-āla) | therefore |
| அதுக்காக | அது (adu) + -க்கு + -ஆக | for that purpose |
| அதுக்குப் பதிலா (adukkup padilā) | அது (adu) + பதில் (padil) + -ஆ | instead of that |
| அதுக்கு மாறா (adukku māṟā) | அது (adu) + மாறு + -ஆ | unlike that |
| அதன் விளைவா (adaṉ viḷaivā) | அது (adu) + விளைவு (viḷaivu) + -ஆ | as a result |
| அதாவது (adāvadu) | அது (adu) + ஆவது | that is |
| அப்பிடி எண்டா (appiḍi eṇḍā) | அப்பிடி (appiḍi) + condition | in that case |
| அது இது எண்டு (adu idu eṇḍu) | அது (adu) + இது (idu) + எண்டு (eṇḍu) | and so on |
By example
- maḻai peyyēllai, adaṉ viḷaivā aṟuvaḍai kuṟaivuThere were no rains; as a result the harvest is small
- appiḍi eṇḍā nāṅgaḷ nāḷaikku oru tīrmāṉam eḍukkiṟamIn that case tomorrow we make the decision
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
This, that and all said before: how does it work in Tamil?
இந்த (inda) 'this' and அந்த (anda) 'that' do not only point with a finger. They point at the phrase just spoken, and without that no connected story comes out.
What does it look like in a Tamil example sentence?
“மழை பெய்யேல்லை, அதன் விளைவா அறுவடை குறைவு” (maḻai peyyēllai, adaṉ viḷaivā aṟuvaḍai kuṟaivu) — There were no rains; as a result the harvest is small. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.