Yesterday: the past tense
The personal endings in the past are the same as in the present: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only what stands before them changes — the past marker. For example: “நேற்று நான் சந்தைக்கு போனேன்” — Yesterday I went to the market. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The personal endings in the past are the same as in the present: -ஏன் (-ēṉ) 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only what stands before them changes — the past marker.
And here Tamil asks for patience: there are three markers (-த்-, -ந்த்-, -ன்-), plus a whole row of verbs changes the stem outright. போ (pō) 'go' gives போனேன் (pōṉēṉ), சாப்பிடு 'eat' — சாப்பிட்டேன் (sāppiṭṭēṉ), குடி (kuḍi) 'drink' — குடிச்சேன் (kuḍiccēṉa), வா (vā) 'come' — வந்தேன் (vandēṉ). None of this can be derived from the dictionary form.
So the practical advice: learn each verb as a pair from the start — 'I do' and 'I did', the way English irregular verbs are learned. Five or six of the commonest will cover almost all everyday conversation.
Negation in the past is easier: take the stem and add இல்லை (illai), in speech -லை. நான் போகலை — 'I did not go'. There is no tense marker here at all: the negation itself says the past.
Table
| Now | Yesterday | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| போறேன் | போனேன் | go — went |
| சாப்பிடறேன் | சாப்பிட்டேன் | eat — ate |
| குடிக்கிறேன் | குடிச்சேன் | drink — drank |
| பேசுறேன் | பேசினேன் | speak — spoke |
| வாறேன் | வந்தேன் | come — came |
By example
- நேற்று நான் சந்தைக்கு போனேன்nēṟṟu nāṉ sandaikku pōṉēṉYesterday I went to the market
- நாங்க ஒரு மாத்திரை குடிச்சோம்nāṅga oru māttirai kuḍiccōmWe took the tablet
- நீங்க என்ன சொன்னீங்க?nīṅga eṉṉa soṉṉīṅga?What did you say?
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
Yesterday: how does it work in Tamil?
The personal endings in the past are the same as in the present: -ஏன் 'I', -ஓம் 'we', -ஈங்க 'you', -ஆர் 'he, she'. Only what stands before them changes — the past marker.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“நேற்று நான் சந்தைக்கு போனேன்” (nēṟṟu nāṉ sandaikku pōṉēṉ) — Yesterday I went to the market. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.