மன்னிக்கவும் and தயவுசெய்து: the apology and the request
மன்னிக்கவும் covers both jobs English splits between 'forgive me' and 'excuse me': asking pardon, and hailing a stranger before a question. Its register is bookish-polite — this is how it is written, and how official conversations open. In ordinary speech people apologize with the borrowed சாரி, and a stranger is hailed by role: அண்ணா to a young man, அக்கா to a young woman, சார் and மேடம் in the city. For example…
How it works
மன்னிக்கவும் (maṉṉikkavum) covers both jobs English splits between 'forgive me' and 'excuse me': asking pardon, and hailing a stranger before a question. Its register is bookish-polite — this is how it is written, and how official conversations open. In ordinary speech people apologize with the borrowed சாரி, and a stranger is hailed by role: அண்ணா (aṇṇā) to a young man, அக்கா (akkā) to a young woman, சார் and மேடம் in the city.
தயவுசெய்து (tayavuseydu) stands at the head of a request and means 'please' only there. It is bookish too: in conversation you will almost never hear it, and that is not the speaker's oversight — see the next paragraph. It is never said in answer to நன்றி (naṉṟi): Tamil does not keep a word for replying to 'thank you'.
And the main thing: most of the time neither is needed. Politeness sits in the same -ங்க as in the question above — on a command it arrives as -உங்க (-uṅga) — so சொல்லுங்க (solluṅga), இருங்க (iruṅga), வாங்க (vāṅga) are polite by themselves, and 'please' is usually not added to them. The prohibition works the same way, by the ending -ஆதீங்க: தொடாதீங்க (toḍādīṅga), 'please don't touch'.
Table
| the tool | how it reads | what it does | what it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| மன்னிக்கவும் | maṉṉikkavum | pardon and hail; bookish-polite | does not open a request in place of 'please' |
| சாரி / அண்ணா, அக்கா | sāri / aṇṇā, akkā | the same in speech: apologize and hail | not for letters or anything official |
| தயவுசெய்து | tayavuseydu | 'please' at the head of a request; bookish | never an answer to நன்றி |
| -உங்க | -uṅga | a polite request by the ending alone | needs no separate 'please' |
| -ஆதீங்க | -ādīṅga | a polite prohibition | not an apology |
By example
- மன்னிக்கவும்maṉṉikkavumExcuse me (asking pardon, and hailing before a question)
- தயவுசெய்து திரும்பச் சொல்லுங்கtayavuseydu tirumbac solluṅgaPlease say it again
- கொஞ்சம் இருங்கkoñcam iruṅgaWait a little (the politeness is already in the ending)
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
Mannikkavum vs tayavuseydu?
மன்னிக்கவும் covers both jobs English splits between 'forgive me' and 'excuse me': asking pardon, and hailing a stranger before a question. Its register is bookish-polite — this is how it is written, and how official conversations open. In ordinary speech people apologize with the borrowed சாரி…
How to say sorry in Tamil?
தயவுசெய்து stands at the head of a request and means 'please' only there. It is bookish too: in conversation you will almost never hear it, and that is not the speaker's oversight — see the next paragraph. It is never said in answer to நன்றி: Tamil does not keep a word for replying to 'thank you'.
How to say please in Tamil?
And the main thing: most of the time neither is needed. Politeness sits in the same -ங்க as in the question above — on a command it arrives as -உங்க — so சொல்லுங்க, இருங்க, வாங்க are polite by themselves, and 'please' is usually not added to them. The prohibition works the same way, by the ending…
How to address a stranger in Tamil?
And the main thing: most of the time neither is needed. Politeness sits in the same -ங்க as in the question above — on a command it arrives as -உங்க — so சொல்லுங்க, இருங்க, வாங்க are polite by themselves, and 'please' is usually not added to them. The prohibition works the same way, by the ending…
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“மன்னிக்கவும்” (maṉṉikkavum) — Excuse me (asking pardon, and hailing before a question). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.