The verb knows who is speaking
Here Tamil takes the opposite road to English: the verb changes for person, and the ending names the speaker by itself. For example: “நான் போறேன்” — I go. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Here Tamil takes the opposite road to English: the verb changes for person, and the ending names the speaker by itself.
போறேன் (pōṟēṉ) — 'I go', போறோம் (pōṟōm) — 'we go', போறீங்க (pōṟīṅga) — 'you go'. The pronoun is often dropped: the ending has already said it all.
A request is made with the ending -உங்க (-uṅga): போங்க (pōṅga) — 'go', சொல்லுங்க (solluṅga) — 'say'. This is the polite form, and with a stranger it is the one you need.
Table
| Who | Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| நான் | நான் போறேன் | I go |
| நீ | நீ போற | you (intimate) go |
| அவர் | அவர் போறார் | he goes |
| நாங்க | நாங்க போறோம் | we go |
| நீங்க | நீங்க போறீங்க | you (polite) go |
By example
- நான் போறேன்nāṉ pōṟēṉI go
- நாங்க போறோம்nāṅga pōṟōmWe go
- நேரா போங்கnērā pōṅgaGo straight
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
Does the Tamil verb change for person?
Here Tamil takes the opposite road to English: the verb changes for person, and the ending names the speaker by itself.
Why the pronoun can be dropped in Tamil?
போறேன் — 'I go', போறோம் — 'we go', போறீங்க — 'you go'. The pronoun is often dropped: the ending has already said it all.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“நான் போறேன்” (nāṉ pōṟēṉ) — I go. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.