The verb always comes last
Tamil builds a sentence as subject → object → verb. The English 'I drink water' becomes 'I water drink': நான் தண்ணி குடிக்கிறேன். For example: “நான் சாதம் சாப்பிடறேன்” — I eat rice (word for word: I rice eat). A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Tamil builds a sentence as subject → object → verb. The English 'I drink water' becomes 'I water drink': நான் தண்ணி குடிக்கிறேன் (nāṉ taṇṇi kuḍikkiṟēṉ).
The order is freer than it looks: the endings on the words already say who is who, so subject and object can swap places. Only the verb is fixed — it always comes last.
By example
- நான் சாதம் சாப்பிடறேன்nāṉ sādam sāppiḍaṟēṉI eat rice (word for word: I rice eat)
- நான் தமிழ் பேசுறேன்nāṉ tamiḻ pēsuṟēṉI speak Tamil
- நான் வீட்டுக்கு போறேன்nāṉ vīṭṭukku pōṟēṉI am going home
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
Tamil word order?
Tamil builds a sentence as subject → object → verb. The English 'I drink water' becomes 'I water drink': நான் தண்ணி குடிக்கிறேன்.
Why the verb comes last in Tamil?
The order is freer than it looks: the endings on the words already say who is who, so subject and object can swap places. Only the verb is fixed — it always comes last.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“நான் சாதம் சாப்பிடறேன்” (nāṉ sādam sāppiḍaṟēṉ) — I eat rice (word for word: I rice eat). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.