To start, to finish, to drag on: phase through a service verb
The fifty-third unit is where the English verb and the Tamil one part most of all. 'To stop', 'to complete', 'to set about' are separate words in English. In Tamil these are the main verb plus a service verb, and the service verb answers not for the meaning but for the phase and completeness. The card teaches the construction here, not the word. For example: “வேலையை நாளைக்கு தொடங்கிடுறம், ஒரு கிழமையில முடிச்சிடுவம்”…
How it works
The fifty-third unit is where the English verb and the Tamil one part most of all. 'To stop', 'to complete', 'to set about' are separate words in English. In Tamil these are the main verb plus a service verb, and the service verb answers not for the meaning but for the phase and completeness. The card teaches the construction here, not the word.
-இடு: done for good. முடிக்கிறேன் (muḍikkiṟēṉ) I am finishing — முடிச்சிடுறேன் (muḍicciḍuṟēṉ) I have finished and closed the matter. நீக்குறேன் (nīkkuṟēṉ) I remove — நீக்கிடுறேன் (nīkkiḍuṟēṉ) I have removed it for good. கைவிடுறேன் I give up — கைவிட்டிடுறேன் (kaiviṭṭiḍuṟēṉ) I have given up once and for all. The shade of -இடு: there is no road back.
-கொள்: done for oneself. முந்திக்கொள்ளுறேன் (mundikkoḷḷuṟēṉ) — I overtake (to my own benefit), அடக்கிக்கொள்ளுறேன் — I hold myself in. The action returns to the doer.
The causative -த்த- / -க்க-: to make someone do. Here the pairs are learned as pairs: நகருறேன் (nagaruṟēṉ) I move — நகத்துறேன் (nagattuṟēṉ) I move it; குறையுது (kuṟaiyudu) it decreases — குறைக்கிறேன் (kuṟaikkiṟēṉ) I reduce it; உயருது (uyarudu) it rises — உயத்துறேன் I raise it. English changes a prefix here; Tamil changes an insert in the middle of the word.
The passive -படு: without a doer. இழு to pull — இழுபடுது (iḻubaḍudu) it dragged on. செயல்படுத்துறேன் (seyalpaḍuttuṟēṉ) I put into effect — the same படு, but with a causative on top: 'I bring into action'.
And the main thing to understand about this unit. 'To stop' and 'to complete' differ in whether the deed reached the end. Tamil says the same with a service verb: நிப்பாட்டுறேன் (nippāṭṭuṟēṉ) — stopped halfway, முடிச்சிடுறேன் — brought to the end and closed. Choosing the wrong service verb means saying the wrong thing.
Table
| Service verb | What it adds | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -இடு | for good, no way back | முடிச்சிடுறேன் | to complete |
| -இடு | the same at the start | தொடங்கிடுறேன் | to set about |
| -கொள் | for oneself, to one's benefit | முந்திக்கொள்ளுறேன் | to overtake |
| -த்த- / -க்க- | make someone, transitivity | குறைக்கிறேன் | to reduce |
| -படு | by itself, no doer | இழுபடுது | it dragged on |
| நிப்பாட்டு | stop halfway | நிப்பாட்டுறேன் | to stop midway |
By example
- வேலையை நாளைக்கு தொடங்கிடுறம், ஒரு கிழமையில முடிச்சிடுவம்vēlaiyai nāḷaikku toḍaṅgiḍuṟam, oru kiḻamaiyila muḍicciḍuvamTomorrow we set about the work and finish it in a week
- மழையால வேலை இழுபட்டுது, ஆனா நாங்க நிப்பாட்டேல்லைmaḻaiyāla vēlai iḻubaṭṭudu, āṉā nāṅga nippāṭṭēllaiBecause of the rain the work dragged on, but we did not stop it
- செலவை குறைச்சம், ஆனா தரம் குறையேல்லைselavai kuṟaiccam, āṉā taram kuṟaiyēllaiWe cut the expenses, but the quality did not drop
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
To start, to finish, to drag on: how does it work in Tamil?
The fifty-third unit is where the English verb and the Tamil one part most of all. 'To stop', 'to complete', 'to set about' are separate words in English. In Tamil these are the main verb plus a service verb, and the service verb answers not for the meaning but for the phase and completeness. The…
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“வேலையை நாளைக்கு தொடங்கிடுறம், ஒரு கிழமையில முடிச்சிடுவம்” (vēlaiyai nāḷaikku toḍaṅgiḍuṟam, oru kiḻamaiyila muḍicciḍuvam) — Tomorrow we set about the work and finish it in a week. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.