Probably, hardly, will have to: a guess at the end of the verb
You already build permission and ability — வேணும், முடியும், கூடாது, -லாம். This note is about something else: the same endings also work as an estimate of probability, and only the conversation tells the two senses apart. For example: “அவர் இப்ப அலுவலகத்தில இருக்கலாம்” — He is probably at the office now. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
You already build permission and ability — வேணும் (vēṇum), முடியும் (muḍiyum), கூடாது (kūḍādu), -லாம். This note is about something else: the same endings also work as an estimate of probability, and only the conversation tells the two senses apart.
-லாம் is not only 'may' but also 'possibly, sometimes': இங்கே இருக்கலாம் (iṅgē irukkalām) means both 'one may sit here' and 'he may be here'. -உம் (--um) is not only the future but also 'probably': அவர் வீட்டில இருப்பார் (avar vīṭṭila iruppār) is literally 'he will be at home', but in fact 'he is probably at home'. -ஆது is not only 'I will not manage' but also 'hardly': மழை வராது (maḻai varādu) — 'rain is unlikely'. Add போல (pōla) 'as if', and the guess becomes softer still: வராது போல (varādu pōla).
Obligation at B1 also comes in layers. போகணும் (pōgaṇuma) — 'I must go', neutral. போகத்தான் வேணும் (pōgattāṉ vēṇum) — 'I will have to go': the particle -தான் (-tāṉ) means 'precisely, there is no way out'. போக வேண்டியிருக்கு — 'circumstances make me go'. And போயிருக்கணும் — 'he must have gone': the same -ணும், but no longer about duty — about a conclusion.
And one island word. Instead of முடியாது (muḍiyādu) 'I cannot, it is impossible', Jaffna says ஏலாது (ēlādu): எனக்கு ஏலாது (eṉakku ēlādu) — 'I cannot', அது ஏலாது (adu ēlādu) — 'that will not work'. In Tamil Nadu it will not be understood or taken as rural; in the north of Lanka it is an ordinary word, and you will hear it more often than முடியாது.
The main thing about order: all of these are ends of the verb, and the verb in a Tamil sentence is last. English puts 'probably' and 'hardly' at the start and can stop at that; a Tamil speaker must carry the phrase to the verb, and only there reports how sure he is.
Table
| Ending | About possibility | About probability |
|---|---|---|
| -லாம் | இருக்கலாம் — one may stay | இருக்கலாம் — he may be here |
| -உம் | வருவார் — he will come | வருவார் — he will probably come |
| -ஆது | முடியாது — I cannot | வராது போல — hardly will come |
| -த்தான் வேணும் | — | போகத்தான் வேணும் — will have to go |
| வேண்டியிருக்கு | — | போக வேண்டியிருக்கு — circumstances make one go |
| ஏலாது (Jaffna) | எனக்கு ஏலாது — I cannot | அது ஏலாது — it will not work |
By example
- அவர் இப்ப அலுவலகத்தில இருக்கலாம்avar ippa aluvalagattila irukkalāmHe is probably at the office now
- இண்டைக்கு பதில் வராது போலiṇḍaikku padil varādu pōlaThere will hardly be an answer today
- நாளைக்கு நான் திணைக்களத்துக்கு போகத்தான் வேணும்nāḷaikku nāṉ tiṇaikkaḷattukku pōgattāṉ vēṇumTomorrow I will have to go to the office
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
Probably, hardly, will have to: how does it work in Tamil?
You already build permission and ability — வேணும், முடியும், கூடாது, -லாம். This note is about something else: the same endings also work as an estimate of probability, and only the conversation tells the two senses apart.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“அவர் இப்ப அலுவலகத்தில இருக்கலாம்” (avar ippa aluvalagattila irukkalām) — He is probably at the office now. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.