He is good: a modifier turned predicate
Tamil cannot say 'the house is big' or 'he is good' with the same words it uses for 'a big house'. The modifier பெரிய lives only before a noun; putting it at the end of the phrase is impossible — a noun must stand there. So the language turns the modifier into a noun: பெரியது 'the big one', நல்லவர் 'the good one'. There is no linking verb here at all — nothing corresponds to English 'is'. For example: “என்ர அப்பா…
How it works
Tamil cannot say 'the house is big' or 'he is good' with the same words it uses for 'a big house'. The modifier பெரிய (periya) lives only before a noun; putting it at the end of the phrase is impossible — a noun must stand there. So the language turns the modifier into a noun: பெரியது 'the big one', நல்லவர் (nallavar) 'the good one'. There is no linking verb here at all — nothing corresponds to English 'is'.
The ending is chosen by whom we are talking about, and the row is short. About a thing — -து: இந்த வீடு பெரியது 'this house is a big one'. About a respected person — -அவர் (-avar): அவர் நல்லவர் (avar nallavar) 'he is a good one'. About a man more plainly — -அவன் (-avaṉ), about a woman — -அவள் (-avaḷ), about many — -அவங்க (-avaṅga). English translates all of this with an adjective, while Tamil every time names the bearer of the property.
With the words in -ஆன, of which this unit has a whole handful, it is even simpler: -ஆன changes to -ஆனவர். தாராளமான (tārāḷamāṉa) 'generous' gives அவர் தாராளமானவர் — 'he is generous'. The same with பொறுமையான (poṟumaiyāṉa), நம்பகமான (nambagamāṉa), அடக்கமான (aḍakkamāṉa). Hence also பழக்கமானவர் (paḻakkamāṉavar) 'acquaintance' from unit 31: literally 'the one with whom there is an acquaintance'.
A third path is to leave the modifier with the word ஆள் (āḷ) 'person': அவர் ஒரு நல்ல ஆள் (avar oru nalla āḷ). In live speech this is the commonest, and at first it can be used everywhere. But the negation is built only through a noun: அவர் நல்லவர் இல்லை (avar nallavar illai) — 'he is not good'. Putting இல்லை (illai) after the bare நல்ல (nalla) is impossible.
Table
| About whom | Ending | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| about a thing | -து | இந்த வீடு பெரியது | this house is big |
| about a respected one | -அவர் | அவர் நல்லவர் | he is good |
| about a man | -அவன் | அவன் கஞ்சன் | he is greedy |
| about a woman | -அவள் | அவ அடக்கமானவள் | she is modest |
| about many | -அவங்க | அவங்க உழைப்பாளிகள் | they are hardworking |
| negation | noun + இல்லை | அவர் நல்லவர் இல்லை | he is not good |
By example
- என்ர அப்பா ரொம்ப பொறுமையானவர்eṉra appā romba poṟumaiyāṉavarMy father is very patient
- இந்த சாமான் தரமானது, அது போலிinda sāmāṉ taramāṉadu, adu pōliThis goods is of quality, and that is a fake
- அவன் நம்பகமானவன் இல்லைavaṉ nambagamāṉavaṉ illaiHe is not reliable
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
He is good: how does it work in Tamil?
Tamil cannot say 'the house is big' or 'he is good' with the same words it uses for 'a big house'. The modifier பெரிய lives only before a noun; putting it at the end of the phrase is impossible — a noun must stand there. So the language turns the modifier into a noun: பெரியது 'the big one', நல்லவர்…
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“என்ர அப்பா ரொம்ப பொறுமையானவர்” (eṉra appā romba poṟumaiyāṉavar) — My father is very patient. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.