Put it, do not put it: command and prohibition
The imperative is the shortest form in the whole Tamil verb: it is the bare stem. வா 'come', சொல் 'say', போடு 'put'. This is how one speaks to a child, a younger person and a close friend — and nobody else: to a stranger such a 'do it' sounds rude. For example: “முதல்ல காய்கறியை சீவுங்க, அப்புறம் உப்பு போடுங்க” — First peel the vegetables, then salt them. A rule from the Tamil course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
The imperative is the shortest form in the whole Tamil verb: it is the bare stem. வா (vā) 'come', சொல் (sol) 'say', போடு (pōḍa) 'put'. This is how one speaks to a child, a younger person and a close friend — and nobody else: to a stranger such a 'do it' sounds rude.
The polite form is made by adding -ங்க (bookish -உங்கள்): வாங்க (vāṅga), சொல்லுங்க (solluṅga), போடுங்க (pōḍuṅga). This is the very form in which any recipe and any instruction is written, and in this unit it stands in almost every example: கலக்குங்க (kalakkuṅga), உப்பு போடுங்க (uppu pōḍuṅga), ஆறவிடுங்க (āṟaviḍuṅga). It is the one to keep as your default: it is never impolite.
The prohibition is not a 'not' before the verb but its own ending -ஆத: போடாத 'do not put', பயப்படாத (bayappaḍāda) 'do not fear', கத்தாத 'do not shout'. Politely — -ஆதீங்க: போடாதீங்க (pōḍādīṅga), கவலைப்படாதீங்க (kavalaippaḍādīṅga). There is no separate word 'not' in the command at all, and trying to insert இல்லை (illai) here yields nonsense.
Two turns live next door, and neither kitchen nor shop can do without them. -அலாம் means 'one may, let us': சாப்பிடலாம் (sāppiḍalām) 'we can eat, let us eat', மாத்தலாமா (māttalāmā)? 'may I exchange it?'. And -ட்டும் means 'let': அவர் வரட்டும் 'let him come', ஆறட்டும் (āṟaṭṭum) 'let it cool'. The familiar கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) also helps soften a direct command: கொஞ்சம் பாருங்க (koñcam pāruṅga) — 'have a look, please'.
Table
| What is needed | Form | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| to one's own, a younger one | bare stem | சொல் | say (intimate) |
| politely | stem + -ங்க | சொல்லுங்க | say (polite) |
| prohibition to one's own | stem + -ஆத | சொல்லாத | do not say (intimate) |
| prohibition politely | stem + -ஆதீங்க | சொல்லாதீங்க | do not say (polite) |
| may, let us | stem + -அலாம் | மாத்தலாம் | may be exchanged |
| let | stem + -ட்டும் | ஆறட்டும் | let it cool |
By example
- முதல்ல காய்கறியை சீவுங்க, அப்புறம் உப்பு போடுங்கmudalla kāygaṟiyai sīvuṅga, appuṟam uppu pōḍuṅgaFirst peel the vegetables, then salt them
- கொதிக்கிற பாலை உடனே குடிக்காதீங்க, ஆறட்டும்kodikkiṟa pālai uḍaṉē kuḍikkādīṅga, āṟaṭṭumDo not drink boiling milk at once — let it cool
- ரசீதை வைச்சிருங்க, இல்லாட்டி மாத்த முடியாதுrasīdai vaicciruṅga, illāṭṭi mātta muḍiyāduKeep the receipt, otherwise the exchange will not work
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
Put it, do not put it: how does it work in Tamil?
The imperative is the shortest form in the whole Tamil verb: it is the bare stem. வா 'come', சொல் 'say', போடு 'put'. This is how one speaks to a child, a younger person and a close friend — and nobody else: to a stranger such a 'do it' sounds rude.
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“முதல்ல காய்கறியை சீவுங்க, அப்புறம் உப்பு போடுங்க” (mudalla kāygaṟiyai sīvuṅga, appuṟam uppu pōḍuṅga) — First peel the vegetables, then salt them. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.