Opposite, behind, along: Tamil has no prepositions
An English preposition stands before the word: 'opposite the school', 'behind the house'. In Tamil there is no such word at all. There is a postposition — a service word that stands after the noun, and the noun before it takes the ending the postposition demands. The order is exactly the reverse of English: பாடசாலைக்கு எதிரே — word for word 'to-the-school opposite'. For example: “கோயிலுக்கு பின்னால ஒரு சின்ன ஒழுங்கை…
How it works
An English preposition stands before the word: 'opposite the school', 'behind the house'. In Tamil there is no such word at all. There is a postposition — a service word that stands after the noun, and the noun before it takes the ending the postposition demands. The order is exactly the reverse of English: பாடசாலைக்கு எதிரே (pāḍasālaikku edirē) — word for word 'to-the-school opposite'.
The biggest group demands the dative -க்கு. Here belong எதிரே (edirē) 'opposite', பக்கத்தில (pakkattila) 'next to', பின்னால (piṉṉāla) 'behind', முன்னால (muṉṉāla) 'in front of', கிட்ட (kiṭṭa) 'near', அப்பால (appāla) 'beyond, farther'. It is handier to memorize them in pairs: முன்னால — பின்னால, மேல (mēla) — கீழ (kīḻa). That is exactly why the course tags them prep: the English support word is a preposition, and the Tamil word is not one either in place or in make-up.
A second group glues right onto the word, with no ending at all. ஓரமா (ōramā) 'along the edge' gives வீதியோரமா (vīdiyōramā) 'along the street'; உள்ள (uḷḷa) 'inside' gives காட்டுக்குள்ள (kāṭṭukkuḷḷa) 'inside the forest'. The third group is not words at all but converbs: வீதியைத் தாண்டி (vīdiyait tāṇḍi) 'across the road' literally means 'having crossed the road'. English puts a preposition here, Tamil a second action — and this is the commonest trap when explaining the way.
The assembled phrase is read from right to left relative to English. First the landmark, then the postposition, at the very end the verb: சந்தியில இருந்து வீதியோரமா நடந்து (sandiyila irundu vīdiyōramā naḍandu), பாலத்தை தாண்டி (pālattai tāṇḍi), பாடசாலைக்கு எதிரே நில்லுங்க (pāḍasālaikku edirē nilluṅga). English would start with 'stand'; Tamil ends with it.
Table
| In English | Postposition | What stands before it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| opposite | எதிரே | dative -க்கு | வங்கிக்கு எதிரே |
| behind | பின்னால | dative -க்கு | வீட்டுக்கு பின்னால |
| next to | பக்கத்தில | dative -க்கு | விளக்குக்கு பக்கத்தில |
| along | ஓரமா | straight onto the word | வீதியோரமா |
| inside | உள்ள | dative -க்கு | காட்டுக்குள்ள |
| across | தாண்டி (converb) | object -ஐ | வீதியைத் தாண்டி |
By example
- கோயிலுக்கு பின்னால ஒரு சின்ன ஒழுங்கை இருக்குkōyilukku piṉṉāla oru siṉṉa oḻuṅgai irukkuBehind the temple there is a small lane
- முக்கில திரும்பி, வீதி முடிய மட்டும் நேரா போங்கmukkila tirumbi, vīdi muḍiya maṭṭum nērā pōṅgaTurn at the corner and go straight to the end of the street
- பாலத்தை தாண்டி, நடைபாதைக்கு எதிரே ஒரு பஸ் நிறுத்தம் இருக்குpālattai tāṇḍi, naḍaipādaikku edirē oru bas niṟuttam irukkuBeyond the bridge, opposite the sidewalk, there is a bus stop
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
Opposite, behind, along: how does it work in Tamil?
An English preposition stands before the word: 'opposite the school', 'behind the house'. In Tamil there is no such word at all. There is a postposition — a service word that stands after the noun, and the noun before it takes the ending the postposition demands. The order is exactly the reverse of…
What does it look like in an example sentence Tamil?
“கோயிலுக்கு பின்னால ஒரு சின்ன ஒழுங்கை இருக்கு” (kōyilukku piṉṉāla oru siṉṉa oḻuṅgai irukku) — Behind the temple there is a small lane. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.