LingoflyIs it worth watching in Tamil
Two neighbors discuss a film which one of them has already seen in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «அந்தப் (andap) படம் (paḍam) பாத்தியளா (pāttiyaḷā)? எப்பிடி (eppiḍi) இருந்தது (irundadu)?» — Have you seen that film? How is it?; «கடைசி அரை மணித்தியாலம் பரபரப்பா இருந்தது (kaḍaisi arai maṇittiyālam parabarappā irundadu). கண்ணை எடுக்க ஏலாது» (kaṇṇai eḍukka ēlādu) — The last half hour was tense. Impossible to tear oneself away. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two neighbors discuss a film which one of them has already seen. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- kaḍaisi arai maṇittiyālam parabarappā irundadu. kaṇṇai eḍukka ēlāduThe last half hour was tense. Impossible to tear oneself away.
- ārambam? nāṉ kēḷvippaṭṭaṉāṉ pōla naḍuppagudi iḻuttaḍicca mādiri eṇḍuAnd the beginning? I heard as if the middle is drawn out.
- முடிவு முந்தியே யூகிக்கக்கூடியதா இருந்ததா?muḍivu mundiyē yūgikkakkūḍiyadā irundadā?Was the ending predictable?
- illai. muḍiccu aviḻuṟa iḍam neñcait toḍuṟa mādiri irundaduNo. The resolution was touching.
- உண்மைச் சம்பவத்தை அடிப்படையா வைச்சு எடுத்ததா?uṇmaic sambavattai aḍippaḍaiyā vaiccu eḍuttadā?Is it based on a real incident?
- ōm eṇḍām. eppiḍiyō, kaṭṭāyam pākka vēṇum — eṉakku maṉasila padiñcu pōccuduSupposedly so. One way or another, it is worth watching — it sank into my soul.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| அந்தப் (andap) படம் (paḍam) பாத்தியளா (pāttiyaḷā)? எப்பிடி (eppiḍi) இருந்தது (irundadu)? | andap paḍam pāttiyaḷā? eppiḍi irundadu? | Have you seen that film? How is it? |
| கடைசி அரை மணித்தியாலம் பரபரப்பா இருந்தது (kaḍaisi arai maṇittiyālam parabarappā irundadu). கண்ணை எடுக்க ஏலாது (kaṇṇai eḍukka ēlādu) | kaḍaisi arai maṇittiyālam parabarappā irundadu. kaṇṇai eḍukka ēlādu | The last half hour was tense. Impossible to tear oneself away. |
| ஆரம்பம் (ārambam)? நான் கேள்விப்பட்டனான் போல (nāṉ kēḷvippaṭṭaṉāṉ pōla) நடுப்பகுதி (naḍuppagudi) இழுத்தடிச்ச மாதிரி (iḻuttaḍicca mādiri) எண்டு (eṇḍu) | ārambam? nāṉ kēḷvippaṭṭaṉāṉ pōla naḍuppagudi iḻuttaḍicca mādiri eṇḍu | And the beginning? I heard as if the middle is drawn out. |
| கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) ஓம் (ōm). ஆனா (āṉā) கதை முடிச்சு முதல் பக்கத்திலயே இருக்கு (kadai muḍiccu mudal pakkattilayē irukku), அதனால (adaṉāla) சலிக்கேல்லை | koñcam ōm. āṉā kadai muḍiccu mudal pakkattilayē irukku, adaṉāla salikkēllai | Partly so. But the plot grips from the very first scene, so it does not bore. |
| முடிவு (muḍivu) முந்தியே யூகிக்கக்கூடியதா (mundiyē yūgikkakkūḍiyadā) இருந்ததா? | muḍivu mundiyē yūgikkakkūḍiyadā irundadā? | Was the ending predictable? |
| இல்லை (illai). முடிச்சு அவிழுற இடம் (muḍiccu aviḻuṟa iḍam) நெஞ்சைத் தொடுற மாதிரி (neñcait toḍuṟa mādiri) இருந்தது (irundadu) | illai. muḍiccu aviḻuṟa iḍam neñcait toḍuṟa mādiri irundadu | No. The resolution was touching. |
| உண்மைச் (uṇmaic) சம்பவத்தை (sambavattai) அடிப்படையா வைச்சு (aḍippaḍaiyā vaiccu) எடுத்ததா? | uṇmaic sambavattai aḍippaḍaiyā vaiccu eḍuttadā? | Is it based on a real incident? |
| ஓம் (ōm) எண்டாம் (eṇḍām). எப்பிடியோ, கட்டாயம் பாக்க வேணும் (kaṭṭāyam pākka vēṇum) — எனக்கு (eṉakku) மனசில பதிஞ்சு போச்சுது (maṉasila padiñcu pōccudu) | ōm eṇḍām. eppiḍiyō, kaṭṭāyam pākka vēṇum — eṉakku maṉasila padiñcu pōccudu | Supposedly so. One way or another, it is worth watching — it sank into my soul. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Tamil in this situation?
“அந்தப் (andap) படம் (paḍam) பாத்தியளா (pāttiyaḷā)? எப்பிடி (eppiḍi) இருந்தது (irundadu)?” (andap paḍam pāttiyaḷā? eppiḍi irundadu?) — Have you seen that film? How is it? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.