LingoflyWi-fi and charging in Tamil
Asking for the password and a socket at a small cafe in Tamil. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam), இங்கே வை-ஃபை இருக்கா?» (iṅgē vai-fai irukkā) — Hello, is there wi-fi here?; «இருக்கு (irukku). கடவுச்சொல் (kaḍavuccol) இந்தாங்கோ» — There is. Here is the password. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: asking for the password and a socket at a small cafe. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- naṉṟi. āṉā eṉ pōṉil sigṉal illaiThank you. But my phone has no signal.
- oru taram āf seydu tirumba āṉ seyyuṅgōTurn it off and on again.
- ippa vēlai seyyudu. eṉ bēṭṭari tīrndiṭṭudu, sārj irukkā?It works now. My battery has died — do you have a charger?
- mikka naṉṟi. uṅgaḍa pōṉ nambar tāṅgō, nāṉ tirumba pōṉ seyyiṟaṉThank you very much. Give me your number, I will call you back.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam), இங்கே வை-ஃபை இருக்கா? (iṅgē vai-fai irukkā) | vaṇakkam, iṅgē vai-fai irukkā? | Hello, is there wi-fi here? |
| இருக்கு (irukku). கடவுச்சொல் (kaḍavuccol) இந்தாங்கோ | irukku. kaḍavuccol indāṅgō | There is. Here is the password. |
| நன்றி (naṉṟi). ஆனா (āṉā) என் (eṉ) போனில் சிக்னல் இல்லை (sigṉal illai) | naṉṟi. āṉā eṉ pōṉil sigṉal illai | Thank you. But my phone has no signal. |
| ஒரு தரம் (oru taram) ஆஃப் (āf) செய்து (seydu) திரும்ப (tirumba) ஆன் (āṉ) செய்யுங்கோ (seyyuṅgō) | oru taram āf seydu tirumba āṉ seyyuṅgō | Turn it off and on again. |
| இப்ப (ippa) வேலை (vēlai) செய்யுது (seyyudu). என் பேட்டரி தீர்ந்திட்டுது (eṉ bēṭṭari tīrndiṭṭudu), சார்ஜ் (sārj) இருக்கா (irukkā)? | ippa vēlai seyyudu. eṉ bēṭṭari tīrndiṭṭudu, sārj irukkā? | It works now. My battery has died — do you have a charger? |
| அந்த (anda) பிளக் (plag) பொயின்ட்ல போடுங்கோ (pōḍuṅgō) | anda plag poyiṉṭla pōḍuṅgō | Plug it into that socket. |
| மிக்க (mikka) நன்றி (naṉṟi). உங்கட போன் நம்பர் தாங்கோ (uṅgaḍa pōṉ nambar tāṅgō), நான் (nāṉ) திரும்ப (tirumba) போன் செய்யிறன் (pōṉ seyyiṟaṉ) | mikka naṉṟi. uṅgaḍa pōṉ nambar tāṅgō, nāṉ tirumba pōṉ seyyiṟaṉ | Thank you very much. Give me your number, I will call you back. |
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?
“வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam), இங்கே வை-ஃபை இருக்கா?” (iṅgē vai-fai irukkā) (vaṇakkam, iṅgē vai-fai irukkā?) — Hello, is there wi-fi here? 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.