LingoflyOn one hand, on the other in Tamil
Should one move to Colombo for the sake of work? in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «கொழும்பில (koḻumbila) ஒரு (oru) வேலை வாய்ப்பு (vēlai vāyppu) கிடைச்சுது» (kiḍaiccudu) — A job opportunity came up in Colombo; «நல்லது (nalladu). சம்பளம் (sambaḷam) இஞ்ச (iñca) இருக்கிறதை விட (viḍa) அதிகமா (adigamā)?» — Good. Is the salary bigger than here? Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: should one move to Colombo for the sake of work? First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- கொழும்பில ஒரு வேலை வாய்ப்பு கிடைச்சுதுkoḻumbila oru vēlai vāyppu kiḍaiccuduA job opportunity came up in Colombo.
- oru pakkam adigam, maṟubakkam vāḍagaiyum adigamOn one hand, it is bigger; on the other, the rent is higher too.
- adukku īḍā iñca eṉra vīḍu irukku. vāḍagai kuḍukkavēṇḍāmBut here I have my own house. There is no rent to pay.
- uṇmaiyila paṇam maṭṭum mukkiyamāṉadu illaiActually, money is not the only thing that matters.
- appiḍi irundum oru varuṣam pākkiṟaṉ. adukku piṟagu muḍivuAll the same, I will try for a year. After that I will decide.
- சுருக்கமா சொன்னா, முதல்ல போய் பாரு. பிடிக்கேல்லாட்டி திரும்பி வாsurukkamā soṉṉā, mudalla pōy pāru. piḍikkēllāṭṭi tirumbi vāIn short, first go and see. If you do not like it, come back.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| கொழும்பில (koḻumbila) ஒரு (oru) வேலை வாய்ப்பு (vēlai vāyppu) கிடைச்சுது (kiḍaiccudu) | koḻumbila oru vēlai vāyppu kiḍaiccudu | A job opportunity came up in Colombo. |
| நல்லது (nalladu). சம்பளம் (sambaḷam) இஞ்ச (iñca) இருக்கிறதை விட (viḍa) அதிகமா (adigamā)? | nalladu. sambaḷam iñca irukkiṟadai viḍa adigamā? | Good. Is the salary bigger than here? |
| ஒரு பக்கம் (oru pakkam) அதிகம் (adigam), மறுபக்கம் (maṟubakkam) வாடகையும் (vāḍagaiyum) அதிகம் (adigam) | oru pakkam adigam, maṟubakkam vāḍagaiyum adigam | On one hand, it is bigger; on the other, the rent is higher too. |
| குடும்பம் (kuḍumbam) இஞ்ச (iñca) இருக்கு (irukku) எண்டாலும் (eṇḍālum) நீ போகலாம் (pōgalām) | kuḍumbam iñca irukku eṇḍālum nī pōgalām | Though the family is here, you can go. |
| அதுக்கு ஈடா (adukku īḍā) இஞ்ச (iñca) என்ர (eṉra) வீடு (vīḍu) இருக்கு (irukku). வாடகை (vāḍagai) குடுக்கவேண்டாம் | adukku īḍā iñca eṉra vīḍu irukku. vāḍagai kuḍukkavēṇḍām | But here I have my own house. There is no rent to pay. |
| உண்மையில (uṇmaiyila) பணம் (paṇam) மட்டும் (maṭṭum) முக்கியமானது (mukkiyamāṉadu) இல்லை (illai) | uṇmaiyila paṇam maṭṭum mukkiyamāṉadu illai | Actually, money is not the only thing that matters. |
| அப்பிடி இருந்தும் (appiḍi irundum) ஒரு (oru) வருஷம் (varuṣam) பாக்கிறன் (pākkiṟaṉ). அதுக்கு பிறகு (adukku piṟagu) முடிவு (muḍivu) | appiḍi irundum oru varuṣam pākkiṟaṉ. adukku piṟagu muḍivu | All the same, I will try for a year. After that I will decide. |
| சுருக்கமா சொன்னா (surukkamā soṉṉā), முதல்ல (mudalla) போய் (pōy) பாரு. பிடிக்கேல்லாட்டி திரும்பி (tirumbi) வா | surukkamā soṉṉā, mudalla pōy pāru. piḍikkēllāṭṭi tirumbi vā | In short, first go and see. If you do not like it, come 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?
“கொழும்பில (koḻumbila) ஒரு (oru) வேலை வாய்ப்பு (vēlai vāyppu) கிடைச்சுது” (kiḍaiccudu) (koḻumbila oru vēlai vāyppu kiḍaiccudu) — A job opportunity came up in Colombo. 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.