LingoflyHow to get to the hospital in Tamil
A visitor asks a shopkeeper at the corner store for directions in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «மன்னிக்கவும், ஒண்டு கேக்கலாமா? (maṉṉikkavum, oṇḍu kēkkalāmā) ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு எப்படி (eppaḍi) போறது (pōṟadu)?» — Excuse me, may I ask? How do I get to the hospital?; «இங்கிருந்து (iṅgirundu) தூரம் (tūram) இல்லை (illai). நடந்து பத்து நிமிஷம்» (naḍandu pattu nimiṣam) — It is not far from here. About ten minutes on foot. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a visitor asks a shopkeeper at the corner store for directions. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- மன்னிக்கவும், ஒண்டு கேக்கலாமா? ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு எப்படி போறது?maṉṉikkavum, oṇḍu kēkkalāmā? āspattirikku eppaḍi pōṟadu?Excuse me, may I ask? How do I get to the hospital?
- iṅgirundu tūram illai. naḍandu pattu nimiṣamIt is not far from here. About ten minutes on foot.
- inda oḻuṅgaiyāla vīdiyōramā pōṅgō, aḍutta sandiyila valadu pakkamGo along this lane following the street; at the next crossing, to the right.
- ōm. pālattai tāṇḍi, viḷakkukku pakkattila oru periya vīdi irukkuYes. Past the bridge, next to the traffic light, there is an avenue.
- pāḍasālaikku edirē. vēṇumeṇḍā oru ṭāksi kūppiḍalāmOpposite the school. If you like, you can call a taxi.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| மன்னிக்கவும், ஒண்டு கேக்கலாமா? (maṉṉikkavum, oṇḍu kēkkalāmā) ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு எப்படி (eppaḍi) போறது (pōṟadu)? | maṉṉikkavum, oṇḍu kēkkalāmā? āspattirikku eppaḍi pōṟadu? | Excuse me, may I ask? How do I get to the hospital? |
| இங்கிருந்து (iṅgirundu) தூரம் (tūram) இல்லை (illai). நடந்து பத்து நிமிஷம் (naḍandu pattu nimiṣam) | iṅgirundu tūram illai. naḍandu pattu nimiṣam | It is not far from here. About ten minutes on foot. |
| கொஞ்சம் வரைபடத்தில காட்டுங்கோ (koñcam varaipaḍattila kāṭṭuṅgō) | koñcam varaipaḍattila kāṭṭuṅgō | Please show me on the map. |
| இந்த (inda) ஒழுங்கையால வீதியோரமா (vīdiyōramā) போங்கோ (pōṅgō), அடுத்த (aḍutta) சந்தியில (sandiyila) வலது பக்கம் (valadu pakkam) | inda oḻuṅgaiyāla vīdiyōramā pōṅgō, aḍutta sandiyila valadu pakkam | Go along this lane following the street; at the next crossing, to the right. |
| சந்திக்குப் (sandikkup) பிறகு (piṟagu) பாலம் (pālam) வருமா? | sandikkup piṟagu pālam varumā? | Will there be a bridge after the crossing? |
| ஓம் (ōm). பாலத்தை தாண்டி (tāṇḍi), விளக்குக்கு பக்கத்தில (viḷakkukku pakkattila) ஒரு (oru) பெரிய வீதி (periya vīdi) இருக்கு (irukku) | ōm. pālattai tāṇḍi, viḷakkukku pakkattila oru periya vīdi irukku | Yes. Past the bridge, next to the traffic light, there is an avenue. |
| ஆஸ்பத்திரி (āspattiri) எந்தப் பக்கம் (pakkam)? | āspattiri endap pakkam? | And on which side is the hospital? |
| பாடசாலைக்கு (pāḍasālaikku) எதிரே (edirē). வேணுமெண்டா (vēṇumeṇḍā) ஒரு (oru) டாக்ஸி (ṭāksi) கூப்பிடலாம் (kūppiḍalām) | pāḍasālaikku edirē. vēṇumeṇḍā oru ṭāksi kūppiḍalām | Opposite the school. If you like, you can call a taxi. |
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?
“மன்னிக்கவும், ஒண்டு கேக்கலாமா? (maṉṉikkavum, oṇḍu kēkkalāmā) ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு எப்படி (eppaḍi) போறது (pōṟadu)?” (maṉṉikkavum, oṇḍu kēkkalāmā? āspattirikku eppaḍi pōṟadu?) — Excuse me, may I ask? How do I get to the hospital? 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.