How many children? in Tamil
Neighbors meet in the yard in Tamil. 7 phrases that the conversation is made of: «இது என் குடும்பம். இவங்க என் பொண்ணு» — This is my family. And this is my daughter.; «அழகா இருக்காங்க. உங்களுக்கு எத்தனை பிள்ளைகள்?» — How pretty. How many children do you have? Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: neighbors meet in the yard. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- இது என் குடும்பம். இவங்க என் பொண்ணுidu eṉ kuḍumbam. ivaṅga eṉ poṇṇuThis is my family. And this is my daughter.
- அழகா இருக்காங்க. உங்களுக்கு எத்தனை பிள்ளைகள்?aḻagā irukkāṅga. uṅgaḷukku ettaṉai piḷḷaigaḷ?How pretty. How many children do you have?
- ரெண்டு பேர். ஒரு பையனும் ஒரு மகளும்reṇḍu pēr. oru paiyaṉum oru magaḷumTwo. A boy and a girl.
- பையனுக்கு எத்தனை வயசு?paiyaṉukku ettaṉai vayasu?How old is the boy?
- அவனுக்கு பத்து வயசு. மகள் இன்னும் பாப்பாavaṉukku pattu vayasu. magaḷ iṉṉum pāppāHe is ten. And the daughter is still a baby.
- உங்க பெற்றோர் இங்கே இருக்காங்களா?uṅga peṟṟōr iṅgē irukkāṅgaḷā?Do your parents live here?
- இல்லை, அவங்க யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில. ஒவ்வொரு வருஷமும் நாங்க அங்கே போறோம்illai, avaṅga yāḻppāṇattila. ovvoru varuṣamum nāṅga aṅgē pōṟōmNo, they are in Jaffna. We go there every year.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| இது என் குடும்பம். இவங்க என் பொண்ணு | idu eṉ kuḍumbam. ivaṅga eṉ poṇṇu | This is my family. And this is my daughter. |
| அழகா இருக்காங்க. உங்களுக்கு எத்தனை பிள்ளைகள்? | aḻagā irukkāṅga. uṅgaḷukku ettaṉai piḷḷaigaḷ? | How pretty. How many children do you have? |
| ரெண்டு பேர். ஒரு பையனும் ஒரு மகளும் | reṇḍu pēr. oru paiyaṉum oru magaḷum | Two. A boy and a girl. |
| பையனுக்கு எத்தனை வயசு? | paiyaṉukku ettaṉai vayasu? | How old is the boy? |
| அவனுக்கு பத்து வயசு. மகள் இன்னும் பாப்பா | avaṉukku pattu vayasu. magaḷ iṉṉum pāppā | He is ten. And the daughter is still a baby. |
| உங்க பெற்றோர் இங்கே இருக்காங்களா? | uṅga peṟṟōr iṅgē irukkāṅgaḷā? | Do your parents live here? |
| இல்லை, அவங்க யாழ்ப்பாணத்தில. ஒவ்வொரு வருஷமும் நாங்க அங்கே போறோம் | illai, avaṅga yāḻppāṇattila. ovvoru varuṣamum nāṅga aṅgē pōṟōm | No, they are in Jaffna. We go there every year. |
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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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?
“இது என் குடும்பம். இவங்க என் பொண்ணு” (idu eṉ kuḍumbam. ivaṅga eṉ poṇṇu) — This is my family. And this is my daughter.. 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.