Viewing a house in Tamil
A tenant and the landlord look over a house in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «இந்த வீடு இன்னும் வாடகைக்கு இருக்கா?» — Is this house still for rent?; «இருக்கு. உள்ளே வந்து பாருங்க» — It is. Come in, have a look. 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: a tenant and the landlord look over a house. 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.
- இந்த வீடு இன்னும் வாடகைக்கு இருக்கா?inda vīḍu iṉṉum vāḍagaikku irukkā?Is this house still for rent?
- இருக்கு. உள்ளே வந்து பாருங்கirukku. uḷḷē vandu pāruṅgaIt is. Come in, have a look.
- மாத வாடகை எவ்வளவு? தளபாடம் இருக்கா?māda vāḍagai evvaḷavu? taḷapāḍam irukkā?How much is the rent? Is there furniture?
- கட்டில், அலமாரி, ஒரு சோபா இருக்கு. மற்றது நீங்க கொண்டு வாங்கkaṭṭil, alamāri, oru sōpā irukku. maṟṟadu nīṅga koṇḍu vāṅgaThere is a bed, a wardrobe and a sofa. Bring the rest yourself.
- தண்ணி பில்லும் மின்சாரப் பில்லும் தனியா?taṇṇi billum miṉsārap billum taṉiyā?Are the water and electricity bills separate?
- ஆமாம். மீட்டர் அளவு மாசம் ஒரு தரம் எழுதுவாங்கāmām. mīṭṭar aḷavu māsam oru taram eḻuduvāṅgaYes. Meter readings are recorded once a month.
- பக்கத்து வீட்டு சத்தம் அதிகமா?pakkattu vīṭṭu sattam adigamā?Is the noise from the neighbors loud?
- இல்லை, இது அமைதியான தெரு. விரும்பினா நாளைக்கே ஒப்பந்தம் போடலாம்illai, idu amaidiyāṉa teru. virumbiṉā nāḷaikkē oppandam pōḍalāmNo, the street is quiet. If you like, the contract can be signed tomorrow.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| இந்த வீடு இன்னும் வாடகைக்கு இருக்கா? | inda vīḍu iṉṉum vāḍagaikku irukkā? | Is this house still for rent? |
| இருக்கு. உள்ளே வந்து பாருங்க | irukku. uḷḷē vandu pāruṅga | It is. Come in, have a look. |
| மாத வாடகை எவ்வளவு? தளபாடம் இருக்கா? | māda vāḍagai evvaḷavu? taḷapāḍam irukkā? | How much is the rent? Is there furniture? |
| கட்டில், அலமாரி, ஒரு சோபா இருக்கு. மற்றது நீங்க கொண்டு வாங்க | kaṭṭil, alamāri, oru sōpā irukku. maṟṟadu nīṅga koṇḍu vāṅga | There is a bed, a wardrobe and a sofa. Bring the rest yourself. |
| தண்ணி பில்லும் மின்சாரப் பில்லும் தனியா? | taṇṇi billum miṉsārap billum taṉiyā? | Are the water and electricity bills separate? |
| ஆமாம். மீட்டர் அளவு மாசம் ஒரு தரம் எழுதுவாங்க | āmām. mīṭṭar aḷavu māsam oru taram eḻuduvāṅga | Yes. Meter readings are recorded once a month. |
| பக்கத்து வீட்டு சத்தம் அதிகமா? | pakkattu vīṭṭu sattam adigamā? | Is the noise from the neighbors loud? |
| இல்லை, இது அமைதியான தெரு. விரும்பினா நாளைக்கே ஒப்பந்தம் போடலாம் | illai, idu amaidiyāṉa teru. virumbiṉā nāḷaikkē oppandam pōḍalām | No, the street is quiet. If you like, the contract can be signed tomorrow. |
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?
“இந்த வீடு இன்னும் வாடகைக்கு இருக்கா?” (inda vīḍu iṉṉum vāḍagaikku irukkā?) — Is this house still for rent?. 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.