What is troubling you? in Tamil
At a doctor's appointment in a clinic in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «வாங்க, உங்களுக்கு என்ன அறிகுறி?» — Come in, what are your symptoms?; «மூணு நாளா தொண்டை வலிக்குது, காய்ச்சலும் இருக்கு» — My throat has hurt for three days, and I have a fever. 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: at a doctor's appointment in a clinic. 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.
- வாங்க, உங்களுக்கு என்ன அறிகுறி?vāṅga, uṅgaḷukku eṉṉa aṟiguṟi?Come in, what are your symptoms?
- மூணு நாளா தொண்டை வலிக்குது, காய்ச்சலும் இருக்குmūṇu nāḷā toṇḍai valikkudu, kāyccalum irukkuMy throat has hurt for three days, and I have a fever.
- சளி இருக்கா? நடுக்கம் வருதா?saḷi irukkā? naḍukkam varudā?A runny nose? Any chills?
- இரவில குளிர் நடுக்கம் வருது. ரொம்ப சோர்வா இருக்குiravila kuḷir naḍukkam varudu. romba sōrvā irukkuChills at night. Very strong weakness.
- இது ஃபுளூவின் அறிகுறி. இரத்த அழுத்தம் பாப்போம்idu fuḷūviṉ aṟiguṟi. iratta aḻuttam pāppōmThese are signs of flu. Let us check your blood pressure.
- சத்திரசிகிச்சை வேணுமா?sattirasikiccai vēṇumā?Do I need surgery?
- இல்லை. மருந்து எழுதுறேன், மூணு நாள் வைத்திய லீவு எடுங்கillai. marundu eḻuduṟēṉ, mūṇu nāḷ vaittiya līvu eḍuṅgaNo. I will prescribe medicine — take three days of sick leave.
- நன்றி. இல்லாட்டி நான் திரும்ப வாறேன்naṉṟi. illāṭṭi nāṉ tirumba vāṟēṉThank you. If it is not gone, I will come again.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| வாங்க, உங்களுக்கு என்ன அறிகுறி? | vāṅga, uṅgaḷukku eṉṉa aṟiguṟi? | Come in, what are your symptoms? |
| மூணு நாளா தொண்டை வலிக்குது, காய்ச்சலும் இருக்கு | mūṇu nāḷā toṇḍai valikkudu, kāyccalum irukku | My throat has hurt for three days, and I have a fever. |
| சளி இருக்கா? நடுக்கம் வருதா? | saḷi irukkā? naḍukkam varudā? | A runny nose? Any chills? |
| இரவில குளிர் நடுக்கம் வருது. ரொம்ப சோர்வா இருக்கு | iravila kuḷir naḍukkam varudu. romba sōrvā irukku | Chills at night. Very strong weakness. |
| இது ஃபுளூவின் அறிகுறி. இரத்த அழுத்தம் பாப்போம் | idu fuḷūviṉ aṟiguṟi. iratta aḻuttam pāppōm | These are signs of flu. Let us check your blood pressure. |
| சத்திரசிகிச்சை வேணுமா? | sattirasikiccai vēṇumā? | Do I need surgery? |
| இல்லை. மருந்து எழுதுறேன், மூணு நாள் வைத்திய லீவு எடுங்க | illai. marundu eḻuduṟēṉ, mūṇu nāḷ vaittiya līvu eḍuṅga | No. I will prescribe medicine — take three days of sick leave. |
| நன்றி. இல்லாட்டி நான் திரும்ப வாறேன் | naṉṟi. illāṭṭi nāṉ tirumba vāṟēṉ | Thank you. If it is not gone, I will come again. |
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?
“வாங்க, உங்களுக்கு என்ன அறிகுறி?” (vāṅga, uṅgaḷukku eṉṉa aṟiguṟi?) — Come in, what are your symptoms?. 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.