What does he look like? in Tamil
Two people at the station wait for someone one of them has never seen in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «உங்கட மாமா எப்படி இருப்பார்? நான் அவரை பாத்ததில்லை» — What does your uncle look like? I have not seen him.; «அவர் நடுத்தர உயரம், வழுக்கைத் தலை» — He is of medium height, bald. 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: two people at the station wait for someone one of them has never seen. 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.
- உங்கட மாமா எப்படி இருப்பார்? நான் அவரை பாத்ததில்லைuṅgaḍa māmā eppaḍi iruppār? nāṉ avarai pāttadillaiWhat does your uncle look like? I have not seen him.
- அவர் நடுத்தர உயரம், வழுக்கைத் தலைavar naḍuttara uyaram, vaḻukkait talaiHe is of medium height, bald.
- முகத்தில ஏதாவது அடையாளம்?mugattila ēdāvadu aḍaiyāḷam?Any mark on his face?
- கன்னத்தில ஒரு மச்சம் இருக்கு, புருவம் கறுப்புkaṉṉattila oru maccam irukku, puruvam kaṟuppuA mole on his cheek, black eyebrows.
- அவர் எப்படிப்பட்ட ஆள்? கதைக்கலாமா?avar eppaḍippaṭṭa āḷ? kadaikkalāmā?What kind of person is he? Can one talk with him?
- ரொம்ப கலந்து பழகுற ஆள், நகைச்சுவை உணர்வும் இருக்குromba kalandu paḻaguṟa āḷ, nagaiccuvai uṇarvum irukkuVery sociable, and with a sense of humor.
- நல்லது. அவர் வர்றதுக்கு இன்னும் நேரம் இருக்கா?nalladu. avar varṟadukku iṉṉum nēram irukkā?Good. Is there still time before he arrives?
- பத்து நிமிஷம். அவர் ஒருபோதும் தாமதிக்கிற ஆள் இல்லைpattu nimiṣam. avar orubōdum tāmadikkiṟa āḷ illaiTen minutes. He is never late.
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| உங்கட மாமா எப்படி இருப்பார்? நான் அவரை பாத்ததில்லை | uṅgaḍa māmā eppaḍi iruppār? nāṉ avarai pāttadillai | What does your uncle look like? I have not seen him. |
| அவர் நடுத்தர உயரம், வழுக்கைத் தலை | avar naḍuttara uyaram, vaḻukkait talai | He is of medium height, bald. |
| முகத்தில ஏதாவது அடையாளம்? | mugattila ēdāvadu aḍaiyāḷam? | Any mark on his face? |
| கன்னத்தில ஒரு மச்சம் இருக்கு, புருவம் கறுப்பு | kaṉṉattila oru maccam irukku, puruvam kaṟuppu | A mole on his cheek, black eyebrows. |
| அவர் எப்படிப்பட்ட ஆள்? கதைக்கலாமா? | avar eppaḍippaṭṭa āḷ? kadaikkalāmā? | What kind of person is he? Can one talk with him? |
| ரொம்ப கலந்து பழகுற ஆள், நகைச்சுவை உணர்வும் இருக்கு | romba kalandu paḻaguṟa āḷ, nagaiccuvai uṇarvum irukku | Very sociable, and with a sense of humor. |
| நல்லது. அவர் வர்றதுக்கு இன்னும் நேரம் இருக்கா? | nalladu. avar varṟadukku iṉṉum nēram irukkā? | Good. Is there still time before he arrives? |
| பத்து நிமிஷம். அவர் ஒருபோதும் தாமதிக்கிற ஆள் இல்லை | pattu nimiṣam. avar orubōdum tāmadikkiṟa āḷ illai | Ten minutes. He is never late. |
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?
“உங்கட மாமா எப்படி இருப்பார்? நான் அவரை பாத்ததில்லை” (uṅgaḍa māmā eppaḍi iruppār? nāṉ avarai pāttadillai) — What does your uncle look like? I have not seen him.. 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.