Basic words in Tamil
315 words Tamil words on the topic “basic words”: நல்ல — good, ஆமாம் — yes, இல்லை — no, பெரிய — big. 315 words can be played from recordings.
315 words on the topic
- நல்லnallagoodStands only in front of a noun: nalla aḷ, a good person. To say 'he is good' you need a different form, nallavar
- ஆமாம்āmāmyesIn conversation people often skip it and repeat the verb instead: 'Are you going?' — 'Going'
- இல்லைillainoAlso the all-purpose negator: after a verb it stands last — Tamil says 'I come not' for 'I am not coming'
- பெரியperiyabigOnly before a noun. 'It is big' switches to perisu: itu perisu. The same word names the elder of a family: periyappā, 'father's elder brother'
- சின்னsiṉṉasmallThe partner of periya, with the same rule: before a noun ciṉṉa, on its own ciṉṉatu. Also 'younger': ciṉṉammā, 'mother's younger sister'
- அழகுaḻagubeautifulThe noun 'beauty' working as a verdict: 'this is beauty' means 'this is beautiful'. Before a noun it becomes aḻagāṉa
- அரைaraihalfStands before the word: 'half kilo', 'half hour'
- இன்னொண்ணுiṉṉoṇṇuone more'Still' plus 'one'. The bookish form is 'one more' with a different spine
- போதும்pōdumenoughThis is what stops the pouring or the serving: 'enough, enough'
- மொத்தம்mottamin totalAltogether, as the sum: 'how much in total?'
- அளவுaḷavusizea-la-vu; the ḷ is retroflex, the tongue curled back
- அதிகம்adigammoreMore, a greater amount. The comparison is made not by the form of the word but by the particle 'than': 'more than that'
- குறைவுkuṟaivulessku-ray-vu; the ṟ is a rolled r, a different letter from the plain r
- கனம்kaṉamheavyAlso 'weight': 'this is very heavy' is said through the noun
- இலேசுilēsulight (not heavy)Light in weight. About a light, easy task one says 'easy' instead
- புதுசுpudusunewThe spoken form of the bookish 'new'
- பழசுpaḻasuoldThe partner of 'new' — about a thing. About a person one does not say it: an elderly person is 'aged'
- உடைஞ்சuḍaiñcabrokenA participle of 'to shatter' — about smashed and cracked things. About a device one says otherwise: 'it went bad'
- எல்லாம் சரிellām sariit's all fineSari is 'right, all right'. It is also the short 'fine' in reply to a request
- எல்லாம் நல்லா இருக்குellām nallā irukkueverything is fineThe answer to 'how are you' and to 'is everything in order?' alike
- ஆள்āḷpersonThe spoken word for any human — 'someone, a certain one'. The bookish 'human being' lives in the paper; in the plural one says 'folk'
- பதினொண்டுpadiṉoṇḍuelevenpa-di-NON-du; the ṇ is an n with the tongue curled back, unlike the plain n you hear in paṉṉeṇḍu
- பன்னெண்டுpaṉṉeṇḍutwelveThe spoken form of the bookish paṉṉiraṇḍu. There is no word for a dozen — a dozen simply is paṉṉeṇḍu
- பதிமூண்டுpadimūṇḍuthirteenSpoken form; on paper pathimūnṛu. You can hear mūṇḍu, 'three', whole inside the number
- பதினாலுpadiṉālufourteenSpoken form; on paper pathinānku. Built on the same scheme as nālu, 'four'
- பதினைஞ்சுpadiṉaiñcufifteenSpoken form; on paper pathinaintu. 'Fifteen minutes' is the very same quarter of an hour: kāḷ maṇi
- பதினாறுpadiṉāṟusixteenpa-di-NAA-ru; the ṟ is a rolled r, crisper than the soft r of maram
- பதினேழுpadiṉēḻuseventeenpa-di-NEE-llu; the final sound is the curled-back zh of the word Tamil, not a plain l
- பதினெட்டுpadiṉeṭṭueighteenPattu + eṭṭu. The age of majority on the island goes by the same number
- பத்தொம்பதுpattombadunineteenThe only teen where 'ten' sounds as patto-, not pathi-. In Jaffna you will also hear pattoṇbadu
- இருபதுirubadutwentyA new root: not reṇḍu 'two' but iru-. The following tens keep the pattern — muppadu, nāṟpadu
- முப்பதுmuppaduthirtyInside the ten, mūṇḍu 'three' contracts to mup-. Nāṟpadu, 'forty', behaves the same way
- நாற்பதுnāṟpadufortynaar-pa-du; in fast speech the r is swallowed and you hear naa-pa-du
- ஐம்பதுaimbadufiftyThe stem ai- comes from añcu, 'five'. Half of a hundred is not 'half a hundred' but simply aimbadu
- அறுபதுaṟubadusixtya-ru-ba-du; the r of aṟu is rolled
- எழுபதுeḻubaduseventye-lu-ba-du; the lu carries the curled-back zh, as in the word Tamil
- எண்பதுeṇbadueightyen-ba-du; the n is made with the tongue curled back
- தொண்ணூறுtoṇṇūṟuninetyton-NUU-ru; a long nn with the tongue curled back, then a rolled r
- நூறுnūṟuone hundrednuu-ru; a rolled r, and the uu is held long
- ஆயிரம்āyiramone thousandTwo thousand is reṇḍāyiram, fused into one word. 'Thousands of people' in the sense of 'very many' becomes āyirakkaṇakkāṉa
- மில்லியன்milliyaṉmillionThe English million. Tamil counts big money not in millions but in laṭcam, 'a hundred thousand': a million is pattu laṭcam, and that is how people usually say it
- சுழிsuḻizerosu-li; the li hides the curled-back zh, as in the word Tamil
- முதலாவதுmudalāvadufirstThe same word as 'firstly' in a list — the difference is only whether it leans on a noun: 'the first floor', but 'firstly, ...'
- ரெண்டாவதுreṇḍāvadusecondren-DAA-va-du; the nn is made with the tongue curled back
- மூண்டாவதுmūṇḍāvaduthirdmuun-DAA-va-du; a long nn with the tongue curled back
- கடைசிkaḍaisifinalNot made by the ordinal ending — a separate word. From it come 'the final stop' and 'in the end'
- எத்தனைettaṉaihow many?Asks about COUNTING things one by one: how many people? how many days? For what is not counted piecewise — money, water, time — the question is evvaḷavu
- ஜோடிjōḍipairA pair as two things belonging together: 'a pair of slippers'. A couple of people is also joḍi, but there it already means 'the two of them'
- பீஸ்pīspieceThe English piece as the shop's counting word: 'three pieces, please'. Tamil has no counting word of its own — usually the number stands right before the thing
- வீதம்vīdampercentAn island word: 'five veedham'. Tamil Nadu says sadaveedham, and in banks and shops you also hear 'percent'
- ஒவ்வொருovvorueveryDemands -um at the end of the whole group: 'every day', 'every person'. Without -um the phrase sounds cut off
- யார்yārwhoThe word does not change for number — one asks it about one person and about ten alike. It does take case endings: 'whom', 'to whom', 'with whom'
- ஏன்ēṉwhyStands before the verb, not at the front of the sentence. On the island the answer opens with 'because of what said', in Tamil Nadu with 'because of what'
- எதுக்குedukkuwhat forLiterally 'for what': the dative of 'what'. 'Why' asks about the cause, this one about the purpose — and Tamil holds the difference firmly
- எந்தendawhichAsks about a choice from the known and always stands before the noun: which bus? which house? About a quality ('what is he like?') one asks with 'how'
- யாரின்ரyāriṉrawhoseyaa-rin-ra; the ṉṟ blends into one movement, as in 'nandri'
- ஒருத்தரும் இல்லைoruttarum illaino oneGlued together from 'one person', the particle -um and 'not'. The negation is double, and 'not' stands as the last word
- ஏதோēdōsomethingBoth 'something' and 'anything' — Tamil does not split them. Its neighbour 'whatever it may be' is the one for requests: 'eat something, please'
- ரெண்டும்reṇḍumbothren-dum; the nn is made with the tongue curled back, as in 'taṇṇi'
- தெரியாதுteriyāduI don't knowSaid impersonally — literally 'it is not known', and no 'I' is needed in the answer. The same verb declines a skill: 'swimming is not known to me' means 'I cannot swim'
- பாக்கிறேன்pākkiṟēṉto seepaak-ki-ren; the ṟ is a rolled r, crisper than the soft r of maram
- கேக்கிறேன்kēkkiṟēṉto hearkeek-ki-ren; a rolled r, and the t of the bookish form disappears in speech
- தூங்குறேன்tūṅguṟēṉto sleepThe bookish form loses a syllable in speech. 'I feel sleepy' is said impersonally: literally 'sleep is coming to me'
- கொண்டு போறேன்koṇḍu pōṟēṉto carrykon-du poo-ren; the n is made with the tongue curled back
- வைக்கிறேன்vaikkiṟēṉto placevaik-ki-ren; the ṟ is a rolled r
- உடைக்கிறேன்uḍaikkiṟēṉto breakAbout what flies into pieces: dishes, a branch, a coconut. Machinery in Tamil does not break — it spoils, the phrase you know from the home unit. What got broken is the participle you know
- கட்டுறேன்kaṭṭuṟēṉto buildkat-tu-ren; the tt is made with the tongue curled back — that is the only difference from 'I shout'
- நிறையniṟaiyaa lot ofni-ray-ya; the ṟ is a rolled r
- கொஞ்சம்koñcamlittle (not much)Both 'little' and 'a bit' without reproach: 'a little salt'. The partner of 'a lot of'. In requests the same word softens: 'speak a little more slowly'
- மென்மையானmeṉmaiyāṉasoftThe ending -āṉa puts the adjective in front of the noun. As a predicate it goes without it. About a person it means 'soft in character', as in English
- கெட்டியானkeṭṭiyāṉahardket-ti-yaa-na; the tt is made with the tongue curled back
- ஈரமானīramāṉawetFrom 'moisture', the same root as the 'humid' of the weather unit. To get soaked in the rain is another verb
- உலர்ந்தularndadryu-lar-nda; the r is short, the tongue does not curl back
- மெல்லியmelliyathinAbout a layer and a thing alike. A thin person is another word; a thick object yet another
- ஆழமானāḻamāṉadeepaa-la-maa-na; the la hides the curled-back zh of the word Tamil
- வட்டமானvaṭṭamāṉaroundvat-ta-maa-na; the tt is made with the tongue curled back
- எங்கeṅgawhere toThere is no separate word for 'where to': the same 'where' reads as 'where to' with a motion verb and as 'where' with 'to be'. You know the fuller form from unit three
- எல்லா இடத்திலயும்ellā iḍattilayumeverywhereLiterally 'in all the places': 'all' plus 'place' in the location case plus -um. Shorter and bookier is another form
- எங்கயும் இல்லைeṅgayum illainowhere at allAssembled like 'no one': the question word plus -um plus 'not' last. The partner of 'everywhere'
- பொருட்கள்poruṭkaḷbelongingspo-rut-kal; the final l is retroflex, the tongue curled back
- நீளம்nīḷamlongnee-lam; the l is retroflex — do not confuse with 'blue', where the l is plain
- குட்டைkuṭṭaishort (in length)About a thing and about a person of small height — in the second case it sounds hurtful
- அகலம்agalamwideAlso 'width'. About loose-cut clothes one says 'loose'
- இடர்iḍarriskTell them apart: aapaththu is the trouble already close, idar only its possibility. In speech people use the English 'risk'
- மாற்றுத் திட்டம்māṟṟut tiṭṭambackup planmaarru, 'a replacement, an alternative', prefixes everything spare: another way, another medicine. The plan word you know as 'project'
- தொல்லைtollaia nuisanceRather 'a bother' than 'a trouble': real suffering is another word, while thollai is what hinders and annoys. Often with 'give': 'stop being a nuisance'
- காரணம்kāraṇamcauseIt walks with the dative: 'what is the cause of this?'. In the instrumental it turns into a link word itself: 'because of'
- விளைவுviḷaivuresultFrom vilai, 'to be born, to sprout' — an agricultural word: the result 'grows' out of the cause. An exam result is a different word
- அதனாலadaṉālathereforeLiterally 'by that very thing': 'that' in the instrumental ending. It opens the second sentence, and it is one of the few links that behaves like English 'therefore'
- ஏனெண்டாēṉeṇḍāasee-nen-daa; the nd is retroflex, tongue at the palate
- இதன் காரணமாidaṉ kāraṇamābecause of thisMore bookish than the plain 'therefore' and stands in the same place — at the head of the consequence. In speech people say it shorter
- அதைப் பொறுத்ததுadaip poṟuttaduto depend onLiterally 'this holds on that'. What it depends on stands in front of the turn in the accusative, and the turn itself closes the sentence
- காரணத்தை விளக்குறேன்kāraṇattai viḷakkuṟēṉto explain the causevilakku, 'to explain', comes from the same root as the lamp: to explain is to light up. The explanation noun you know
- நோக்கம்nōkkamaimFrom nokku, 'to look towards': an aim is where the look goes. But 'in order to' is built not with this word but with an ending on the verb
- அர்த்தம்arttammeaningBoth the meaning of a word and the point of an act: 'what is the arththam of this?' fits a dictionary and a quarrel alike. The Tamil porul means the same and, besides, 'a thing'
- முடிவுரைmuḍivuraiconclusionmudivu 'an end' + urai 'speech' — by the same pattern as the lecture word. In talk a conclusion is called simply 'the end word', but that also means 'end' and 'decision', so texts take mudivurai
- வாய்ப்புvāyppuchanceThis is opportunity as a lucky break: 'a chance came my way'. Ability is not it but the 'I can' verb
- இருக்கலாம்irukkalāmpossiblyIn English the adverb opens the sentence; in Tamil it is the ending -alaam on the verb right at the end: 'rain possibly will come'. The 'maybe' word you know stands well beside it
- முடியாதுmuḍiyāducannot be doneThe negation of 'one can', and it stands at the end: 'this cannot be'. On the island the Jaffna 'it will not do' sounds more often
- தேவைtēvainecessityA noun and a predicate at once: 'to me there is thevai' means 'I need', while 'it is a thevai' means 'it is a necessity'. The one who needs stands in the dative
- கட்டாயம்kaṭṭāyammandatoryThis is obligation from outside — a rule demands it: 'a seat belt is mandatory'. One's own firm certainty is a different word
- நான் செய்யத்தான் வேணும்nāṉ seyyattāṉ vēṇumI will have toThere is no separate 'have to': they take the 'must' word and add the intensifier -thaan, 'precisely, no way around it'. The bare verb stem stands in front of it
- அனுமதி உண்டுaṉumadi uṇḍupermittedLiterally 'permission exists' — on signs it stands exactly so. About a concrete action the -alaam ending is said: 'one may go in'
- தடை செய்யப்பட்டதுtaḍai seyyappaṭṭaduprohibitedA real passive: 'do' plus -appadu. In conversation it almost never turns up, but every prohibition sign carries it. Speech says the same with 'must not': 'one must not smoke'
- தெரிவுterivuchoiceAn island word: in Sri Lanka a choice is therivu, in Tamil Nadu the exam word is used for it, and there it means 'exam'. Tell them apart by the country, not by the sound
- மாற்று வழிmāṟṟu vaḻialternativeLiterally 'a spare way'. There is no separate word 'option': where English counts options, Tamil counts ways — 'there are two ways'
- சந்தேகம்sandēgamdoubtDoubt, suspicion and a pupil's question at once: at a lesson 'I have a sandegam' means 'I have a question'. English splits this into three words; Tamil manages with one
- சந்தேகப்படுறேன்sandēgappaḍuṟēṉto doubtThe doubt word plus padu, 'to undergo' — this is how Tamil makes verbs of feelings: 'I am afraid', 'I am angry'. What one doubts takes the 'in' ending
- உறுதியா இருக்கிறேன்uṟudiyā irukkiṟēṉto be sureThere is no adjective — there is the adverb 'firmly' plus 'to be'. What one is sure of goes in front with the -nnu ending: 'that he will come, I am firm'
- இருக்காது போலirukkādu pōlanot likelyEnglish puts 'not likely' in front; the Tamil turn stands at the very end: 'he will not come, as it were'. The 'as it were' softens the negation into a guess
- இருக்கும்irukkumprobablyHere it is not an adverb but the verb ending -um set at the end: 'the shop is open, probably'. About a person it will be another ending. The row runs: possibly, probably, not likely
- கண்டிப்பாkaṇḍippāfor sureOne's own firmness, not the rule's: a candidate promises 'I will come for sure'. Outer obligation is the mandatory word, and 'of course' in talk is another adverb
- எனக்கு தோணுதுeṉakku tōṇuduit seems to meImpersonal: not 'I think' but 'it appears to me'. The thought is placed in front with the -nnu ending: 'that he is right, it seems to me'
- உண்மையிலuṇmaiyilain factThe truth word in the locative — 'in the truth'. It opens the sentence, as in English, and often introduces a correction to what was said
- ஊகிக்கிறேன்ūgikkiṟēṉto assumeA bookish word, for calculations and guesses. In conversation an assumption is put with the -alaam ending or with 'it seems to me'
- எனக்கு நிச்சயமா தெரியாதுeṉakku niccayamā teriyāduI am not sureLiterally 'to me it is not known for certain'. Tamil prefers to speak of knowing rather than of a feeling of certainty, and polite disagreement often hides right here
- அனுபவம்aṉubavamexperienceBoth a record of service and what one has lived through: work experience, a bitter experience. Experience as an experiment is a different word
- சந்தர்ப்பம்sandarppamoccasionEnglish 'case' splits into three in Tamil: sandharppam is a favourable occasion and a circumstance, another word is an incident, and 'in case' is just an ending on the verb
- உதாரணம்udāraṇamexampleAn example in an explanation and a model to follow — one word. An example from the textbook, an exercise, is the practice word
- உதாரணமாudāraṇamāfor instanceThe same word plus the familiar -aa that makes an adverb. It opens the piece it introduces: 'for instance, in Jaffna...'
- வித்தியாசம்vittiyāsamdifferenceBetween what and what — both nouns take the dative plus -um: 'what is the difference between this and that?'. A difference in money is 'the remainder', another word
- ஒப்பீடுoppīḍucomparisonThe action noun of 'to compare'. In live speech a comparison is almost always put not as a noun but with the familiar 'than' turn
- வேறுபடுதுvēṟubaḍuduto differThe form is third person about a thing — 'it differs': about oneself it is said rarely. The 'other' word plus padu: 'becomes other'. From what — with 'from' plus the locative
- ஒரே மாதிரியானorē mādiriyāṉasimilarmaadhiri, 'in the manner of', is a postposition: it stands after what is resembled. To get an attribute before a noun, -aana is added
- ஒற்றுமைoṟṟumairesemblanceot-ru-mai; the ttru is the same short double tap as in the tourism word
- மாற்றம்māṟṟamchangeFrom maaru, 'to change'. You saw it in the moving-house word — literally 'a change of dwelling'. Small change is another word entirely
- முதலாவதுmudalāvadufirstlyThe ordinal from 'first'. It opens the item, as in English — a rare case when the link lives as a separate word and does not hang on the verb
- இரண்டாவதுiraṇḍāvadusecondlyThe bookish 'two' plus -aavathu. Counting aloud takes the spoken 'two', but in a list of thoughts the bookish form stands
- எல்லாத்துக்கும் முதல்லellāttukkum mudallafirst of allLiterally 'before everything': the -um particle here is the same as in the superlative turn. It stands at the head of the sentence
- அத்தோட மட்டுமில்லாமattōḍa maṭṭumillāmabesides thatLiterally 'not only with this'. It opens the added piece. Shorter and more common is the plain 'and besides'
- அது சரிadu sariby the wayLiterally 'that is true', but it works as a turn of the talk: 'by the way, and so...'. It stands at the very start of the remark, and a question usually follows
- மொத்தத்திலmottattilaall in allmottam, 'the total, everything together', in the locative — 'in the sum of it'. It draws the line under what was said and opens the last sentence
- சுருக்கமா சொன்னாsurukkamā soṉṉāto put it brieflyLiterally 'if said briefly' — the very conditional ending -naa you learned in wave three. Tamil introduces caveats with a condition, not with a participle
- வேற வார்த்தையில சொன்னாvēṟa vārttaiyila soṉṉāin other wordsAgain the conditional -naa: 'if said in another word'. Note the singular — 'in another word', not 'words'
- முக்கியமானதுmukkiyamāṉaduthe main thingmukkiyam, 'importance', plus -aanathu, which turns an attribute into a noun: 'that which is important'. This is how Tamil generally makes nouns like 'the main thing'
- கடைசியிலkaḍaisiyilaeventuallyThe 'last' word in the locative. It serves both 'in the end' about a conclusion and 'eventually' about an event; it stands at the front
- எண்டாலும்eṇḍālumalthoughThe Jaffna form of the bookish 'even if'. The main difference from English: the word stands not before the concession but after it, closing the first part — 'the price is high, although, I am buying'
- அதுக்கு ஈடாadukku īḍābut thenTamil has no exact 'but then': eedu means 'an equal weight, a recompense', and the turn comes out 'in recompense for that'. More often the same thought is put through plain 'but' with a pleased intonation
- மாறாகmāṟāgaon the contraryFrom maaru, 'to change': 'having changed'. It opens the second part. The spoken 'the other way round' about a state of things is another word — 'upside down'
- இருந்தபோதிலும்irundabōdilumdespiteLiterally 'even at the time when it was'. English 'despite' demands a noun after itself; the Tamil stands after a whole clause and hangs on the verb
- எனினும்eṉiṉumhoweverA bookish word, like English 'however': it lives in the newspaper and the report. In conversation 'but' stands in its place
- ஒரு பக்கம்oru pakkamon the one handpakkam is 'a side, a flank, a page'. The turn opens the first half of a reasoning and almost always demands its partner on the other side
- மறுபக்கம்maṟubakkamon the other handmaru- 'the other, the repeated' — the same prefix as in the retake and the refusal words. It opens the second half
- அப்பிடி இருந்தும்appiḍi irundumneverthelessLiterally 'and even though it was so'. It opens the second part — unlike the longer word, which closes the first
- அதுக்கு பதிலாadukku padilāinstead of thatpathil means both 'an answer' and 'a replacement': what comes instead. What is replaced stands before the turn with the dative: 'instead of the car'
- எப்பிடியும்eppiḍiyumanywayThis is 'anyway' about one's own stubbornness: 'one way or another I will do it'. The other English 'anyway', about indifference, is quite different in Tamil
- தற்செயலாtaṟceyalāby chancetar-chai-yaa-laa; the rc is read as one cluster, one syllable
- வேணுமெண்டேvēṇumeṇḍēdeliberatelyThe Jaffna form; Tamil Nadu says another one. Inside sit the 'must' word and the quotative 'having said': 'having said to oneself that one must', that is, deliberately
- தோல்விtōlvifailureA failure, a lost game and a defeat at the polls. Victory sits next door — the success word of the course
- படிப்படியாpaḍippaḍiyāstep by steppadi is 'a stair step', doubled: from step to step. The same padi sits in the staircase word
- செய்முறைseymuṟaithe order of stepssey, 'to do', + murai, 'an order, a manner'. The same word names a recipe in a cookbook
- விரிவாvirivāin detailFrom viri, 'to unfold, to spread out'. The opposite you know: 'in short'
- சொந்த வார்த்தையிலsonda vārttaiyilain your own wordssondha, 'one's own' — the same word as in 'my home town'. Do not mix up with 'in other words'
- சுலபமா சொன்னாsulabamā soṉṉāsimply putLiterally 'if said simply' — Tamil builds such openers with the conditional ending, like 'in short'
- ஒரு உதாரணம் சொல்லுoru udāraṇam sollugive an exampleThe 'you' form: to one's own, to a younger one. Politely it takes the -unga tail
- எப்படி பண்ணுறதெண்டு காட்டுeppaḍi paṇṇuṟadeṇḍu kāṭṭushow how it is doneendu is the Jaffna form of the bookish quotative: it sews the clause 'how it is done' straight into the verb
- புரியுதா?puriyudā?is that clear?Literally 'is it being understood?'. Understanding in Tamil is always impersonal: the subject is the thing itself, and the person stands in the dative
- இப்ப புரியுதுippa puriyudunow it is clearThe answer to the previous one. You know the negation too: 'I do not understand'
- எனக்கு குழப்பம்eṉakku kuḻappamI am confusedLiterally 'I have a tangle': the same impersonal turn as with feelings. Fuller: 'I am in a muddle'
- ஞாபகம் வருதுñābagam varuduto come to mindLiterally 'the memory comes': one does not remember in Tamil, it gets remembered. To recall on purpose is another turn
- மறந்திட்டேன்maṟandiṭṭēṉto have forgottenBut forgetting is done by the person: the -itten tail shows the deed is done and cannot be undone
- எண்ணம்eṇṇamintentionFrom ennu, 'to think, to reckon'. Both an intention and a thought in general: 'my intention is, that...'
- மனசு மாறிட்டுதுmaṉasu māṟiṭṭuduto change one's mindLiterally 'the heart has changed': here too Tamil makes the manasu, not the person, the subject
- எல்லாம் திட்டப்படிellām tiṭṭappaḍieverything is going to plan-padi means 'according to': 'as said', 'by the rules'. Here: everything goes according to the plan
- முடிஞ்சாmuḍiñcāif it works outThe conditional -naa form of the 'can, finish' verb. One word where English takes three
- இன்னும் முடிவு பண்ணலைiṉṉum muḍivu paṇṇalaiI have not decided yetinnum with a negation gives 'not yet'. The -alai at the end of the verb is the negation of the past
- எல்லாம் மாறிட்டுதுellām māṟiṭṭudueverything has changedAgain the intransitive: it changed by itself, no one changed it. Someone changed it all — that takes the other verb
- நல்லதுக்குத்தான்nalladukkuttāṉfor the betterLiterally 'precisely to the good': the good word, the dative and the intensifier. A consolation heard on the island every day
- கெட்டதுக்குத்தான்keṭṭadukkuttāṉfor the worseThe mirror of the last one: the bad word in the dative. Said more rarely — the omen does not allow it
- சொந்தமானதுsondamāṉadubelongLiterally 'it has become one's own'. The owner stands in the dative: 'this is to me own'
- பிறருடையpiṟaruḍaiyasomeone else'sLiterally 'belonging to others'. A stranger in the sense of 'unknown' is a different phrase — this one is about ownership
- பொதுpodushared'Shared' and 'public' in one: a public toilet and common property use the same podhu
- தள்ளுறேன்taḷḷuṟēṉpushThe same root as in the shop trolley — 'the pushing cart'. To shove a person with a shoulder is a different verb
- இழுக்கிறேன்iḻukkiṟēṉpullThe pair to 'push'. Office doors are labeled with exactly these two
- அடிக்கிறேன்aḍikkiṟēṉhitA wide verb: it hits a ball and a person, and 'the wind blows' with it too
- மீற்றர்mīṟṟarmetermeet-tar; the ttr is a long plain tt with a roll, neither rr nor dd
- சென்ரிமீற்றர்seṉrimīṟṟarcentimeterThe English 'ti' is written on the island through ri — as in 'ticket'. The mainland spelling differs
- கிலோமீற்றர்kilōmīṟṟarkilometerKilo alone means 'kilogram' — on the scales and on the road it is one word; the second half decides
- லீற்றர்līṟṟarliterleet-tar; the same long ttr as in 'meter'
- கிராம்kirāmgramOne vowel apart from 'village'. At the market you hear kilo and half a kilo; grams measure spices and gold
- எடைeḍaiweightThe weight of any thing and of a person is one word. 'To gain weight' from wave 4 is said through it too
- நீளம்nīḷamlengthnee-lam; the l is the curled-back kind — do not mix it up with 'blue'
- அகலம்agalamwidthThe same pair as length: wave 2 gave agalam as 'wide', here it is the measure. In front of a noun it grows -aana
- உயரம்uyaramheightThe height of a wall, a person's stature and 'tall' from wave 2 are all this word. People ask 'how much height'
- ஆழம்āḻamdepthaa-zham; the zh is the Tamil curled sound, with the tip of the tongue bent back
- ஏறத்தாளēṟattāḷaroughlye-rat-taa-la; the r is rolled and the la is curled — two different sounds in one word
- கிட்டத்தட்டkiṭṭattaṭṭaalmostLiterally 'close-close'. Fits a number and an action alike: 'almost finished'
- சரியாsariyāexactlyThe same word as 'correct': in front of a number it means 'just so many, no more'. 'Exactly at two' keeps it
- சராசரியாsarāsariyāon averageFrom saraasari, 'the average'. The -aa tail turns a noun into an adverb — the same trick as in 'slowly'
- ரெண்டு மடங்குreṇḍu maḍaṅgutwice as muchMadangu is 'times' in multiplying, not in repeating: repeats are counted with tharam from wave 5
- இலக்கம்ilakkamdigitA digit, a house number and a phone number in one. A number as quantity is a different word; an amount of money is the 'amount' word
- கால் பங்குkāl paṅguquarterKaal by itself is 'leg', but in counting it is 'a quarter': 'quarter kilo'. Pangu, 'share', is added so nobody confuses it
- எடை பாக்கிறேன்eḍai pākkiṟēṉweighLiterally 'I look at the weight'. There is no verb 'to weigh' of its own; the scales from wave 1 are tharaasu
- கூடுதலானkūḍudalāṉaspareLiterally 'added on'. A person who is not needed is not called this — people say 'not needed'
- காலிkāliemptyAn empty bottle, a free slot and 'it ran out' in one: kaaliyaagittudhu means 'it ran out'
- தவிர்க்கிறேன்tavirkkiṟēṉavoidSame root as the postposition 'except'. Avoiding a person is said differently: 'I stay without seeing him'
- நிஜம்nijamfactWhat actually happened. The wave-4 'truth' is about the speaker's honesty; nijam is about the state of things
- கேள்விkēḷviquestionkeel-vi; the l is the curled-back kind
- முக்கியமானmukkiyamāṉaimportantBefore a noun it takes -aana; alone it drops it: 'this is important'
- நேர்மறையானnērmaṟaiyāṉapositiveThe word of answers, analyses and reviews. 'A good person' is not said this way — people say 'a good soul'
- எதிர்மறையானedirmaṟaiyāṉanegativeThe mirror of positive: 'against' in place of 'straight'. A negative test result is the same pair
- ஓட ஒப்பிட்டாōḍa oppiṭṭācompared toIt follows what you compare with: 'compared to last year'. For two things the shorter 'than' is easier
- அதே மாதிரிadē mādirithe same kindAdhe is 'that very one'. Wave 4 gave 'similar': adhe means 'exactly that one', the other means 'alike to each other'
- சாதகம்sādagamadvantageThe pair to 'drawback': the saadagam is what is for, the paadagam is what is against. They are always named together
- பாதகம்pādagamdrawbackA drawback of a design, not of a character: in a person that is 'a fault'. The pair sounds like 'pros and cons'
- பின்விளைவுகள்piṉviḷaivugaḷconsequencesLiterally 'after-results'. Vilaivu alone is a result in general; the 'after-' makes it what shows up later
- கணக்கில எடுக்கிறேன்kaṇakkila eḍukkiṟēṉtake into accountLiterally 'I take into the count'. Kanakku is a bank account, arithmetic and accounting in one
- பெரும்பாலும்perumbālummost likelyLiterally 'in the biggest part': both 'most likely' and 'mostly'. The wave-5 'majority' shares the root
- உறுதியாuṟudiyācertainlyThe speaker's certainty. Around it crowd 'of course', 'definitely' and 'obligatorily' — English draws finer lines here than Tamil does
- சாத்தியம்sāttiyamlikelihoodWave 4 gave 'chance' for an opportunity that may turn up; this word is about how possible a thing is at all
- ஊகம்ūgamsuppositionA guess without proof. In speech people say it longer: 'that is just what I think'
- போல இருக்குpōla irukkuit looks likeIt stands at the end of the phrase, not the start: 'rain seems to be coming'. A Tamil guess always arrives last
- இருக்க வேணும்irukka vēṇummust beThe same venum that means 'need', but after a participle it is not a debt any more, a conclusion: 'he must have left'
- இருக்கவே ஏலாதுirukkavē ēlāduit cannot beElaadu is the Jaffna 'cannot, no way' in place of the mainland verb. The particle -e adds force: 'no way at all'
- குறைஞ்சதுkuṟaiñcaduat leastLiterally 'the lessened one', that is 'the smallest amount'. It stands before the number: 'at least ten people'
- எப்பிடி இருந்தாலும்eppiḍi irundālumin any caseLiterally 'however it may be'. Wave 4 gave 'all the same' — the same word, shorter and a touch more careless
- ஒரு வேளைக்குoru vēḷaikkujust in caseWave 3 gave 'maybe' — the same word in the dative means 'in reserve, if it should come to it'
- அப்பிடி இருந்திருந்தாappiḍi irundirundāif it had beenA doubled past plus -aa means 'if it had been — and it was not'. The answer then takes 'would have': 'I would have come'
- எண்ட நிபந்தனையிலeṇḍa nibandaṉaiyilaon conditionWave 5 gave 'condition' as a clause of a contract; here the same word in the locative ties two halves of the phrase
- எண்டாலும் கூடeṇḍālum kūḍaeven ifWave 4 gave 'although'; kooda, 'even', pushes it to 'even if'. It follows the clause, it does not open it
- அப்பிடி எண்டாappiḍi eṇḍāin that caseLiterally 'if so'. The turn leans on what the other person said and opens the conclusion from it
- இல்லாட்டிillāṭṭiotherwiseA Jaffna word; across the strait people say the longer one. It means 'if not' and opens the second half
- அப்பappathenap-pa with a short a at the end; appa with the long vowel means dad
- றதுக்காகṟadukkāgaso as tora-duk-kaa-ga; the opening r is rolled — a sound a Tamil word does not begin with by itself
- மாதிரிmādirias ifIt follows what is compared: 'sleeping as if'. In the pair with 'that very one' it means 'the same kind'
- அதுக்குப் பதிலாadukkup padilāinsteadPathil is 'answer' and 'replacement' in one. Before a noun the turn means simply 'instead of': 'instead of money'
- பிரதானமாpradāṉamāmainlyFrom piradhaanam, 'the main thing' — a frequent word on the island. The mainland more often says the other adverb
- வழக்கமாvaḻakkamāas a ruleFrom vazhakkam, 'custom' (wave 4). Wave 4 also gave 'usually': this one is about an established order, that one about frequency
- கிட்டத்தட்ட எல்லாரும்kiṭṭattaṭṭa ellārumalmost everyoneEllaarum is only about people. About things people say the other 'almost everything'
- விதிவிலக்குvidivilakkuexceptionLiterally 'a lifting out of the rule'. Do not mix up with 'lamp': there a curled l, here a plain one
- அது இது எண்டுadu idu eṇḍuand so onLiterally 'that, this and such'. The bookish phrase stands in written lists; in speech people finish with this turn
- அதுக்கு மாறாadukku māṟāunlikeMaaru is 'to turn against'. What you differ from stands in the dative: 'unlike last year'
- தவிரtaviraexceptIt follows the noun, it does not precede: 'except him'. Wave 4 gave 'besides' — a different turn, for adding
- முழுக்க இல்லைmuḻukka illainot quitemu-zhuk-ka il-lai; the zh is the curled sound
- ஓரளவுக்குōraḷavukkumore or lessoo-ra-la-vuk-ku; the la is the curled-back kind
- கஷ்டப்பட்டுkaṣṭappaṭṭulaboriouslyLiterally 'having suffered'. There is no adverb of its own: Tamil sets the participle of 'to suffer'
- ஒரு தரம் பாக்கலாம்oru taram pākkalāmworth a tryLiterally 'one may look once'. The -laam tail is the same 'may' as in wave 3, but here it sounds like a gentle piece of advice
- இருக்க வேண்டியதுirukka vēṇḍiyadushould haveRegret over the undone: 'I should have said'. One ending apart from 'must be'
- எல்லாத்திலயும் நல்லதுellāttilayum nalladubest of allLiterally 'in everything, the good'. Tamil has no superlative form: it is assembled from 'everything' plus the trait
- எல்லாத்திலயும் மோசம்ellāttilayum mōsamworst of allThe pair to 'best of all': mosam, 'the bad, the vile'. Wave 4 gave the same through 'than': 'worse than everything' means the same
- முடிஞ்சளவு சீக்கிரம்muḍiñcaḷavu sīkkiramas fast as possibleLiterally 'as fast as it can be done'. The same build gives 'as early as possible'
- வீணாvīṇāin vainvii-naa; the n is made with the tongue curled back
- சமாளிக்கிறேன்samāḷikkiṟēṉcopesa-maa-lik-ki-ren; the la is the curled-back kind
- முயற்சிmuyaṟciattemptAn attempt and an effort in one. The verb is made with pannu: 'make an attempt' — that is 'try'
- அதாவதுadāvaduthat isWave 4 gave 'in other words' — a long, bookish turn; this one is short and heard every day
- எண்டு தெரிஞ்சுதுeṇḍu teriñcuduit turned outLiterally 'it became known that'. There is no subject — the Tamil impersonal, like 'they say'
- அதன் விளைவாadaṉ viḷaivāas a resultLiterally 'as the result of this'. Wave 4 gave 'result' and 'therefore'; this turn stands between them in weight
- ஏற்படுத்துதுēṟpaḍuttudulead toLiterally 'it produces, it causes'. What it leads to stands before the verb in the accusative
- காரணமாkāraṇamāthanks tokaa-ra-na-maa; the n is made with the tongue curled back
- முதல் தரத்திலயேmudal tarattilayēon the first tryTharam is 'a time' in repeating (wave 5). The particle -e at the end means 'already, from that very one'
- இருநூறுirunūṟutwo hundredIru- 'two' + nūṟu 'hundred'. Before a hundred the numeral takes its short bookish stem, not the spoken reṇḍu
- முந்நூறுmunnūṟuthree hundredmun-NUU-ru; the n before nuu is held long, and the letter n you see disappears in speech
- நானூறுnāṉūṟufour hundredNālu 'four' gives up its stem nā-. The only hundred where almost the whole numeral survives
- ஐந்நூறுainnūṟufive hundredain-NUU-ru; in lively speech closer to ain-nyuu-ru, the n softening before nuu
- அறுநூறுaṟunūṟusix hundredĀṟu 'six' shortens to aṟu- — the same stem as in aṟubadu, 'sixty'
- எழுநூறுeḻunūṟuseven hundrede-lu-NUU-ru; inside the lu hides the curled zh, the sound the language is named by
- எண்ணூறுeṇṇūṟueight hundreden-NUU-ru; a long nn with the tongue curled back
- தொள்ளாயிரம்toḷḷāyiramnine hundredtol-LAA-yi-ram; the ḷ is a dark l made with the tongue curled back, not the plain l
- நாலாவதுnālāvadufourthThe spoken nālu, 'four', plus -āvadu. The same suffix built reṇḍāvadu and mūṇḍāvadu back in lesson five
- அஞ்சாவதுañcāvadufifthAñcu, 'five', drops its -u before -āvadu. The ordinal stands before the noun and never changes for gender or case
- ஆறாவதுāṟāvadusixthĀṟu, 'six', plus -āvadu; the long ā at the start survives. The word for 'river' stands right next to it — only the sense of the sentence tells them apart
- ஏழாவதுēḻāvaduseventhee-laa-va-du; the l hides the curled zh of Tamil, not a plain l
- எட்டாவதுeṭṭāvadueighthEṭṭu, 'eight', plus -āvadu; the doubled ṭṭ stays, unlike in eṇṇūṟu, 'eight hundred'
- ஒம்பதாவதுombadāvaduninthOmbadu, 'nine', plus -āvadu. The spoken ombadu is what sounds in the ordinal, not the bookish oṉbadu
- பத்தாவதுpattāvadutenthPattu, 'ten', plus -āvadu. In set phrases the ordinal takes another form, in -ām: pattām vakuppu, 'the tenth grade'
- நூறாவதுnūṟāvaduhundredthNūṟu, 'hundred', plus -āvadu. A centenary is called nūṟāvadu nāḷ viḻā, 'the feast of the hundredth day'
- அல்லதுalladuorThe bookish one. In speech people more often just list with a pause, or glue -ā onto both words
- கூடkūḍaalsoStands after what it refers to: nānum kūḍa, 'I too'. The tail -um reinforces it
- மட்டும்maṭṭumonlyFollows the word it limits, just like 'also' does — the order is the mirror image of English
- ஏற்கனவேēṟkaṉavēalreadyA long bookish word. In speech people usually manage with the past tense alone and drop it
- இன்னும்iṉṉumstillCovers both 'still' about time and 'one more': innum oru, 'yet one'. The distinction English makes, Tamil does not
- ரொம்ப அதிகம்romba adigamtoo muchRomba is 'very', adhigam is 'much'. Romba alone means simply 'very'
- சேர்ந்துsērndutogetherA converb of sēru, 'to join': literally 'having joined'
- கூடாதுkūḍādunot allowedFollows the verb: pōga kūḍādhu, 'to go is not allowed'. The prohibition comes after the action, the mirror of English
- வேணும்vēṇummustThe same word as 'want': Tamil does not split necessity from desire — what you must do, you 'want'
- வாழ்க்கைvāḻkkailifeFrom vāḻ, 'to live'. It packs both Tamil signatures: the special ḻ and the doubled kk
- வேணும் (விரும்புறேன்)vēṇum (virumbuṟēṉ)to wantVēṇum is the spoken one with a dative subject; virumbuṟēṉ is the bookish one with an ordinary subject
- முடியும்muḍiyumcanThe subject stands in the dative: eṉakku muḍiyum, 'it is possible for me'. The negative is muḍiyādhu
- வார்த்தைvārttaiwordAlso 'a promise, one's word': 'to give one's word' uses the same noun, as in English
- விஷயம்viṣayammatterA Sanskrit loan. 'What is the matter?' asks with it. The native kāriyam is alive too
- வழிvaḻimethodA trap: the same word means 'way, road'. Method and road share one Tamil word
- சுலபமாsulabamāeasilyFrom 'light, easy', with the same tail -ā. That is how all adverbs are made
- கஷ்டமாkaṣṭamāwith difficultyFrom 'hardship'. The partner of 'easily', assembled the same way
- -றதுக்கு-ṟadukkuin order toNo free-standing word exists: purpose rides on the verb's tail. -ṟadu turns the action into a thing, -kku points it at a goal: vāṅgiṟadukku, literally 'for the buying'
- எண்டால்eṇḍālifIn simple sentences 'if' is an ending too — you have met it: muḍiñcā, 'if it works out'. As a separate word it lives in the Jaffna eṇḍāl, 'if so'; Tamil Nadu says eṉṟāl
- -ஏக்க-ēkkawhileThe Jaffna ending of simultaneity, straight on the verb stem: vēlai seyyēkka, 'while I work'. The bookish form is -kiṟa pōtu. Note: vārkkum, which you know, means 'until' — a limit, not simultaneity
- எண்டபடியால்eṇḍapaḍiyālsinceLiterally 'by what was said': eṇḍa, 'that' + paḍiyāl, 'by the measure of'. You know ēṉṉā, 'because' — it stands before the cause, this one follows it, so it lands as 'since that is how it is'
- மட்டும் போதும்maṭṭum pōdumas long asYou know maṭṭum, 'only', and pōdum, 'enough'; together they make 'as long as'. The pair closes the clause rather than opening it: vandā maṭṭum pōdum
- அதாலadālasoLiterally 'by that': adu, 'that' + the cause ending -āl. You know ēṉṉā, 'because', standing before the cause; adāla stands before the consequence
- இடையிலiḍaiyilabetweenYou know naṭuvil, 'in the middle' of one thing. Iḍaiyil is between two named things, and both take the dative plus -um: 'house-dat and shop-dat between'
- பக்கத்திலpakkattilanearA postposition: what it is near stands before it in the dative — vīṭṭukkup pakkattil. In Jaffna the same idea is said shorter, vīṭṭukku kiṭṭa
- பதிலாpadilāinstead ofYou know adhukkup padilā, 'instead of this'. Padil means both 'answer' and 'replacement' — the thing that takes another's place. The replaced one stands in the dative: eṉakkup padilā
- எதிர்த்துedirttuagainstYou know edirā, 'towards', and edirē, 'opposite': the root edir covers place and opposition alike. Edirttu is only hostility — the side you play, argue or vote against
- இல்லாமillāmawithoutNot a preposition but a tail: it comes after the missing thing. You know iraicci illāma, 'without meat', and paṉikkaṭṭi illāma, 'without ice'. The bookish form is illāmal
- -க்காக-kkāgaforNo separate word: 'for' glues onto the dative. Uṉakku plus -āga gives uṉakkāga, 'for you'; piḷḷaikkāga, 'for the child'. The books write the same thing, only longer and in two pieces
- பற்றிpaṟṟiaboutA postposition: what it is about stands before it in the accusative — avaraippaṟṟi. In fast speech it wears down to -ppatti
- பிறகுpiṟaguafterYou know adhukkupiṟagu, 'after that'. Before it stands either a dative or a past participle: sāppiṭṭa piṟagu, 'after having eaten'
- நேரத்திலnērattiladuringYou know nēram, 'time'. In live speech the same job is done by the ending -ēkka: sāppiṭēkka, 'while eating'. Nērattil is for when a noun, not a verb, follows
- -ஆல-ālabecause ofYou know kāraṇamā, 'thanks to'. The hindrance is marked by an ending instead of a word: maḻaiyāla, 'because of the rain'. Tamil keeps no separate preposition here
- சுத்திsuttiaroundYou know sutti vāṟēṉ, 'to go around'. As a postposition sutti follows the accusative: vīṭṭaic cutti, 'around the house'. The bookish twin is suṟṟi
- வழியாvaḻiyāthroughYou know vaḻi, 'way', and ūḍā, 'across'. Vaḻiyā is for passing along a street, a town, a go-between. About time one says it differently: 'in an hour', not 'through an hour'
- உள்ளுக்க இருந்துuḷḷukka irundufrom insideYou know uḷḷukka, 'inwards', and tūrattil irundu, 'from afar': irundu always marks the starting point. No single word for 'from inside' exists — place plus this tail assemble it
- கிட்டடியிலkiṭṭaḍiyilanearbyA Jaffna word from kiṭṭa, 'close', which you know: kiṭṭaḍi is the neighbourhood around you. The bookish arukil sits in announcements; in the street one asks 'is there a shop nearby?'
- நல்லாnallāwellYou know nalla, 'good', the adjective before a noun. The long ā at the end turns it into an adverb for verbs — the same move as in sattamā, kavaṉamā
- கனக்கkaṉakkaveryA Jaffna word the course has been using since wave 20. Tamil Nadu says romba in its place, and you know the pattern romba adhigam, 'too much'. Kaṉakka comes from kaṉam, 'weight': strongly means heavily
- பிரச்சினைpiracciṉaiproblemThe first word that sounds when something has gone wrong: about a breakdown, a quarrel or money alike. Next to it, 'hardship' is the kind one endures, while a problem is the kind one solves
- பார்க்கிறேன்pārkkiṟēṉto watchYou know the Jaffna shortened 'to see' — what falls into the eyes on its own. One root, but the full form stands where one looks on purpose: a film, a book, out of the window
- பாவிக்கிறேன்pāvikkiṟēṉto useThe Lankan word: Tamil Nadu says two other verbs, but on the island, in the shop and at home alike, it is this one. It fits things and languages alike: 'I use Tamil'
- வரும்varumto know howSpelled exactly like 'it will come', and not by chance: a skill in Tamil arrives to a person rather than belonging to them. The owner of the skill stands in the dative, the deed before the verb in the infinitive. You know 'can' and 'to know'; this is the skill one has built up
- தொடுறேன்toḍuṟēṉto touchA brief touch with the hand: to check whether it is hot, or to tap a shoulder. In a temple and before elders the word carries weight — the elder's feet are touched as a sign of respect, with the same verb. The prohibition is 'do not touch'
- வாழுறேன்vāḻuṟēṉto liveYou know 'life', from the same root. This is to live a life somewhere or somehow; about merely residing at an address one says 'to be'
- இருக்குirukkuthere isYou know 'to be' in the 'I' form. This is the form for things, and with it Tamil says 'there is, there exists': the place in the location case, the thing simply beside it. The negation is the 'not' you know
- மோசம்mōsambadlyThe partner of nallā, 'well'. About how one feels people more often say the longer 'nallā illa', 'not well'
- -உம்-umandSpoken Tamil has no free-standing 'and': the tail goes onto BOTH joined words — ṭīyum kōppiyum, tea and coffee. The bookish maṟṟum never sounds in speech
- ஆனாāṉābutThe spoken form; on paper the same is ānāl. It opens the second clause rather than sitting between words
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- அவர் ஒரு நல்ல ஆள்avar oru nalla āḷHe is a good person
- ஆமாம், எனக்கு தெரியும்āmām, eṉakku teriyumYes, I know
- இல்லை, எனக்கு வேண்டாம்illai, eṉakku vēṇḍāmNo, I don't need it
- இது ஒரு பெரிய வீடுidu oru periya vīḍuThat is a big house
- எனக்கு சின்ன கோப்பை போதும்eṉakku siṉṉa kōppai pōdumA small cup is enough for me
- இந்த இடம் ரொம்ப அழகுinda iḍam romba aḻaguThis place is very beautiful
What is worth knowing about these words
நல்ல (nalla) — good. Stands only in front of a noun: nalla aḷ, a good person. To say 'he is good' you need a different form, nallavar
ஆமாம் (āmām) — yes. In conversation people often skip it and repeat the verb instead: 'Are you going?' — 'Going'
இல்லை (illai) — no. Also the all-purpose negator: after a verb it stands last — Tamil says 'I come not' for 'I am not coming'
பெரிய (periya) — big. Only before a noun. 'It is big' switches to perisu: itu perisu. The same word names the elder of a family: periyappā, 'father's elder brother'
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is நல்ல (nalla) — good.
- What is this word?
It is இல்லை (illai) — no.
- What is this word?
It is சின்ன (siṉṉa) — small.
- What is this word?
It is அரை (arai) — half.
- What is this word?
It is போதும் (pōdum) — enough.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “good” in Tamil?
Stands only in front of a noun: nalla aḷ, a good person. To say 'he is good' you need a different form, nallavar
- How do you say “no” in Tamil?
Also the all-purpose negator: after a verb it stands last — Tamil says 'I come not' for 'I am not coming'
- How do you say “small” in Tamil?
The partner of periya, with the same rule: before a noun ciṉṉa, on its own ciṉṉatu. Also 'younger': ciṉṉammā, 'mother's younger sister'
- How do you say “half” in Tamil?
Stands before the word: 'half kilo', 'half hour'
- How do you say “enough” in Tamil?
This is what stops the pouring or the serving: 'enough, enough'
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “good” in Tamil?
«நல்ல», read “nalla”. Stands only in front of a noun: nalla aḷ, a good person. To say 'he is good' you need a different form, nallavar. It is one of 315 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many basic words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 315 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 315 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.