Time, days and hours in Tamil
142 words Tamil words on the topic “time, days and hours”: இன்னிக்கு — today, நாளைக்கு — tomorrow, நேற்று — yesterday, காலை — morning. 142 words can be played from recordings.
142 words on the topic
- இன்னிக்குiṉṉikkutodayThe spoken form of the bookish 'this day'. In Jaffna you will hear another variant too — both are native
- நாளைக்குnāḷaikkutomorrow'Day' plus the direction ending -kku: literally 'onto the day ahead'. The day after tomorrow is built the same way
- நேற்றுnēṟṟuyesterdayA bookish form, but it lives in speech too. The day before yesterday is 'the earlier day'
- காலைkālaimorningDo not confuse with 'leg' or 'weed'. 'In the morning' adds the location tail. There is no separate 'good morning' on the island — one greets with vaṇakkam at any hour
- மாலைmālaieveningAlso 'a garland' — the kind put round a guest's or a bridegroom's neck. Only the sense of the sentence tells them apart
- இரவுiravunightThe bookish word, alive in speech too. The colloquial rival is rāttiri, and midnight is assembled from it: 'the middle rāttiri'
- நேரம்nēramtimeTime as a moment and as a span: 'what time is it?', 'there is no time'. Time as an epoch is another word, kālam
- எப்ப வருவீங்க?eppa varuvīṅga?when will you come?'When' plus the polite 'you' in the future tense
- எத்தனை மணிக்கு?ettaṉai maṇikku?at what time?Maṇi is both 'hour' and 'bell'. 'At five' is 'to the five bells'
- நான் லேட்டா வாறேன்nāṉ lēṭṭā vāṟēṉI am running lateThe English late with the same tail. Literally 'I will come late'
- நேரம் ஆயிடுச்சுnēram āyiḍuccuit's too lateLiterally 'the time has gone'. Said also when it is time to leave
- காலைச் சாப்பாடுkālaic sāppāḍubreakfast'Morning' plus 'food'. At the guesthouse you have met it whole: 'breakfast is included'. On a signboard they write the bookish variant
- மதியச் சாப்பாடுmadiyac sāppāḍulunch'Noon' plus 'food'. On the island lunch is rice with curry, which is why it is often called simply 'the food'
- இரவுச் சாப்பாடுiravuc sāppāḍudinner'Night' plus 'food'. In fast speech 'night' squeezes to just one syllable
- நேர அட்டவணைnēra aṭṭavaṇaitimetablene-ra at-ta-va-nay; the tt is a long tt, the n is retroflex with the tongue at the palate
- ஒரு இரவுக்குoru iravukkufor one nightThe dative ending answers 'where to' and 'for how long' alike: 'for two nights' works the same way
- சூரிய அஸ்தமனம்sūriya astamaṉamsunsetThe sun you know is the first word. In conversation people simply say 'the sun is hiding'
- முதல்லmudallato begin withThe 'first' word in the locative. It stands at the front and, paired with 'after that', builds any story in order
- அப்புறம்appuṟamafterwardsLiterally 'after that place'. It serves 'afterwards' and 'then' alike; about the far future other words are said
- அதுக்கு பிறகுadukku piṟaguafter thatpiragu, 'after', is a postposition: it stands after the noun, and the noun takes the dative. An English preposition goes in front; a Tamil postposition goes behind
- இறுதியாiṟudiyāfinallyThe 'end' word plus -aa. This is 'finally' in a list — the last item. The relieved 'at last!' sounds differently
- அதே நேரத்திலadē nērattilaall the whileLiterally 'in that very time'. It opens the second part. To tie two actions of one sentence, Tamil hangs a different ending on the verb
- ஒரே நேரத்திலorē nērattilaat the same timeore means 'one and the same' — not the same as 'one'. Here it is exactly ore that matters: 'at one and the same moment'
- செய்யிறதுக்கு முன்னம்seyyiṟadukku muṉṉamprior toThe pattern: the verb in the -radhu form, the dative, and munnam, 'before'. Change the verb — the meaning changes: 'before going'. The whole link hangs on the verb and stands before the main part
- செஞ்ச பிறகுseñca piṟaguonceHere the verb stands in the past participle form, and piragu, 'after', follows it. Change the verb: 'after he came'. As a link word English says 'once'
- வந்த உடனைvanda uḍaṉaias soon asudanai is the Jaffna form; Tamil Nadu says udane. It is built like 'after': participle plus word. The only difference is speed: 'after' is later, this one is at once
- அதிலிருந்துadilirundusince then'That' plus 'in' plus 'beginning from'. The same tail shows the starting point in space too: 'from the house'
- எப்பவும்eppavumalwaysepp 'when' plus -um: 'whenever it be'. All these time adverbs in Tamil stand before the verb, not after the subject
- அடிக்கடிaḍikkaḍioftenA reduplicated word from adi, 'a blow': 'blow upon blow'. Tamil has many such doublings, and they are almost always about repetition
- அபூர்வமாapūrvamārarelyapoorvam, 'a rarity', plus -aa. In live speech people more often wriggle out with a negation: 'often does not come', that is, rarely
- எப்பவாவதுeppavāvadusometimesepp 'when' plus -aavathu, 'ever': 'whenever it be, at times'. Compare the row: always, sometimes, never
- ஒருக்காலும்orukkālumnevero-ruk-kaa-lum; the kk is long, held
- சாதாரணமாsādāraṇamāusuallysaadhaaranam, 'ordinariness', plus -aa. The second meaning is 'plainly, without fuss': 'say it more simply'. Habit is also expressed by the verb's own habitual form
- நீண்ட நேரம்nīṇḍa nēramfor a long timeThere is no separate adverb 'long': people say 'long time', and that is the phrase. Long about years is another phrase
- ஒவ்வொரு தரமும்ovvoru taramumevery timeThe 'every' word you know; tharam here means 'a time' — on the island more often than the other counter. The -um particle with 'every' is obligatory
- அவ்வப்போதுavvappōdunow and thenA doubling of 'then': 'now then, now then'. Closer to 'once in a while' than to the plain 'sometimes'
- இப்ப வரைக்கும்ippa varaikkumso farvarai, 'up to, as far as', is a postposition: it follows the point of reference. The turn almost always drags a negation behind it: 'so far there is no answer'
- திடீரெனtiḍīreṉasuddenlyThe onomatopoeic thideer plus -ena, which makes an adverb of a sound. It stands before the verb: 'suddenly the rain came'
- முன்கூட்டியேmuṉkūṭṭiyēin advancemun 'before' + koottu 'to add' + the intensifier -e: 'having added beforehand'. The same mun sits in the booking word
- நேரத்தோடnērattōḍaon timeLiterally 'with the time': the -odu ending here means 'together with'. To be late is 'to come with delay', and 'exactly on time' is yet another phrase
- அவசரமாavasaramāurgentlyavasaram, 'a hurry, urgency', plus -aa. The same word apologises for haste: 'do not rush'
- உடனடியாuḍaṉaḍiyāright awayudan, 'together, at once', plus adi, 'a step': 'in the very step'. A cousin of the Jaffna 'as soon as'
- கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாkoñcam koñcamāgraduallyA doubling of the familiar 'a little': 'little by little'. The bookish 'step by step' stands in reports
- கடைசி நேரத்திலkaḍaisi nērattilaat the last momentLiterally 'in the last time' — but this is NOT 'recently'. About the recent past Tamil says 'these days'
- எப்பவாவது ஒரு நாள்eppavāvadu oru nāḷsooner or laterLiterally 'some day, some when'. Tamil does not set early against late here but simply promises: the date is unknown, but it will happen
- ஒருநாள்orunāḷone dayLiterally 'a single day' — about the past and about the future: 'one day I will come' is a promise
- சின்ன வயசிலsiṉṉa vayasilain childhoodThe same 'small age' with the place ending -il. Tamil counts 'in childhood' not as a time but as a place in life
- அந்தக் காலத்திலandak kālattilaback in those daysThe set opening of any elder's tale. 'In these times' walks beside it, and in an argument the two go as a pair
- அது ரொம்ப நாள் முந்திadu romba nāḷ mundiit was long agomundi is the island 'earlier, before'; Tamil Nadu says another form. Literally 'that was many days ago'
- முதல் தரம்mudal taramthe first timetharam here is 'a time'. Tamil Nadu says it with the other counter, and both forms are understood everywhere
- எதிர்காலம்edirkālamthe futureedhir 'towards' + kaalam 'time': the future walks to meet us. The same word names the future tense of a verb
- கடந்த காலம்kaḍanda kālamthe pastkadandha, 'that has passed by'. The same word sits in the last week phrase
- உடனடித் திட்டம்uḍaṉaḍit tiṭṭamimmediate plansudanadi, 'immediate, nearest'. You know the plan word from the backup plan
- ஒரு வருஷத்திலoru varuṣattilain a yearTamil puts the place ending -il here: 'inside a year'. There is no separate word for 'in' of time
- நிரந்தரமாnirandaramāpermanentlyNot 'often' but 'for good': 'a permanent job' uses this word. About repetition they say 'always'
- தற்காலிகமாtaṟkāligamātemporarilythar 'present' + kaalam 'time'. The pair of the last one, and in job notices they stand side by side
- வசதியான நேரம்vasadiyāṉa nērama convenient timevasadi is 'comfort' and also 'prosperity': 'a comfortable family' means a well-off one. The neighbouring word chooses the sense
- நேரம் குறிக்கிறேன்nēram kuṟikkiṟēṉto set a timekurikkiren, 'I mark, I note' — the same root as in the notes word
- பிற்பகல்லpiṟpagallain the afternoonpagal 'daylight' + pir 'after': after midday. The morning half has its own word
- சாயந்தரம் பக்கமாsāyandaram pakkamātowards the eveningsaayandharam is the island 'evening'; Tamil Nadu says the other one. pakkamaa here is not 'nearby' but 'around, about'
- எந்த நேரமும்enda nēramumany timeThe question word 'which' plus -um gives 'any': this is how Tamil makes indefinites out of questions
- அஞ்சு மணிக்கு முந்தி ஏலாதுañcu maṇikku mundi ēlādunot before fiveelaadhu is the Jaffna 'it will not do, impossible'; Tamil Nadu puts the other verb in its place. Literally 'earlier than five will not do'
- நேரத்துக்கு வருவேன்nērattukku varuvēṉI will be on timeThe future in -ven. To be late is 'I will come late', and the English 'late' inside it is perfectly normal
- வரைக்கும்varaikkumuntilLiterally 'up to'. The English 'not' is superfluous here: 'coming until' means 'until he comes', with no negation in sight
- நூற்றாண்டுnūṟṟāṇḍuhundred-year period'Hundred' plus 'year' — the bookish word that dates are written with. The spoken pair is just 'a hundred years'. An age, an era, is another word in this lesson
- காலகட்டம்kālagaṭṭameraKaalam, 'time', plus gattam, 'stage'. About a person's life the same word: 'a stage of my life'
- பத்தாண்டுpattāṇḍudecade'Ten' plus 'year', fused. The same build gives 'five years' and 'twenty years' as spans
- காலப்பகுதிkālappagudiperiodLiterally 'a part of time'. A stretch with a start and an end; the era word is more about an epoch, this one about a span
- ஒரு கணம்oru kaṇaman instantka-nam; the n here is the curled kind — its plain twin makes the word for 'heaviness'
- நெடுங்காலமானneḍuṅgālamāṉalong-lasting'Long' plus 'time'. About an illness people say it differently — 'a long-standing illness' from wave 4
- அண்மையிலaṇmaiyilathe other dayFrom anmai, 'nearness': near in time. About the future the same word means 'any day now'
- இக்காலத்திலikkālattilanowadaysThe 'this' before 'time' fuses into ik-. The same build gives 'in those times' and 'in all times'
- காலங்காலமாkālaṅgālamāfrom time immemorialThe doubling of 'time' — this is Tamil's 'always, as long as anyone remembers'. Built the same way as 'from village to village'
- சில நிமிசத்திலsila nimisattilain a matter of minutesLiterally 'in a few minutes'. The locative answers 'in how long' here, not 'when'
- நவீனnavīṉamodernAbout technology, houses, views. It stands right before the noun, without -aana
- பழங்காலpaḻaṅgālaancientThe 'old' word plus 'time'. About a thing people say 'old'; about an epoch and a temple — this one
- போன காலம்pōṉa kālamdays gone byLiterally 'the time that has gone'. There is no separate word: only the participle of 'to go'
- அரிதாaridāonce in a whileFrom aridu, 'rarity'. The 'sometimes' adverb is already in the course: that one is about chance, this one about rarity
- நாள் தோறும்nāḷ tōṟumdailyThe ending -thorum means 'at each': week by week, month by month
- ஒழுங்காoḻuṅgāregularlyFrom ozhungu, 'order'. The same word means 'properly': Tamil does not split regularity from tidiness
- முதல் தரமாmudal taramāfor the first timeLiterally 'in the first time'. The word tharam, 'a time', you saw in 'twice a week' from wave 5
- புதுசாpudusāanewFrom 'newness'. Anew means 'like new': 'write it anew'
- நாளுக்கு நாள் கூடnāḷukku nāḷ kūḍamore and more oftenLiterally 'day to day, even more'. The repeat of a noun with the dative is Tamil's formula of growth
- வேலை நாட்களிலvēlai nāṭkaḷilaon weekdaysLiterally 'on working days'. The noun 'working day' is already in the course; here it is plural and locative
- ஒரு தரம் விட்டுoru taram viṭṭuevery other timeLiterally 'having skipped one time'. About days the same: 'a day on, a day off'
- வருஷத்துக்கு ஒரு தரம்varuṣattukku oru taramonce a yearThe dative by a span of time answers 'how many times per': 'twice a week' is built the same way
- இடையிடையேiḍaiyiḍaiyēevery now and thenThe doubling of idai, 'the gap between'. The 'often' adverb is already in the course: that one counts, this one notices breaks
- அதுக்கிடையிலadukkiḍaiyilameanwhile'That' plus 'in the gap'. It opens the second sentence, the way 'meanwhile' does
- இணையாiṇaiyāin parallelFrom inai, 'a pair': two tasks go side by side. In living speech people say 'at one time', but that word is taken in the course as 'simultaneously'
- அது வரைக்கும்adu varaikkumuntil thenVaraikkum, 'up to', is the island form; across the strait it is shorter. About place the same word: 'as far as the town'
- காலப்போக்கிலkālappōkkilalater onLiterally 'in the flow of time'. It also means 'with time' — and that is the closer sense
- முதல் நாள்mudal nāḷthe day beforeLiterally 'the first day', that is, the day before the event: 'the day before the wedding'
- இனிமேல்iṉimēlfrom now onLiterally 'now and further'. In a reproach it sounds like 'from now on': 'no more of that'
- இந்தத் தரம்indat taramthis timeThe 'this' doubles a following t: 'this time'. That is sandhi at work, not a typo
- நேரத்துக்குnērattukkuin due timeLiterally 'by the time'. The ready phrases 'I will come on time' and 'make it in time' already stand in the course — here is the phrase by itself
- பிந்தித் திகதி போட்டுpindit tigadi pōṭṭuretroactivelyLiterally 'having put a belated date'. Thigadi, 'date', is the island word; across the strait they say the other one
- தாமதம் இல்லாமtāmadam illāmawithout delayThaamadham already stands in the course as a late payment; with the negation it becomes 'without a hold-up'
- பெப்ரவரிpebravariFebruaryThe second month, right after the January you met in unit eight. Months in speech and in documents are the English ones: Tamil's own solar row lives on, but it counts festivals, horoscopes and the new year — not the date on a ticket or a visa
- மார்ச்mārcMarchmaarch; the final c sounds as 'ch', not as 's'
- ஏப்ரல்ēpralAprilThe one month whose native name is heard as often as the English: in mid-April comes the Tamil new year
- மேmēMayThe shortest month name — a single sign with a long e. In speech it almost always takes 'month' with it, or it cannot be heard at all
- ஜூன்jūṉJunejuun; the letter j belongs to the borrowed series and never occurs in native Tamil words
- ஆகஸ்ட்āgasṭAugustComes right after the July of unit eight. The island also writes it with a different first letter — pronounced the same either way. In August Jaffna holds the great festival of the city
- செப்டெம்பர்sepṭembarSeptemberThe longest month name; in fast speech the first e is swallowed — 'sep-tem-bar'
- ஒக்டோபர்okṭōbarOctoberAlso written with a different first letter — both spellings are in use, only the first letter differs
- நவம்பர்navambarNovemberFrom November the north-east monsoon reaches the north of the island
- டிசம்பர்ḍisembarDecemberThe last month of the year. Documents write the year's end simply as 'December 31'
- வருஷம்varuṣamyearThe spoken form of the bookish 'year'. The bookish one surfaces inside compounds — 'century', 'anniversary' — but hardly ever on its own in speech
- இருபத்தி நாலு மணித்தியாலம்irubatti nālu maṇittiyālamfull dayTamil has no separate word for 'a day and a night': it counts hours. Maṇittiyālam is the Lankan 'hour'; Tamil Nadu says maṇi nēram
- நூறு வருஷம்nūṟu varuṣamcenturyLiterally 'one hundred years' — that is how one speaks of a centenary. The bookish 'hundred-years' word stands in the course for 'century' as an era
- நிமிஷம்nimiṣamminuteThe bookish form, and the one printed text keeps too. 'Just a minute' in speech is 'one nimisham'
- செக்கன்sekkaṉsecond (time)The English second — in live speech only this. The bookish word stays in the news and in sport
- அரை மணித்தியாலம்arai maṇittiyālamhalf an hour'Half' plus 'hour'. The quarter of an hour is assembled the same way: 'quarter hour'
- மத்தியானம்mattiyāṉamnoonNoon and lunchtime at once: Tamil does not split them. The bookish word points to exactly twelve but is hardly ever heard
- நடு ராத்திரிnaḍu rāttirimidnightLiterally 'the middle of the night'. The bookish word sits in timetables and news; in conversation it is 'middle rāttiri'
- இப்பippanowThe spoken form of the bookish 'at this time'. From it also 'right now' and 'just now'
- கெடுkeḍudeadlineThe appointed line past which it is too late. In the course's compounds a term is 'time', but keḍu is precisely the last day: the due date
- அடுத்தaḍuttanextIn a queue they call exactly this: aduttha! From adu, 'to follow'
- கடந்தkaḍandalastA participle of kada, 'to pass through'. Kadandha vāram — 'last week', the week that has passed
- தாமதமா வர்றேன்tāmadamā varṟēṉto be lateLiterally 'I come with a delay'. 'Delay' is the noun inside it
- நேரத்துக்கு போறேன்nērattukku pōṟēṉto make it in timeLiterally 'I go to the time'. There is no separate verb for 'to be in time' — Tamil walks towards the hour
- மறுபடியும்maṟubaḍiyumagainFrom 'other, anew'. Long, but a single word
- சீக்கிரம்sīkkiramsoon'Soon', 'quickly' and 'make it snappy' — one word for the whole of haste
- ரொம்ப நாளைக்கு முன்னromba nāḷaikku muṉṉaa long time agoLiterally 'many days before'. 'Before, earlier' stands at the end
- சமீபத்துலsamībattularecentlyFrom 'nearness', with the location tail. Literally 'in the near'
- லேட்டாlēṭṭālateThe English 'late' with a Tamil tail — in speech it has pushed out the native word for delay
- சீக்கிரமாsīkkiramāearlyThe same root as 'soon'. Tamil does not split 'early' and 'fast' the way English does
- வேகமாvēgamāquicklyFrom 'speed', a Sanskrit root. The tail -ā makes the adverb
- இப்பதான்ippodāṉjust nowFrom 'now' plus the emphasising particle: literally 'precisely now'
- காலையிலkālaiyilain the morningThe location form of kālai, 'morning'. The full bookish kālaiyil lives in newspapers
- பகல்லpagallain the daytimePagal is the light half of the day, the opposite of iravu, night. Noon itself has a separate word, mattiyāṉam
- மாலையிலmālaiyilain the eveningFrom mālai, 'evening'. On the island you more often hear sāyantaram; Tamil Nadu says sāyaṅkālam
- இரவிலiravilaat nightFrom iravu. The colloquial rival rāttiri is a Sanskrit loan; iravu is the native word
- தினமும்tiṉamumevery dayTiṉam is 'day', a Sanskrit loan; -um here means 'every single time'. The native twin is nāḷtōṟum
- நாள் முழுக்கnāḷ muḻukkaall dayMuḻukka means 'through and through'. The same trick gives varuṣam muḻukka, 'the whole year'
- கணம்kaṇammomentA Sanskrit loan shorter than a minute. Note the long ṇ — do not confuse it with kaṉam, 'heavy'
- கடிகாரம்kaḍigāramclockFrom Sanskrit ghaṭikā. A wristwatch is kaik kaṭigāram, while time itself is told with the native maṇi
- மணி என்னmaṇi eṉṉawhat time is it?Literally 'the hour — what?' There is no verb in the question: Tamil drops the linking verb in the present
- நாள்nāḷdayYou know piṟandanāḷ, 'birthday', and iṉṉikku, 'today'. Nāḷ is the full day-and-night circle; the daylight half is pagal, and the two are not to be confused
- மணி நேரம்maṇi nēramhourYou know maṇi, 'bell', and nēram, 'time'. On a clock face maṇi means 'o'clock', but an hour as a stretch of sixty minutes is only maṇi nēram — without nēram you get a point on the clock, not a length
- என்னைக்காவதுeṉṉaikkāvadusomedayYou know 'sometimes' and 'on what day'. This is 'on some day or other': it looks forward, into an unpromised future, while 'sometimes' speaks of what already happens from time to time
- ரெண்டு தரம்reṇḍu taramtwiceYou know 'one more time': 'time' as an occasion is the word inside it. Once is 'one time', thrice is 'three times'; Tamil keeps no separate word for each number
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.
- இன்னிக்கு வேலை இல்லைiṉṉikku vēlai illaiToday there is no work
- நாளைக்கு சந்திப்பம்nāḷaikku sandippamTomorrow we will meet
- நேற்று ரொம்ப மழைnēṟṟu romba maḻaiYesterday there was heavy rain
- காலையில டீ குடிக்கிறேன்kālaiyila ṭī kuḍikkiṟēṉIn the morning I drink tea
- மாலையில கடலுக்கு போவம்mālaiyila kaḍalukku pōvamIn the evening we will go to the sea
- இரவு ரொம்ப அமைதிiravu romba amaidiAt night it is very quiet
What is worth knowing about these words
இன்னிக்கு (iṉṉikku) — today. The spoken form of the bookish 'this day'. In Jaffna you will hear another variant too — both are native
நாளைக்கு (nāḷaikku) — tomorrow. 'Day' plus the direction ending -kku: literally 'onto the day ahead'. The day after tomorrow is built the same way
நேற்று (nēṟṟu) — yesterday. A bookish form, but it lives in speech too. The day before yesterday is 'the earlier day'
காலை (kālai) — morning. Do not confuse with 'leg' or 'weed'. 'In the morning' adds the location tail. There is no separate 'good morning' on the island — one greets with vaṇakkam at any hour
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 இன்னிக்கு (iṉṉikku) — today.
- What is this word?
It is எப்ப வருவீங்க? (eppa varuvīṅga?) — when will you come?.
- What is this word?
It is நேர அட்டவணை (nēra aṭṭavaṇai) — timetable.
- What is this word?
It is அதே நேரத்தில (adē nērattila) — all the while.
- What is this word?
It is அடிக்கடி (aḍikkaḍi) — often.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “today” in Tamil?
The spoken form of the bookish 'this day'. In Jaffna you will hear another variant too — both are native
- How do you say “when will you come?” in Tamil?
'When' plus the polite 'you' in the future tense
- How do you say “timetable” in Tamil?
'Time' plus 'table'. In conversation people more often say the English 'time table'
- How do you say “all the while” in Tamil?
Literally 'in that very time'. It opens the second part. To tie two actions of one sentence, Tamil hangs a different ending on the verb
- How do you say “often” in Tamil?
A reduplicated word from adi, 'a blow': 'blow upon blow'. Tamil has many such doublings, and they are almost always about repetition
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
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 “today” in Tamil?
«இன்னிக்கு», read “iṉṉikku”. The spoken form of the bookish 'this day'. In Jaffna you will hear another variant too — both are native. It is one of 142 words in the set “time, days and hours” — the rest are in the table above.
How many time words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 142 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, 142 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.