ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?
“ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?” (āṅkilam pēsuṟīṅgaḷā?) — do you speak English? in Tamil. Phrase, level A0, topic — phrases that save you. Assembled from words you know: aangilam, 'English', pēsu, 'to speak'. The tail -ā is the whole question — no separate word is needed. In a live sentence: “மன்னிக்கவும், ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?” — Excuse me, do you speak English? You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ஆ, ங, ், க, ி, ல, ம, ், ப, ே, ச, ு.
In short
| Written in Tamil | ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா? |
| Read in Latin letters | āṅkilam pēsuṟīṅgaḷā? |
| Translation | do you speak English? |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A0 |
- ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?āṅkilam pēsuṟīṅgaḷā?do you speak English?
Why it looks that way
Assembled from words you know: aangilam, 'English', pēsu, 'to speak'. The tail -ā is the whole question — no separate word is needed
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- மன்னிக்கவும், ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?maṉṉikkavum, āṅkilam pēsuṟīṅgaḷā?Excuse me, do you speak English?
Nearby words: phrases that save you
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
- புரியலைpuriyalaiI don't understandThe colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether
- மெதுவாmeduvāslowlyFrom medhu, soft, plus -ā. The request medhuva sollunga, 'speak slowly', is worth memorising first of all
- திரும்பச் சொல்லுங்கtirumbac solluṅgaplease say that againLiterally 'say, having returned': tirumba means 'again, back'. There is no word for please here at all — the polite ending -uṅga carries it
- உதவிudavihelpHere the position rule is visible: t between vowels sounds like d, so the word runs udavi, not utavi
- ஒரு நிமிஷம் இருங்கoru nimiṣam iruṅgawait a minuteLiterally 'be a minute'. 'Minute' is a Sanskrit loan; the bookish form has a d
- என்னால திறக்க முடியலைeṉṉāla tiṟakka muḍiyalaiI cannot open itThe Tamil 'I can't' goes through 'by me': 'by me' plus the infinitive plus 'not comes out'
- அம்புலன்ஸ்ambulaṉsambulanceThe English ambulance. The ambulance number in Sri Lanka is 1990
- எனக்கு டாக்டர் வேணும்eṉakku ḍākṭar vēṇumI need a doctorThe same 'to me ... is wanted' scheme as in 'I need tea'
- பாத்து!pāttu!look outLiterally 'look!'. The full form is 'having looked'; in a shout it is clipped
- ஆபத்துābattudangerThe noun 'danger': 'this is a danger', 'a dangerous place' is built on it
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “phrases that save you”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “do you speak English?” in Tamil?
Assembled from words you know: aangilam, 'English', pēsu, 'to speak'. The tail -ā is the whole question — no separate word is needed
- How do you say “ambulance” in Tamil?
The English ambulance. The ambulance number in Sri Lanka is 1990
- How do you say “please say that again” in Tamil?
Literally 'say, having returned': tirumba means 'again, back'. There is no word for please here at all — the polite ending -uṅga carries it
- How do you say “danger” in Tamil?
The noun 'danger': 'this is a danger', 'a dangerous place' is built on it
- How do you say “I cannot open it” in Tamil?
The Tamil 'I can't' goes through 'by me': 'by me' plus the infinitive plus 'not comes out'
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “do you speak English?” in Tamil?
«ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?», read “āṅkilam pēsuṟīṅgaḷā?”. In a live sentence: “மன்னிக்கவும், ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?” — Excuse me, do you speak English? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A0, from the set “phrases that save you”; written with the characters ஆ, ங, ், க, ி, ல, ம, ், ப, ே, ச, ு.
How is “ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறீங்களா?” written in Latin letters?
āṅkilam pēsuṟīṅgaḷā?. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Assembled from words you know: aangilam, 'English', pēsu, 'to speak'. The tail -ā is the whole question — no separate word is needed. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.