டிரைவர்
“டிரைவர்” (ḍraivar) — driver in Tamil. Noun, level A1, topic — transport. The English driver. The bookish word exists too. In a live sentence: “பஸ் டிரைவர் நல்லா ஓட்டுறார்” — The bus driver drives well. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ட, ி, ர, ை, வ, ர, ். One of 20 words in the set “transport” in the Tamil course.
In short
| Written in Tamil | டிரைவர் |
| Read in Latin letters | ḍraivar |
| Translation | driver |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
- டிரைவர்ḍraivardriver
Why it looks that way
The English driver. The bookish word exists too
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.
- பஸ் டிரைவர் நல்லா ஓட்டுறார்bas ḍraivar nallā ōṭṭuṟārThe bus driver drives well
Nearby words: transport
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
- பஸ்basbusThe English bus, written with the grantha letter reserved for foreign sounds
- ரயில்rayiltrainThe English rail. Words snap together: 'rail station' is the railway station, 'rail box' a carriage
- டாக்ஸிṭāksitaxiA car with a driver. The three-wheeler, of which there are many more on the island, has its own name: auto
- ஆட்டோāṭṭōtuk-tukThe three-wheeled taxi. In the south of the island it is a 'tuk-tuk', in the north simply an 'auto'
- டிக்கட்ṭikkaṭticketThe English ticket — that is what one says at the station. The bookish word lives on plates and in announcements
- பிளாட்பாரம்plāṭpāramplatformThe English platform. The bookish word is known, but at the station nobody uses it
- ரயில் பெட்டிrayil peṭṭitrain carriageLiterally 'the train's box': a box, a suitcase and a carriage are one word
- விமானம்vimāṉamairplaneThat is what people say in speech. 'To fly' is 'I go by airplane', literally
- படகுpaḍaguboatpa-da-gu; the t between vowels sounds like d, and the k at the end like g
- நிறுத்தம்niṟuttamstopFrom 'to stop'. You know the bus stop compound and the last stop; the bare word suits any stop
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “transport”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “driver” in Tamil?
The English driver. The bookish word exists too
- How do you say “train carriage” in Tamil?
Literally 'the train's box': a box, a suitcase and a carriage are one word
- How do you say “taxi” in Tamil?
A car with a driver. The three-wheeler, of which there are many more on the island, has its own name: auto
- How do you say “stop” in Tamil?
From 'to stop'. You know the bus stop compound and the last stop; the bare word suits any stop
- How do you say “platform” in Tamil?
The English platform. The bookish word is known, but at the station nobody uses it
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 “driver” in Tamil?
«டிரைவர்», read “ḍraivar”. In a live sentence: “பஸ் டிரைவர் நல்லா ஓட்டுறார்” — The bus driver drives well. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “transport”; written with the characters ட, ி, ர, ை, வ, ர, ்.
How is “டிரைவர்” written in Latin letters?
ḍraivar. 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?
The English driver. The bookish word exists too. 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.