பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல
“பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல” (plag poyiṉṭ vēlai seyyudilla) — the socket doesn't work in Tamil. Phrase, level A1. The socket arrived together with the wiring and never got a name of its own: at home and in the shop people say 'plug point'. The Jaffna present negation is 'does not do'; the book would write the longer form. In a live sentence: “இந்தப் பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல” — This socket doesn't work. You can hear how it sounds right here.
In short
| Written in Tamil | பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல |
| Read in Latin letters | plag poyiṉṭ vēlai seyyudilla |
| Translation | the socket doesn't work |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A1 |
- பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்லplag poyiṉṭ vēlai seyyudillathe socket doesn't work
Why it looks that way
The socket arrived together with the wiring and never got a name of its own: at home and in the shop people say 'plug point'. The Jaffna present negation is 'does not do'; the book would write the longer form
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.
- இந்தப் பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்லindap plag poyiṉṭ vēlai seyyudillaThis socket doesn't work
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 “the socket doesn't work” in Tamil?
«பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல», read “plag poyiṉṭ vēlai seyyudilla”. In a live sentence: “இந்தப் பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல” — This socket doesn't work. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A1; written with the characters ப, ி, ள, க, ், ப, ொ, ய, ி, ன, ், ட.
How is “பிளக் பொயின்ட் வேலை செய்யுதில்ல” written in Latin letters?
plag poyiṉṭ vēlai seyyudilla. 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 socket arrived together with the wiring and never got a name of its own: at home and in the shop people say 'plug point'. The Jaffna present negation is 'does not do'; the book would write the longer form. 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.