புரியலை
“புரியலை” (puriyalai) — I don't understand in Tamil. Phrase, level A0, topic — phrases that save you. The colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether. In a live sentence: “மன்னிக்கவும், புரியலை” — Excuse me, I don't understand. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ப, ு, ர, ி, ய, ல, ை. One of 16 words in the set “phrases that save you” in the Tamil course.
In short
| Written in Tamil | புரியலை |
| Read in Latin letters | puriyalai |
| Translation | I don't understand |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A0 |
- புரியலைpuriyalaiI don't understand
Why it looks that way
The colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether
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, புரியலைmaṉṉikkavum, puriyalaiExcuse me, I don't understand
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.
- 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
- பொலிஸை கூப்பிடுங்கpolisai kūppiḍuṅgacall the policeOn the island they write it the British way, in Tamil Nadu the other. The ending marks the direct object
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 “I don't understand” in Tamil?
The colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether
- How do you say “I need a doctor” in Tamil?
The same 'to me ... is wanted' scheme as in 'I need tea'
- How do you say “help” in Tamil?
Here the position rule is visible: t between vowels sounds like d, so the word runs udavi, not utavi
- How do you say “call the police” in Tamil?
On the island they write it the British way, in Tamil Nadu the other. The ending marks the direct object
- How do you say “ambulance” in Tamil?
The English ambulance. The ambulance number in Sri Lanka is 1990
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 “I don't understand” in Tamil?
«புரியலை», read “puriyalai”. In a live sentence: “மன்னிக்கவும், புரியலை” — Excuse me, I don't understand. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A0, from the set “phrases that save you”; written with the characters ப, ு, ர, ி, ய, ல, ை.
How is “புரியலை” written in Latin letters?
puriyalai. 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 colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether. 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.