Lingoflyகெட்டுப் போச்சுது
- கெட்டுப் போச்சுதுkeṭṭup pōccuduit broke down
“கெட்டுப் போச்சுது” (keṭṭup pōccudu) — it broke down in Tamil. Phrase, level A2, topic — home and things. Literally 'having gone bad, it went' — about machines and about food alike. About something smashed one says 'it shattered'. In a live sentence: “குளிர்சாதனப் பெட்டி கெட்டுப் போச்சுது” (kuḷirsādaṉap peṭṭi keṭṭup pōccudu) — The fridge broke down. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters க, ெ, ட, ், ட, ு, ப, ், ப, ோ, ச, ்…
In short
| Written in Tamil | கெட்டுப் போச்சுது (keṭṭup pōccudu) |
| Read in Latin letters | keṭṭup pōccudu |
| Translation | it broke down |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | A2 |
Why it looks that way
Literally 'having gone bad, it went' — about machines and about food alike. About something smashed one says 'it shattered'
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.
Nearby words: home and things
Room, key, water, electricity. You will need them on your first day in a rented flat.
- வீடுvīḍuhomeHome as your own dwelling, not as a building. Before an ending the consonant doubles: vīṭṭukku, 'to the house'; vīṭṭil, 'at home'
- கூடைkūḍaibasketku-day; ṭ between vowels sounds like d, but like t at the start of a word
- பைpaibagAny sack and any bag. The polythene one is 'plastic bag'
- குடியிருப்புkuḍiyiruppudwelling'To live' plus 'abiding'. The name for a flat and for a residential house alike
- அறைaṟairooma-ray with a rolled r; 'half', arai, sounds softer
- சமையலறைsamaiyalaṟaikitchen'Cooking' plus 'room'
- குளியலறைkuḷiyalaṟaibathroom'Bathing' plus 'room'. The toilet is a separate room and a separate word
- பால்கனிbālkaṉibalconyThe English balcony: in borrowings b at the start of a word is read as b
- மாடிmāḍifloor (storey)Also 'the top of a house': a house of two māḍi is a two-storey house
- லிப்ட்lifṭliftThe English lift. The bookish word for it is never met in speech
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “home and things”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “it broke down” in Tamil?
Literally 'having gone bad, it went' — about machines and about food alike. About something smashed one says 'it shattered'
- How do you say “bathroom” in Tamil?
'Bathing' plus 'room'. The toilet is a separate room and a separate word
- How do you say “bag” in Tamil?
Any sack and any bag. The polythene one is 'plastic bag'
- How do you say “lift” in Tamil?
The English lift. The bookish word for it is never met in speech
- How do you say “kitchen” in Tamil?
'Cooking' plus 'room'
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 “it broke down” in Tamil?
«கெட்டுப் போச்சுது» (keṭṭup pōccudu), read “keṭṭup pōccudu”. In a live sentence: “குளிர்சாதனப் பெட்டி கெட்டுப் போச்சுது” (kuḷirsādaṉap peṭṭi keṭṭup pōccudu) — The fridge broke down. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level A2, from the set “home and things”; written with the characters க, ெ, ட, ், ட, ு, ப, ், ப, ோ, ச, ்…
How is “கெட்டுப் போச்சுது” (keṭṭup pōccudu) written in Latin letters?
keṭṭup pōccudu. 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?
Literally 'having gone bad, it went' — about machines and about food alike. About something smashed one says 'it shattered'. 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 this 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.