LingoflyPronouns in Tamil
26 words in Tamil on the topic “pronouns”: நான் (nāṉ) — I, நீ — you (informal), நீங்கள் (nīṅgaḷ) — you (polite), அவர் (avar) — he. 26 words can be played from recordings.
26 words on the topic
- நான்nāṉIUsually dropped in speech: the verb ending already shows who acts. Naan is added for emphasis — 'I, personally'
- நீnīyou (informal)Only for close friends and children. With anyone else it sounds rude — switch to nīṅgaḷ
- நீங்கள்nīṅgaḷyou (polite)The polite you: for strangers, elders and everyone you are not on first-name terms with. Its verbs take the ending -iyaḷ
- அவர்avarheThe respectful form — so respectful that it is used about women too, whenever deference is due
- அவள்avaḷsheFor a younger woman or one of your own circle. About an elder or a stranger you switch to the respectful avar, the same word as 'he'
- நாங்கள்nāṅgaḷweWe without you: me and mine. If the 'we' includes the listener, Tamil reaches for a different word, nām — a distinction English never makes
- என்ரeṉramyThe Jaffna spoken form of the bookish eṉṉuṭaiya. The tail -ra is what makes it possessive; Tamil Nadu says eṉṉōḍa
- உன்ரuṉrayour (informal)For an equal or a younger person. For an elder it is uṅgaḍa, and mixing the two up is no small matter
- எங்கடeṅgaḍaourTamil splits 'our without you' (eṅgaḷ) from 'our with you' (nammaḷ) — a rare distinction
- உங்கடuṅgaḍayour (polite)Doubles as the polite 'your' singular. With elders and strangers this is the one to take
- அவர்ரavarrahis, her, their (whose)Tamil is more precise than English here: avaṉra about a man, avaḷiṉra about a woman, avarra politely about anyone. Tamil Nadu says avaṉōḍa, avaḷōḍa, avarōḍa
- சொந்தsondaownAlso 'native': sondha ūr, 'one's native town'. One word covering both senses of own
- நானேnāṉēmyselfFrom nān, 'I', with the intensifier -ē. It flexes by person: nānē, nīyē, avarē
- முழுmuḻuwholeStands before the noun: muḻu nāḷ, 'the whole day'. The letter ḻ is that special Tamil sound again
- ஒவ்வொருவரும்ovvoruvarumeach ofFrom ovvoru, 'every', plus an animate tail and -um. Long, but assembled transparently
- எந்த ஒருenda oruanyEndha is 'which', oru is 'one'. Together they yield 'any — whichever one you like'
- இந்தindathisTwo steps: 'this' near, 'that' farther. The initial i- and a- are what tell them apart
- அந்தandathatThe partner of 'this'. The same i-/a- opposition works in 'here/there' too
- இப்படிப்பட்டippaḍippaṭṭasuchFrom 'in this way'. The spoken 'like this' version is shorter and heard more often
- வேறvēṟaanotherThe spoken form of the bookish 'other'. It also means 'except'
- எந்தendanoneIn a negative phrase 'which' becomes 'none'. On its own it is simply 'which'
- யாரோyārōsomeoneFrom 'who' with the tail -ō of vagueness. 'Something' is assembled the same way
- ஏதோēdōsomething or otherThe partner of 'someone', built with the same tail -ō. One is for people, the other for things
- யாரும்yārumnone of themFrom 'who' with the tail -um. In a negative phrase it means 'no one'
- ஒண்டும்oṇḍumnothingFrom 'one', with the same tail -um. Literally 'and not one'
- அவைavaitheyAvar is 'he' and avaḷ is 'she', avai is 'they'. One elder is spoken of politely as avar, just as nīṅgaḷ stands for a single 'you'. Tamil Nadu takes the plural avaṅga for this
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
நான் (nāṉ) — I. Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already shows who acts. Naan is added for emphasis — 'I, personally'.
நீ (nī) — you (informal). Only for close friends and children. With anyone else it sounds rude — switch to nīṅgaḷ.
நீங்கள் (nīṅgaḷ) — you (polite). The polite you: for strangers, elders and everyone you are not on first-name terms with. Its verbs take the ending -iyaḷ.
அவர் (avar) — he. The respectful form — so respectful that it is used about women too, whenever deference is due.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is நான் (nāṉ) — I.
- What is this word?
It is உன்ர (uṉra) — your (informal).
- What is this word?
It is ஒவ்வொருவரும் (ovvoruvarum) — each of.
- What is this word?
It is யாரோ (yārō) — someone.
- What is this word?
It is நீங்கள் (nīṅgaḷ) — you (polite).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Tamil?
Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already shows who acts. Naan is added for emphasis — 'I, personally'
- How do you say “your (informal)” in Tamil?
For an equal or a younger person. For an elder it is uṅgaḍa, and mixing the two up is no small matter
- How do you say “each of” in Tamil?
From ovvoru, 'every', plus an animate tail and -um. Long, but assembled transparently
- How do you say “someone” in Tamil?
From 'who' with the tail -ō of vagueness. 'Something' is assembled the same way
- How do you say “you (polite)” in Tamil?
The polite you: for strangers, elders and everyone you are not on first-name terms with. Its verbs take the ending -iyaḷ
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I” in Tamil?
«நான்» (nāṉ), read “nāṉ”. Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already shows who acts. Naan is added for emphasis — 'I, personally'. It is one of 26 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 26 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 26 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.