LingoflyPhrases that save you in Tamil
16 words in Tamil on the topic “phrases that save you”: புரியேல்லை (puriyēllai) — I don't understand, மெதுவா (meduvā) — slowly, திரும்பச் சொல்லுங்கோ (tirumbac solluṅgō) — please say that again, உதவி (udavi) — help. 16 words can be played from recordings.
16 words on the topic
- புரியேல்லைpuriyēllaiI don't understandThe colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether
- மெதுவாmeduvāslowlyFrom medhu, soft, plus -ā. The request medhuva sollunga, 'speak slowly', is worth memorising first of all
- திரும்பச் சொல்லுங்கோtirumbac solluṅgōplease say that againLiterally 'say, having returned': tirumba means 'again, back'. There is no word for please here at all — the polite ending -uṅgō carries it
- உதவிudavihelpHere the position rule is visible: t between vowels sounds like d, so the word runs udavi, not utavi
- ஒரு நிமிஷம் இருங்கோoru nimiṣam iruṅgōwait a minuteLiterally 'be a minute'. 'Minute' is a Sanskrit loan; the bookish form has a d
- என்னால திறக்க முடியேல்லைeṉṉāla tiṟakka muḍiyēllaiI 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 கூப்பிடுங்கோpolisai kūppiḍuṅgōcall the policeOn the island they write it the British way, in Tamil Nadu the other. The ending marks the direct object
- பாஸ்போர்ட்டைக் காணேல்லைpāspōrṭṭaik kāṇēllaiI have lost my passportLiterally 'the passport is not seen': about a loss Tamil speaks without any verb 'to lose'
- எனக்கு உடம்பு சரியில்லைeṉakku uḍambu sariyillaiI feel unwellLiterally 'my body is not in order' — the usual way to say one is off colour
- தொட வேண்டாம்toḍa vēṇḍāmdon't touchThe polite prohibition is the infinitive plus vēṇḍām: the same shape gives 'do not go', 'do not say'
- நான் வழி தவறிட்டன்nāṉ vaḻi tavaṟiṭṭaṉI am lostIn Tamil it is not the person that gets lost but the way: 'path' plus 'to err'. The Jaffna ending marks a completed action in the 'I' form. A lost thing takes a different verb — 'it got lost and went'
- ஆங்கிலம் பேசுறியளா?āṅkilam pēsuṟiyaḷā?do you speak English?Assembled from aangilam, 'English', and pēsu, 'to speak'. The tail -ā is the whole question — no separate word is needed
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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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
புரியேல்லை (puriyēllai) — I don't understand. The colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether.
மெதுவா (meduvā) — slowly. From medhu, soft, plus -ā. The request medhuva sollunga, 'speak slowly', is worth memorising first of all.
திரும்பச் சொல்லுங்கோ (tirumbac solluṅgō) — please say that again. Literally 'say, having returned': tirumba means 'again, back'. There is no word for please here at all — the polite ending -uṅgō carries it.
உதவி (udavi) — help. Here the position rule is visible: t between vowels sounds like d, so the word runs udavi, not utavi.
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 புரியேல்லை (puriyēllai) — I don't understand.
- What is this word?
It is எனக்கு டாக்டர் வேணும் (eṉakku ḍākṭar vēṇum) — I need a doctor.
- What is this word?
It is நான் வழி தவறிட்டன் (nāṉ vaḻi tavaṟiṭṭaṉ) — I am lost.
- What is this word?
It is என்னால திறக்க முடியேல்லை (eṉṉāla tiṟakka muḍiyēllai) — I cannot open it.
- What is this word?
It is எனக்கு உடம்பு சரியில்லை (eṉakku uḍambu sariyillai) — I feel unwell.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, 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 “I am lost” in Tamil?
In Tamil it is not the person that gets lost but the way: 'path' plus 'to err'. The Jaffna ending marks a completed action in the 'I' form. A lost thing takes a different verb — 'it got lost and went'
- How do you say “I cannot open it” in Tamil?
The Tamil 'I can't' goes through 'by me': 'by me' plus the infinitive plus 'not comes out'
- How do you say “I feel unwell” in Tamil?
Literally 'my body is not in order' — the usual way to say one is off colour
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“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.
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 don't understand” in Tamil?
«புரியேல்லை» (puriyēllai), read “puriyēllai”. The colloquial short form. Literally 'it is not understood' — the language dodges the subject altogether. It is one of 16 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 16 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, 16 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.