Grammar 1: sentence order
Goal: By the end you can put a simple Tamil sentence in the right order.
Draft lesson: not yet reviewed by a fluent Tamil speaker.
Warm-up
நான்
nāṉ
I
புத்தகம்
puttakam
book
காபி
kāpi
coffee
The verb goes last
English says “I read a book”. Tamil says “I book read”: subject, then object, then verb. Keep the verb at the end and you will nearly always be understood.
நான் புத்தகம் படிக்கிறேன்.
nāṉ puttakam paṭikkiṟēṉ.
I read a book.
அம்மா காபி குடிக்கிறார்.
ammā kāpi kuṭikkiṟār.
Mother drinks coffee.
No word for “is”
To say that one thing is another, put them side by side. Notice that “student” has a male form (மாணவன்) and a female form (மாணவி).
இது புத்தகம்.
itu puttakam.
This is a book.
அவள் என் தங்கை.
avaḷ eṉ taṅkai.
She is my younger sister.
நான் மாணவி.
nāṉ māṇavi.
I am a student. (female speaker)
The verb ending shows who
The end of the verb changes with the person. Because of that, Tamil speakers often leave out “I” or “you”: the verb already says it.
படிக்கிறேன்
paṭikkiṟēṉ
I read
படிக்கிறாய்
paṭikkiṟāy
you read
படிக்கிறான்
paṭikkiṟāṉ
he reads
படிக்கிறாள்
paṭikkiṟāḷ
she reads
Try it
Question 1 of 6
What is the usual word order in Tamil?
Use it
Write three sentences in the order subject, object, verb. Use நான் with படிக்கிறேன் (read) or குடிக்கிறேன் (drink) and any objects you know.
Culture note
Because the endings carry so much meaning, Tamil word order is flexible. A speaker can move a word to the front to stress it, and poets rearrange lines freely. As a learner, keeping the verb last is the safe choice.
Recap
Key words
- நான் · I
- புத்தகம் · book
- காபி · coffee
Rules
- Word order is subject, object, verb. The verb goes last.
- “X is Y” needs no verb: இது புத்தகம்.
- Verb endings show the person: -ஏன் I, -ஆய் you, -ஆன் he, -ஆள் she.