Index of Tamil Infinitive Posts

Rules for creating the Infinitive are followed by and index of posts related to the infinitive



General Rules for Making the Infinitive from the Verb Root (from Tamil: A Foundation Course by Balasubramaniam)
verb class, verb root --> infinitive form
1a   செய்    -->  செய்ய
1b  ஆள்      --> ஆள
1c  செல்     --> செல்ல

2  அசை     --> அசைய

3  வாங்கு  -->வாங்க

4  சாப்பிடு     --> சாப்பிட

5a  உண்     --> உண்ண
5b  தின்     --> தின்ன
5c  கேள் (ள் --> ட்)  --> கேட்க 
5d  வில் (ல்-->ற்)   --> விற்க

6  பார்     -->  பார்க்க

7  நட     --> நடக்க

Irregular Verbs in the infinitive:
தா --> தர
வா --> வர
போ --> போக
சொல் --> சொல்ல
ஆ --> ஆக
காண் --> காண
நில் --> நிற்க
சா --> சாக

Index of Infinitive Posts

• Sample uses of infinitive from Balasubramaniam's Tamil Foundation Course, Unit 27
• Infinitive used in creating negative command
• List of Verb Roots and Infinitives
  

"How old are you?"

Again there are differences between formal written and colloquial spoken Tamil.

"How old are you?" has been translated in these three ways:
ungalukku ethanai vayasu?

ungalukku evvalavu vayasu achu?
unga vayasu enna?(this is the most casual spoken language)

The answer, "I am ____", or "I am _____ years old." is:
enakku ______ vayasu.

Verb Vocabulary List

Verb Vocabulary List

Class 1
செய்  to do
பெய்  to rain
அழு  to cry

Class 2
உட்கார்  to sit
வா  to come
கொண்டுவா  to bring

Class 3
வாங்கு  to buy
எழுது  to write
பேசு  to talk
சொல்  to say
ஓடு  to run
பாடு  to sing
விளையாடு  play
தூங்கு  to sleep
பண்ணு  to do/make
போ  to go
ஆகு, ஆக்கு become, make
காட்டு  to show

Class 4
சாப்பிடு  to eat
கூப்பிடு  to call
கும்பிடு  to pray
தொடு  to touch
போடு  to put, throw

Class 5
கேள்  to hear, ask, listen
நில்  to stand
வில்  to sell

Class 6
பார்  to see
படி to study
நினை  to think
குளி to bathe
சமை  to cook
கொடு  to give
பிடி  like/catch
கிடை  get, be available
சிரி  to laugh
அடி  to hit, beat
எடு  to take
வை  to put, place, keep

Class 7
நட  to walk/happen
பிற  to be born
திற to open
பற to fly
கல to mix
இரு to be, exist, live, sit
எழுந்திரு to get up
காத்திரு  wait

Index of Tamil Past Tense Posts

Tamil Past Tense Positive general formation rules

• Class 1:  add -த்  to the root then add the correct pronoun ending
• Class 1b: remove ள்  add -ண்ட்-  to the root then add the correct pronoun ending
• Class 1c: remove ல் add -ன்ற் to the root then add the correct pronoun ending
• Class 2: add -ந்த்  to the root then add the correct pronoun ending
• Class 3: add -இன்  to the root then add the correct pronoun ending (*3rd person "it" and "they" have additional rules)
• Class 4: Double the final consonant of the root and then add the correct pronoun ending
• Class 5: remove the last letter of the root, add those listed below and the correct pronoun ending.
• Class 5a:  -ண்ட்-
• Class 5b: -ன்ற்-
• Class 5c: -ட்ட்-
• Class 5d: -ற்ற்-
• Class 6: add -த்த்  to the root then add the correct pronoun ending
• Class 7: add -ந்த்  to the root then add the correct pronoun ending 

Tamil Past Tense Negative general formation rules:

Infinitive + வ் + இல்லை

Index of Past Tense Posts:

• Lesson 16 from Duke PDF Covers Class 1 and 2 verbs Past Tense Positive  
• Lesson 17 from Duke PDF Covers Classes 3,4,6,7 Past Tense Positive 
• Lesson 19 from Duke PDF Covers Irregular Past Tense Positive
• Comparison of Past Present Future sentences from Balasubramaniam 
• Irregular Past Tense Conjugations Practice work 
• Negative Present and Past Tense Lesson 23 from the Duke pdf

Chat notes: "How do you say...?" and Intro to Sentence Frames

One of the things I have been trying to get for some time is a simple sentence starter for "How do you say _______ in Tamil" with the whole sentence in Tamil. With the help of a girl in Sri Lanka, I think we have it!
(This is conversational Tamil. I'll have to work on how to make it proper written Tamil next.)

For the sentence: "How do you say ________ in English?"
we say: "aangilathil ______ epadi solvinga?"

For the sentence: "How do you say ________ in Tamil?" 
we say: "thamilile ______ epadi solvinga?"
The ending "ile" = in

Continue reading...

Body Part Vocab

This is Lesson 1 of the Tamil Nadu government's Environmental Studies textbook for 1st grade.

Continue reading...

Pronouns and possessive forms

How to make possessive forms of pronouns and regular nouns:

Pronouns we memorize, though you do see some patterns throughout:

• I = நான்; my=என்
• you = நீ ; your = உன்
• you (polite or plural) = நீங்கள், your= உங்கள்
• we (exclusive)= நாங்கள், our=எங்கள்
• we (inclusive)= நாம், our= நம்
• he/his அவன்/இவன்;  theirs = அவர்கள்/இவர்கள்
• she/her அவள்/இவள்;  theirs = அவர்கள்/இவர்கள்
• he/she/his/her அவர்/இவர்;  theirs = அவர்கள்/இவர்கள்
• it (close, here)= இது; its=இதன்; theirs (neuter)=இவைகளுடைய
• it (far, over there)=அது; its=அதன்; theirs (neuter)= அவைகளுடைய

Regular and proper nouns seem to have two options:
Add the suffix "oodaya" or "in"
above we see that "it" uses "ளுடைய"
other examples: house= வீடு; house's = வீடின்
I am currently in the polling stage to find what the rules are.
When do you use "in" and when "oodaya"???
Are they essentially synonymous?

Possessive/Genitive form is expected in chapter 5 of Hart's Tamil for Beginner's though it is introduced without much explanation, and the accompanying grammar book does not have a section for it...
In Asher's Colloquial Tamil "ooda" is used to designate the possessive form: "peeraasiriyar professor; peeraasiriyaroo∂a professor’s."