Language/Tamil/Grammar/Nominative-and-Accusative-Cases
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As a Tamil language teacher with 20 years of experience, I know that Tamil grammar can be challenging for beginners. In this lesson, we will focus on the nominative and accusative cases in Tamil. These cases are essential in forming sentences and understanding the structure of Tamil as a language. By the end of this lesson, you will have a good understanding of how to use the nominative and accusative cases in your sentences.
Nominative Case
The Nominative case is used to refer to the subject of the sentence. For example: "நான் அழகான பழக்கம் உண்டாக்குகிறேன் (nāṉ aḻakāṉa paḻakkam uṇṭākkiṟēṉ)" means "I am creating a beautiful painting." Here, "நான் (nāṉ)" is the subject of the sentence, and it is in the nominative case.
Here are some more examples of sentences in the nominative case:
Tamil | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
அவன் பதில் கொடுக்க வேண்டும் (avan padhil koṭukka vēṇṭum) | əʋən pəd̪ɪɻ koʈʊʈkə veːɳɖʊm | He must give the answer. |
அவர் ஒரு நல்ல சகோதரி (avar oru nalla sakōthari) | əʋər ɔru n̪əllə sakəʋəd̪ari | She is a good sister. |
நாம் கண்காணிப்போம் (nām kaṇkāṇippōm) | nɑːm kaŋkaːɳippom | We see. |
Now that you have seen some examples, let's practice some sentences together.
- நான் பழக்கம் உண்டாக்குகிறேன் (nāṉ paḻakkam uṇṭākkiṟēṉ) - I am making a painting.
- அவன் பக்கத்தில் இருக்கிறான் (avan pakkathil irukkiṟān) - He is standing near.
- அவள் வாங்கி விட்டது (avaḷ vāṅgi viṭṭadu) - She bought and left.
- நாம் பாடுகிறோம் (nām pāṭukirōm) - We are singing.
Accusative Case
The Accusative case is used to refer to the object of the sentence. For example: "நான் ஒரு படம் பார்க்கிறேன் (nāṉ oru paṭam pārkkiṟēṉ)" means "I am watching a movie." Here, "படம் (paṭam)" is the object of the sentence, and it is in the accusative case.
Here are some more examples of sentences in the accusative case:
Tamil | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
நான் ஒரு மாணவனை பார்த்தேன் (nāṉ oru māṇavaṉai pārttēṉ) | nɑːn oru maːɳavəɳəj paːrt̪teːɳ | I saw a student. |
நாம் பழக்கத்தை கண்டு கொண்டோம் (nām paḻakkattai kaṇṭu koṇṭōm) | nɑːm paɻəkkaʈʈəj ɡəɳɖʊ koɳɖoːm | We have seen the painting. |
நான் படிக்கிறேன் புத்தகத்தை (nāṉ paṭikkiṟēṉ puttakattai) | nɑːn pəʈɪkːiraːn putʰakhət̪t̪aj | I am reading a book. |
Now let's practice some more sentences together:
- என் அம்மா காதலால் எனக்கு பொருள் வாங்கினார் (en ammā kādalāl enakku poruḷ vāṅginaar) - My mother bought me something with love.
- அவர் முன் பார்த்திருந்த படத்தை நான் பார்த்தேன் (avar muṉ pārttirundha paṭattai nān pārttēṉ) - I watched the movie he had watched before.
- அவள் மிஸ் பண்ணிய உண்டுகிற கேள்விக்கு பதில் பார்க்கிறேன் (avaḷ miss paṇṇiya uṇṭu kiṟa kēḷvikku padhil pārkkiṟēṉ) - I am checking the answer for the question she missed.
Postpositions
Postpositions are words that can be added to the end of a noun or a pronoun to indicate its relationship with other words in the sentence. In Tamil, postpositions play a crucial role in forming sentences, just like cases.
Here are some examples of postpositions:
Tamil | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
இருக்கும் (irukkum) | irukku(ŋ) | to exist, in or at |
அடி (aṭi) | aɖi | towards |
முன் (muṉ) | muɳ | in front of |
Here are some examples of sentences using postpositions:
- என் வீட்டிற்கு அடிகளை சேர்த்தேன் (en vīṭṭiṟku aṭikaḷai cērttēṉ) - I added fences to my house.
- அவர் என் முன் இருக்கிறார் (avar en muṉ irukkiṟār) - He is standing in front of me.
- ஆம் அழகு செய்து ஆசப்போம் (ām aḻaku seydhu āsap pōm) - Let's create beauty by working towards it.
Now that you have learned about the nominative and accusative cases and how to use postpositions, let's practice some more sentences together:
- நீங்கள் எங்கு வாங்கியுள்ளீர்கள்? (nīṅkaḷ eṅku vāṅgiyuḷḷīrkaḷ?) - Where did you buy it?
- நான் நீலம் பார்க்க போகிறேன் (nāṉ nīlam pārkka pōkiṟēṉ) - I am going to see the sky.
- நீங்கள் எப்போது சேர்க்கிறீர்கள்? (nīṅkaḷ eppōtu cērkiṟīrkaḷ?) - When are you coming?
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the lesson on the nominative and accusative cases in Tamil. By now, you should have a good understanding of how to use these cases in your sentences, and how to use postpositions to indicate the relationship between elements in your sentences. Keep practicing and remember that language learning takes time and effort.
Now you can move ahead in the course to learn the next topics!
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