Language/Tamil/Grammar/Nouns-and-Pronouns
Հայերէն
Български език
官话
官話
Hrvatski jezik
Český jazyk
Nederlands
English
Suomen kieli
Français
Deutsch
עברית
हिन्दी
Magyar
Bahasa Indonesia
فارسی
Italiano
日本語
Қазақ тілі
한국어
Lietuvių kalba
Νέα Ελληνικά
Şimali Azərbaycanlılar
Język polski
Português
Limba Română
Русский язык
Српски
Español
العربية القياسية
Svenska
Wikang Tagalog
ภาษาไทย
Türkçe
Українська мова
Urdu
Tiếng Việt
Introduction
As a Tamil language teacher for over 20 years, I have found that understanding the basics of Tamil grammar is crucial for anyone wanting to learn the language. In this lesson, we will dive into the world of nouns and pronouns, covering their different types, usage, and some interesting facts about the Tamil language along the way.
Nouns
Nouns are words that describe people, places, things, or ideas. In Tamil, nouns are either masculine or feminine, and can be further classified into six types based on their ending letters. The endings for each type are as follows:
| Noun Type | Ending Letter | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| முதல் புலம் | அ, ஆ | பையன் (boy), மாதா (mother) |
| இரண்டாம் புலம் | ஐ | ஸ்டாயில் (style), டயலாக் (dialogue) |
| மூன்றாம் புலம் | உ | ஹண்டி (car), வண்ணம் (color) |
| நான்காம் புலம் | எ | தேங்காய் (coconut), நெருப்பு (darkness) |
| ஐந்தாம் புலம் | ஒ | மொழி (language), நகரம் (city) |
| ஆறாம் புலம் | க் | சக்கரம் (sugar), வள்ளி (small pond) |
Usage
When using nouns in Tamil sentences, there are a few important rules to keep in mind. Firstly, all Tamil sentences must end with a noun or a pronoun. The nouns used in a sentence must also agree in gender and number with the verb. Lastly, Tamil nouns do not have articles like "a," "an," or "the," which can make sentence construction a bit different compared to English.
Examples
Here are some examples of Tamil nouns in use:
- நான் ஒரு பையன். (Nāṉ oru paiyan.) - I am a boy.
- கார் மிக நேர் சேமிப்பது கூடியது. (Kār mig nēr cēmippatu kūṭiyatu.) - Driving a car takes a lot of time.
- ஹோட்டலில் பகிர்ந்துகொள்வது அளவில்லை. (Hōṭṭalil pakirntukolvatu aḷavillai.) - Sharing a hotel room is not a problem.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that refer to people, places, things, or ideas without specifically naming them. In Tamil, there are six types of pronouns: personal, possessive, reflexive, reciprocal, interrogative, and demonstrative.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used to substitute the names of specific people or things. In Tamil, there are eight personal pronouns:
| Pronoun | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| நான் | I | நான் வந்தேன். (Nāṉ vandhēṉ.) - I came. |
| நீ | You (singular) | நீ செய்யக் கூடியதால் செய்ய முடியாது. (Nī ceyyakkūṭiyatāl ceyya muṭiyātu.) - You can't do it yourself. |
| அவன் / அவள் / அவர் | He / She / They | அவள் எங்கே போனாள்? (Avaḷ eṅkē pōnāḷ?) - Where did she go? |
| நாங்கள் | We | நாங்கள் போனது சிறந்த நாள். (Nāṅkaḷ pōnadu ciṟantāḷ.) - The day we went was the best day ever. |
| நீங்கள் | You (plural) | நீங்கள் எங்கேயிருந்து வந்தீர்கள்? (Nīṅkaḷ eṅkēyirundhu vandhīrkatāl?) - Where did you all come from? |
| அவர்கள் | They | அவர்கள் வெளியே போனனர். (Avarkaḷ vēḷiyē pōnanar.) - They went out. |
| அவன்கள் / அவள்கள் | He / She (respectful) | அவன்கள் யார்? (Avaṅkaḷ yār?) - Who is he? |
Usage
Pronouns are essential in all Tamil sentences, as they help avoid repetition and make the sentence flow more smoothly. It is important to note that pronouns must also agree with the gender and number of the noun they are replacing.
Examples
Here are some examples of Tamil pronouns in use:
- நான் உன்னை பார்த்ததும் எனக் கண்டது இல்லை. (Nāṉ uṉṉai pārttadhum eṉak kaṇtatu illai.) - I didn't see you at all.
- யார் கொஞ்சம் சொல்லி? அவர் போதும் பேசுவதில்லை. (Yār koñcam sollī? Avar pōdhum pēcuvatillai.) - Who said anything? They won't speak up now.
- நீங்கள் எங்கு போகின்றீர்கள்? (Nīṅkaḷ eṅku pōkindrīrkatāl?) - Where are you all headed?
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding nouns and pronouns is essential to learning Tamil. By memorizing the different types of nouns and using them correctly in sentences, you can become proficient in Tamil in no time. The same goes for incorporating personal pronouns to make sure your sentences flow well and sound natural. Keep these basic rules in mind, and you'll be well on your way to mastering Tamil.
Sources
- Tamil grammar - Wikipedia
- South-Indian Horizons - Pronoun incorporation in Old Tamil - Institut ...
- The Tamil Case System