Ongalku Tamil padikka venam-ah?: Verbs

My goal

This site is for myself before anybody else - Sri Lankan Muslim Tamil is my cultural identity. It's the first language I learned, and I find it a shame that I can't speak it anymore.

Yo puedo hablar espanol casi como un latino but I can't speak my own mother tongue?! !Que ridiculo!

So I'm going to try and change that while I'm here in Sri Lanka. You're welcome to go along for the ride, or give me tips/corrections if you are from this part of the world.

DISCLAIMER: this is not pure Tamil. I'm not trying to learn that. I'm trying to learn what my parents spoke as children. That's all.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Verbs - "I" forms

The simple rule is: "-a" is past, "-ura" is present, "-vEn" is future.

Note: the forms listed below are actually third-person forms but in our dialect, we use them for first-person. Ex. Ponen is the correct way to say "I went", but we also say Pona for "I went".

VERB

Root

Past "I" form

Present "I" form

Future "I" form

Po-

Pona (I went)

Pora (I go)

Poven (I will go)

Seyye-

Senja (I did)

Seyyira (I do)

Seyyiven (I will do...and so on)

SAY

Selle-

Senna

Sellura

Selluven

SHOW

Kaatta-

Kaattina

Kaattura

Kaattuven

WATCH

Paaka-

Paaththa

Paakura

Paakuven

SEE

Kaanu-

Kanda

Kaanura

Kaanuven

ASK

Keeka-

Ketta

Kekkura

Kekkuven

COME

Vaa-

Vandha

Vaara

Vaaruven

CLIMB (or GET IN)

Era-

Erina

Erura

Eruven

GET DOWN (from a car, etc)

Eranga-

Erangina

Erangura

Eranguven

SIT or EXIST or STAY

Irukka-

Irundha

Irikkira

Irikkiven

WALK

Nadukka-

Nadundha

Nadukkura

Nadukkuven

SLEEP

Paduththa

Padukkura

Padukkuven

Ongalku Tamil padikka venam-ah?

My goal

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Verbs - "I" forms

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