Learn Tamil

Say hello, hear the sounds of Tamil, say please and ask for help, introduce yourself and ask simple questions.

1. 1Hello, thank you, how are youGreet people, say thank you, yes and no, and ask how someone is.10 min
2. 2How Tamil sounds and readsRead the 12 vowels, see how a consonant takes a vowel sign, and say your first family words.12 min
3. 3Please, no thanks and I do not understandSay please and no thanks, say it is okay, and ask someone to slow down or repeat.9 min
4. 4Introduce yourselfSay your name, where you are from, where you live and what you do, and ask the same.11 min
5. 5What, who, where, when: question wordsAsk simple questions with what, who, where, when, how, how much, why and which.10 min

I, you and the polite you, family words, my and your, describing people, and plurals.

1. 6I, you, he, she: pronouns and respectUse the Tamil words for I, you, he, she, we and they, and pick the polite form.12 min
2. 7Family membersName your family in Tamil and say who you have, like 'I have an elder brother'.11 min
3. 8My, your, whose: saying who owns whatSay my, your, his, our and whose, and use -oda for 's like Ravi's car.10 min
4. 9Describing people and thingsUse common adjectives like good, big, small, new and tall, and say something looks nice.10 min
5. 10One and many: pluralsMake plurals with -gaL, know when to skip them, and use everyone, all and many.9 min

Count to a hundred and beyond, handle prices and change, tell the time and name the days.

1. 11Numbers 1 to 10Count from one to ten, and use numbers with things, like two teas or three tickets.9 min
2. 12Numbers 11 to 100Count from 11 to 100, build any number like 25 or 68, and say your age.13 min
3. 13Money, prices and big numbersSay hundreds, thousands and lakhs, ask the total, and pay with cash, card or UPI.12 min
4. 14Telling the timeAsk and tell the time, say half past and quarter past, and say at what time something happens.11 min
5. 15Days, months and datesName the days of the week, say today, tomorrow and yesterday, and ask the date.12 min

The present tense, your daily routine, things at home, saying not, and yes or no questions.

1. 16Present tense: I go, I eat, I am comingUse verbs in the present tense with every person, the way they are spoken today.14 min
2. 17My daily routineDescribe your day from waking up to sleeping, with times and words like first and then.12 min
3. 18At home: rooms, things and where they areName things around the house and say where something is: in, on, under, inside, next to.11 min
4. 19Not, never, don't: saying noMake sentences negative: is not, did not, will not, do not want and do not do it.13 min
5. 20Yes or no questions with -aaTurn any sentence into a yes or no question by adding -aa, and answer it naturally.10 min

Everyday food words, ordering in a restaurant, I like and I want, and kitchen talk.

1. 21Food and drinksName everyday South Indian food and drinks, and say if you are vegetarian.10 min
2. 22Ordering at a restaurantOrder food, ask for less spice or more sambar, get it packed and ask for the bill.12 min
3. 23I like, I want, I am hungrySay what you like and do not like, what you want, and that you are hungry or thirsty.12 min
4. 24Cooking and tasteName tastes and kitchen basics, follow simple cooking steps and say how food tastes.12 min

The vegetable market, friendly bargaining, colours and clothes, and polite requests.

1. 25At the vegetable marketBuy vegetables and fruit by the kilo or bunch, ask the price and check they are fresh.11 min
2. 26Bargaining politelySay it is too expensive, ask for the final price, make an offer and close the deal kindly.11 min
3. 27Colours and clothesName colours and clothes, ask for another colour or size, and ask to try something on.11 min
4. 28Please come, please sit: requestsAsk people to do things politely: come, sit, wait, give, tell, open and close.11 min

Directions, autos, buses and trains, the endings for to, from, in and with, and the weather.

1. 29Asking for directionsAsk how to get somewhere and understand straight, left, right, near, far and opposite.12 min
2. 30Auto, bus and trainTake an auto, catch the right bus, ask where to get off and find your train.13 min
3. 31To, from, in, with: case endingsUse the main Tamil endings for to, in, from, with and the object, in spoken and written form.15 min
4. 32Weather and seasonsTalk about the weather: hot sun, rain, wind, cold and humid days, and the seasons.10 min

Talk about what you did and what you will do, say can and must, and handle phone calls.

1. 33Past tense: I went, I ate, I sawSay what happened using the past tense of the most common verbs, for every person.14 min
2. 34What did you do? Telling a storyTell a short story about your day or trip, joining actions with 'did this and then that'.13 min
3. 35Future tense: plans and promisesTalk about plans with the future tense, 'going to', and 'let us'.13 min
4. 36Can, must, may and must notSay what you can and cannot do, what you have to do, what is allowed and what is not.14 min
5. 37On the phoneAnswer and make calls, ask for someone, say you cannot hear, and end a call politely.11 min

Office talk, seeing a doctor and naming the body, and sharing how you feel.

1. 38At work and in the officeHandle everyday office talk: meetings, leave, deadlines, sending work and asking for help.12 min
2. 39At the doctor: body and healthName parts of the body, say what hurts, describe common illness and follow a doctor's advice.13 min
3. 40Feelings: happy, worried, angry, boredSay how you feel, ask what happened, and respond kindly to good and bad news.11 min

Festivals, if and when, joining ideas, spoken versus written Tamil, and reading signs.

1. 41Festivals and greetingsWish people for Pongal, Deepavali, Tamil New Year, Christmas and Ramzan, and talk about how you celebrate.13 min
2. 42If, when and even ifMake if-sentences, say 'if not' and 'even if', and use them for plans and advice.14 min
3. 43But, because, when, before, afterJoin ideas into longer sentences with but, so, because, when, before, after, or and reported speech.15 min
4. 44Spoken and written TamilUnderstand the regular changes between spoken and written Tamil, so you can read what you say and say what you read.15 min
5. 45Reading signs and noticesRead the written Tamil on common signs, boards and notices: entry, exit, toilets, shops, warnings and buses.12 min