Tamil has two faces. Ezhutthu thamizh (written Tamil) is used in books, news, forms, signs and speeches. Peechu thamizh (spoken Tamil) is used at home, with friends, in shops, films and on the phone. Every Tamil speaker uses both every day.
The good news: the changes follow patterns. Once you know them, you can turn a written sentence into the spoken one in your head, and back.
The main patterns
| Pattern | Written | Spoken | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| -கிறேன் to -றேன் | வருகிறேன் | வர்றேன் | I am coming |
| -இல் to -ல | வீட்டில் | வீட்டுல | in the house |
| -ஐ to -அ | படத்தை | படத்த | the film (object) |
| ending -ai to -a | கடை | கட | shop |
| -வில்லை to -ல | வரவில்லை | வரல | did not come |
| -ஆக to -ஆ | நன்றாக | நல்லா | well |
| -கள் to -ங்க | நீங்கள் | நீங்க | you (polite) |
| -ன்று to -ண்ணு / -ஞ்சு | ஒன்று, ஐந்து | ஒண்ணு, அஞ்சு | one, five |
| -ண்டும் to -ணும் | வேண்டும் | வேணும் | need |
| -இருக்கிறது to -இருக்கு | இருக்கிறது | இருக்கு | is, there is |
The same sentence, two ways
Regions. Spoken Tamil also changes by place. People in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli each have their own sounds and words, and Sri Lankan Tamil sounds different again, keeping some forms closer to written Tamil. Everyone understands the general spoken Tamil in this course, so do not worry about picking a region.
Reading a notice out loud, then saying it simply
Tap a word on the left, then its partner on the right.
What is the spoken form of 'இருக்கிறது' (is)?
Where should you use written Tamil?
அவரு இன்னும் வரலWhat does it mean?
நான் அந்த படத்த blank .
I saw that film. (spoken)
What do you need? (spoken)
Type the spoken form of 'வரவில்லை' (did not come) in Tamil script.
Type 'spoken Tamil' in roman letters.