How to Form Questions in Tamil for English Speakers

Understanding Question Formation in Tamil

Forming questions in Tamil is straightforward once you understand the basic structures and question words. Tamil uses specific question words and sometimes changes in intonation to indicate a question, similar to English.

Yes/No Questions in Tamil

Yes/No questions in Tamil often end with the particle ஆகிறதா? (aːɡiɾataː) or வா? (vaː) depending on the verb tense and formality. The sentence structure usually remains the same as a statement, but the intonation rises at the end.

For example, the statement நீ வருகிறாய் (niː vaɾukiɾaːj) means "You are coming." To make it a question, add ஆகிறாயா? or simply raise your intonation: நீ வருகிறாயா? meaning "Are you coming?"

Common Tamil Question Words

Tamil has several question words that are used to ask specific questions. Here are some of the most common ones:

• என்ன? (enna?) - What?
• எங்கே? (engē?) - Where?
• எப்போது? (eppōtu?) - When?
• யார்? (yār?) - Who?
• ஏன்? (ēn?) - Why?
• எப்படி? (eppaṭi?) - How?

Forming Questions with Question Words

When using question words, the question word usually comes at the beginning of the sentence, similar to English. The verb and subject follow the question word.

For example:

• எங்கே நீங்கள் போகிறீர்கள்? (Engē nīṅkaḷ pōkiṟīrkaḷ?) - Where are you going?
• எப்போது அவன் வருவான்? (Eppōtu avaṉ varuvāṉ?) - When will he come?
• ஏன் அவள் சோம்பல் செய்கிறாள்? (Ēn avaḷ sōmpal seykirāḷ?) - Why is she lazy?

Using Intonation to Form Questions

In casual spoken Tamil, sometimes questions are formed simply by raising the intonation at the end of a statement without changing the word order or adding question particles. This is similar to English.

For example, the statement நீ சாப்பிடுகிறாய் (niː sāppiɖukiɾaːj) means "You are eating." By raising the intonation, it becomes a question: "Are you eating?"

Practice Examples: Forming Questions in Tamil