How to Conjugate Present Tense Verbs in Tamil for English Speakers

Understanding Present Tense in Tamil Verbs

In Tamil, the present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening or habitual actions. Unlike English, Tamil verbs conjugate based on the subject's person and number, and sometimes gender. This guide will help English speakers understand how to form and use present tense verbs in Tamil.

Basic Structure of Present Tense Verbs

Tamil verbs in the present tense are formed by adding specific suffixes to the verb root. The suffix changes depending on the subject pronoun (I, you, he/she, we, they). The verb root is the base form of the verb without any tense or person markers.

Present Tense Conjugation Endings

Here are the common present tense verb endings in Tamil for different subjects:

• - நான் (nāṉ) – First person singular: verb root + கிறேன் (-kiṟēṉ)
• - நீ (nī) – Second person singular: verb root + கிறாய் (-kiṟāy)
• - அவன்/அவள் (avaṉ/avaḷ) – Third person singular: verb root + கிறான்/கிறாள் (-kiṟāṉ/-kiṟāḷ)
• - நாம் (nām) – First person plural: verb root + கிறோம் (-kiṟōm)
• - நீங்கள் (nīṅkaḷ) – Second person plural: verb root + கிறீர்கள் (-kiṟīrkaḷ)
• - அவர்கள் (avarkaḷ) – Third person plural: verb root + கிறார்கள் (-kiṟārkaḷ)

Example with the Verb 'To Come' (வரு - varu)

1. நான் வருகிறேன் (nāṉ varukiṟēṉ) – I come / I am coming
2. நீ வருகிறாய் (nī varukiṟāy) – You come / You are coming
3. அவன்/அவள் வருகிறான்/வருகிறாள் (avaṉ/avaḷ varukiṟāṉ/varukiṟāḷ) – He/She comes / is coming
4. நாம் வருகிறோம் (nām varukiṟōm) – We come / We are coming
5. நீங்கள் வருகிறீர்கள் (nīṅkaḷ varukiṟīrkaḷ) – You (plural) come / are coming
6. அவர்கள் வருகிறார்கள் (avarkaḷ varukiṟārkaḷ) – They come / They are coming

Important Notes on Gender and Formality

In the third person singular, the verb ending changes based on the gender of the subject: -கிறான் (-kiṟāṉ) for masculine and -கிறாள் (-kiṟāḷ) for feminine. Additionally, the second person plural form is used both for plural 'you' and as a formal singular 'you'.

Common Present Tense Verbs in Tamil