How to Use Relative Clauses in Tamil for English Speakers

Understanding Relative Clauses in Tamil

Relative clauses are used to provide additional information about a noun without starting a new sentence. In Tamil, relative clauses function similarly to English but have unique structures and markers.

What is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause modifies a noun and usually begins with a relative pronoun like 'who', 'which', or 'that' in English. Tamil uses participial forms and specific suffixes to form relative clauses instead of separate relative pronouns.

Forming Relative Clauses in Tamil

In Tamil, relative clauses are often formed by adding participial suffixes to verbs. These suffixes agree with the noun being described in gender, number, and case.

For example, the suffixes '-க்கிற', '-த்த', and '-இருந்த' are commonly used to form relative clauses depending on tense and aspect.

Examples of Relative Clauses in Tamil

Here are some examples to illustrate relative clauses in Tamil:

• நான் பார்த்த படம் (nāṉ pārtta paṭam) - The movie that I saw
• அவர் எழுதும் கதை (avar ezhuthum kathai) - The story that he writes
• நீங்கள் வாங்கிய புத்தகம் (nīṅkaḷ vāṅkiya putthagam) - The book that you bought

Differences from English Relative Clauses

Unlike English, Tamil does not use separate relative pronouns. Instead, the verb in the relative clause is converted into a participial form that directly modifies the noun.

Also, the relative clause usually precedes the noun it modifies, which is the opposite of English where the relative clause follows the noun.

Practice Tips for English Speakers Learning Tamil Relative Clauses

To master relative clauses in Tamil, focus on learning the participial suffixes and their correct usage with different tenses and noun types.

1. Learn common participial suffixes like '-க்கிற', '-த்த', '-இருந்த'
2. Practice forming relative clauses with simple sentences
3. Compare Tamil relative clauses with English equivalents to understand structural differences
4. Use example sentences to get familiar with word order and suffix agreement