How to Use Tamil Adjectives: Agreement and Placement Explained

Understanding Tamil Adjectives and Their Role

In Tamil, adjectives describe or modify nouns, similar to English. However, Tamil adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. This agreement is essential for correct sentence formation and meaning.

What Does Agreement Mean in Tamil Adjectives?

Agreement means that the adjective changes its form to match the noun's gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number (singular or plural), and sometimes case. This is different from English, where adjectives usually remain the same regardless of the noun.

Examples of Adjective Agreement

Consider the adjective meaning 'big':

Note: Some adjectives in Tamil do not change form with gender but may change with number or case depending on context.

Placement of Adjectives in Tamil Sentences

Unlike English, where adjectives usually come before the noun, Tamil adjectives typically precede the noun they modify. For example, 'big house' is 'பெரிய வீடு' (periya veedu), where 'பெரிய' (big) comes before 'வீடு' (house).

Adjective + Noun Structure

The standard structure is: Adjective + Noun. This order is consistent and important for clarity.

Examples of Adjective Placement

Here are some examples:

• Beautiful flower - அழகான பூ (azhagāṉ pū)
• Red apple - சிவப்பு ஆப்பிள் (sivappu āppiḷ)
• Tall man - உயரமான ஆண் (uyaramāṉ āṇ)

Additional Notes on Tamil Adjectives

Some adjectives can also function as nouns or verbs depending on context. Additionally, Tamil uses participles and relative clauses to express adjectival ideas in more complex sentences.