Brahmin Tamil

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Brahmin Tamil or Braahmik is the name for a number of closely related Tamil dialects used by the Tamil
Brahmincommunities (Iyers and Iyengars) of Tamil Nadu and in the neibhouring states.

Contents
1 Various dialects
2 The Braahmik Alphabet
3 Vocabulary
4 Grammar 1
5 Braahmik / Lesson 2
6 Grammar 2
7 Braahmik / Lesson 3
8 Grammar 3
9 Braahmik / Lesson 4
10 Grammar 4
11 Braahmik / Lesson 5
12 Grammar 5:
13 Exercises 5
14 Braahmik / Lesson 6
15 Grammar 6
16 Braahmik / Lesson 7
17 Gtammar 7
18 Exercise 7
19 Braahmik / Lesson 8
 20 Grammar 8
21 Exercises 8
22 braahmik / Lesson 9
23 Grammar
24 See also
25 References

Various dialects
Braahmik is the proposed name for these dialects .

The 2 dialects are

The Thanju style, spoken in Tamil Nadu, mainly represented by Tanjore or Thanjavur and

The Paalu style spoken in Kerala mainly represented by Palghat or Palakkad.

There are two main differences between these two styles :

1. In the words ending in m and n preceded by a vowel, the vowel is nasalised but the nasal consonants
themselves are not pronounced except when followed by a word beginning with a vowel in the Thanju style. In
the Paalu style the nasal consonants in these cases are always pronounced.
1. There is also often a difference in the vocabulary of the two styles. To give only one example, the word for
'news' issamaachaaram in Thanju, but varthamaanam in Paalu.

Both styles of Brahmin tamil dialects augment their vocabulary by freely borrowing from Tamil, Sanskrit and English.

A common orthography based on the latin alphabet has been proposed for both styles of Braahmik.

The Braahmik Alphabet

Short Vowels : a, i, u, e, o

Long Vowels : aa, ii /ie, uu, ee, oo

Diphthongs : ai / ei, au
Velar Consonants : k, g

Palatal Consonants : ch, j

Retroflex Consonants : t, d

Dental Consonants : th, dh

Labial Consonants : p, b

Velar Nasal : ng

Palatal Nasal : nj

Retroflex Nasal : hn

Dental or Alveolar Nasal : n

Bilabial Nasal : m

Fricatives and continuants : y, r, l, v, zh, hl, sz, sh, s, h, rr, z

Many of these can occur as geminates : kk, gg, nng, nnj, hnn, mm, nn, cch, jj, tt, dd, tth, ddh, pp, bb, ll, hll, trr

There are also aspirated stop consonants : kh, gh, chh, jh, t'h, d'h, thh, dhh, ph, bh

Idhu 'this, this is'. The link verb 'to be' is not used in the present tense. There is no article, definite or indefinite. 'This
table' as a full sentence means 'this is a table'.

The final -u in words is pronounced as an unrounded back vowel, something between i and u.

Nouns are followed by postpositions like kite 'near', le 'in' or kiizhe 'below'. There are also compound postpostions
made up of a postposition plus noun plus postposition like k adi le 'below'. The verb iruku means 'is' or 'there is'.

Nouns are in an oblique form before a preposition. Most nouns have no special oblique form. Many
have. Pusthahath is the oblique form of pusthaham. Sometimes between the oblique form and the postposition a
dummy particle like u or n is placed. Chevar has an oblique form chevath. English words in English spelling are freely
used in Braahmik.

Vocabulary
Braahmik-English Vocabulary
 Braahmik English
Idhu 'this, this is'
meejei, meeszei 'table'
naakaali, naarkaali, kasaalei (paalu) 'chair'
jannal, janal (paalu) 'window'
kadhavu 'door'
chevar, szevar 'wall'
kite 'near'
le 'in'
um 'also'
dhaan 'only'
k adi le 'under, below'
kupei kuudei 'waste basket'
iruku (pres. t. of iru 'to be') 'is, there is'
meele 'above, on'
pusthaham 'book'
pusthahath (obl. form of pusthaham)
u (a dummy infix before a postposition)
n (a dummy infix before a postposition)
ku pakath le 'near'
pakam 'side'
peenaa, pen 'pen'

Grammar 1
The article 'a' or 'the' has to be understood form context.

Verbs are usually given in their imperative singular form in the dictionary. They form their three main tenses from
three different bases. Often the bases are identical. But in most other cases they are diffeent.

The verb iru 'to be' is in its imperative singular form. Its present tense base is 'iruk'. In all three tense forms, verbs
have different endings for different persons in the singular and plural numbers.

The 3 rd person singular neuter form of iru is iruku,

Braahmik / Lesson 2
Enga 'our' is a possessive adjective, the final -a is often dropped when followed by a word beginning with a
vowel : eng aam 'our house', When something is owned by most members of the family, enga 'our' is used instead
of en 'my'. Thus 'my father, my house' is always replaced by 'our father, our house', etc.

In Thanju, words beginning with i- or -e tend to be pronounced as yi- or ye-, beginning with the semivowel or
consonanty-, So, in the expression ong aam enge iruku, the m of aam is not pronounced and the aa is nasalised,
because enge is pronounced as yenge beginning with the consonant y-. In Paalu e- and i- are pronounced as such,
and in any case the final -m and -n are always pronounced as a full nasal consonant.

So the same expression ong aam enge iruku is pronounced differently in the two styles, although written in the same
way.

The interrogative particle a (pronounced aa) turns a statement into a question.

The Paalu 2 nd person singular verb ending -aay is replaced by -e when it is followed by the interrogative partiocle a.

The simple present tense form is often equivalent to the simple present or present continuous form of
English : padikaren'I read, I am reading'

The negative form of the verb is obtained by placing the particle lei after the infinitive form of the verb.

The postposition ku / ki : ki occurs after a word ending in -i, -e, -ai or -ei. ku occurs elsewhere.

Vocabulary

Verbs are given in the imperative form. The present, past and future tense bases are given in parentheses ().

Braahmik-English Vocabulary
Braahmik English
enga, eng (before a vowel) our
aam (aathu) home, house
onga. ong (before a vowel) your
enge where
iru (iruku, irundhu, irupu) to be
yaar, yaar yaar who, who all
endha (interrog adj form of edhu) which
 edhu (int pron) which one
padi (padikar, padichu, padipu) to read, study
veelei work, job
po, poo (poohar/poor, poon, poovu) to go
ipo now
ku / ki to
pooha to go (infinitive of po/poo)
lei do / did not (after an infinitive)
dhaan only, just
irukaa he (hon.) / she is
Naan I
paadam padi read a lesson, study
nie you (sg)
enna what
pahn, pahnnu to do
szeey to do

Grammar 2
Pronouns and their oblique forms:

In the table below the personal pronouns and their oblique forms are given:

Personal Pronouns and Oblique Forms

Thanju Paalu English
naan (en, ena) naan (en, ena) I
nie (on, ona) nie (on, ona) you (sg)
nier (om, oma) nier (om, oma) you (sg, hon)
avan (avan) avan (avan) he
ava(hl) (avahl) avahl (avahl) she
avar (avar) avar (avar) he / (she) (hon)
adhu (adhu) adhu (adhu) it
naama, namma(hl) (nammahl) nammahl (nammahl) we (incl)
 naanga(hl) (engalh) naangahl (engahl) we (excl)
nienga(hl) (ongahl) niengahl (ongahl) you (pl / sg(hon))
avaa(hl) (avaahl) avaa(hl) (avaahl) they (m / f pl, sg(hon))
adhuha(hl) (adhuhahl) adhuhahl (adhuhahl) they (n pl)

The oblique forms given above are followed by postpositions. Pronouns have attributive forms that are placed before
nouns as possessive adjectives. The table below gives the attributive forms of pronouns, that is the possessive
adjectives.

Possessive Adjectives:

Possessive Adjectives
Thanju Paalu English
en en my
on on your (sg)
om om your (sg hon)
avan avan his
avahl avahl her
avar avar his (/ her) (hon)
adhu adhu, adhu n its
namma namma our (incl)
enga enga our (excl)
onga onga your (pl)
avaa avaa their (m / f)
adhuha adhuha their (n pl)

Verb Forms: 

The most important forms of verbs in Braahmik are : the imperative form, the infinitive form, the present tense base,
thepast tense base, the past participle form, the future tense base and the personal endings for the past /present and
future tenses.
In the following tables, these forms are grouped as follows : 
1) Imperative – Infinitive – Past Participle 
2) (Personal Endings for:) Past / Present – (and) Future 
3) Imperative – Present Base – Past Base – Future Base 

Imperative—Infinitive—Past Participle: 

'Imperative—Infinitive—Past
Participle
(Both Thanju and Paalu)
Imperative Infinitive Past Paticiple
padi 'read, study' padika padichu
iru 'be' iruka irundhu
peeszu 'speak, talk; peesza peeszi
chaapdu, szaapdu 'eat, have food' chaapda, szaapda chaaptu, szaaptu
oodu 'run' ooda oodi
nada 'walk' nadaka nadandhu
po, poo 'go' pooha pooy
nillu 'stand, stop' nika ninnu
edu 'take, remove' eduka eduthu
vizhu 'fall' vizha vizhundhu
chiri, sziri 'laugh' chirika, szirika chirichu, szirichu
chollu, szollu 'say, tell' cholla, szolla cholli, szolli
keehlu 'ask, hear, listen' keeka keetu
vei 'put, keep' veika vechu
vei 'scold' veia vesszu (mainly Thanju)
thitu 'scold' thita thiti
kaahnu 'meet, be seen' kaahna kahndu

Personal Endings of Past / Present and Future

Personal Endings (Past / Present

and Future)
Pronoun Past / Presnet Future
 naan en en
nie e, aay e, aay
nier ier ier
avan aan an. aan
ava(hl) aa(hl) a(hl)
adhu adhu / dhu* um*
naama, namma(hl) om om
naanga(hl) om om
nienga(hl) ehl ehl
avaa(hl) aa(hl) aa(hl)
adhuha(hl) adhu(hahl) / *dhu(hagl) *um

Notes:

(*) The future tense 3 rd p. n. ending -um is generally attached to the infinitive form after removing the ending -a.

The present tense and past tense endings also differ (-adhu / -dhu) in the 3 rd p. n. forms..

In the verbs in which the past tense base ends in -in, the 3 rd p. n. ending is -thu (as in oodithu 'it ran') in the past
tense.

The forms poochu 'it went' and aachu 'it was over' are prominent exceptions..

Imperative – Present Base – Past Base – Future Base:

'Imperative—Present Base—Past
Base—Future Base
Imperative Present Base Past Base Future Base
padi padikar padichu padipu
iru iruku irundhu irupu
peeszu peeszar peeszin peeszuv
chaapdu, szaapdu chaapdar, szaapdar chaaptu, szaaptu chaapduv, szaapduv
oodu, oodar oodin ooduv
nada nadakar nadandhu nadapu
po, poo poohar, poor poon poov
nillu nikar ninnu nipu
 edu edukar eduthu edupu
vizhu vizhar vizhundhu vizhuv
chiri, sziri chirikarm szirikar chirichu, szirichu chiripu, sziripu
chollum szollu chollar, szollar chonn, szonn cholluv, szolluv
keehlu keekar keetu keepu
vei vekar vechu vepu
vei veiar veszzu veiv
thitu thitar thitin thituv
kaahnu kaahnar kanhd / kand kaanhuv

Braahmik / Lesson 3
The word rendu 'two' has the forms rend aavadhu (Thanju) and rend aamadhu (Paalu) as the ordinal numerical
pronouns (neuter gender).

The corresponding numerical adjectives are respectively rend aavadhu and rend aamathu.

The word paian 'boy', plural paszanga(hl), is preferred in Thanju and the word puhllei 'boy', plural puhlleiahl, is

preferred in Paalu.

The expressions mun aale (Thanju) and min aale (Paalu) both mean 'before' (in time) and 'in front, forward' (in
space).

The future tense base often serves as a noun, as in padi 'to read, srudy' and padipu 'reading, studies'.

The word aakum, variously translatable as 'indeed, of course, etc.' is more often used in Paalu and very rarely in
Thanju. 

Examples :

Aar aakum adhu ? 'Who could it be ?' 

(This meaning results while trying to guess 'who it is').
It could mean 'Who the hell is it ?'
(This is the meaning when a peson is annoyed by the interference). Naan aakum chonnen 'It is I who said it'. Enge
aakum poonaa ? 'where indeed did they go ?' or 'Can you guess where they went ?' 
The plural ending could be -kahl, -gahl, -hahl or (y)ahl depending upon the phonetic context. 
The future tense form of the verb is used often to refer to habitual actions of the past sometimes extending into the
present:
Avaa varuvaa 'they will come, they used to come', irukum 'there generally is'.

The particle a or aa is often placed after a noun to convert it into an adverb.

Vocabulary

Verbs are given in the imperative form and the present, past and future bases are given in parentheses ( ).

Nouns and pronouns are given in their ordinary (nominative) form followed in parentheses by the oblique form and,
separated by a semicolon, by the attributive form. 

Vocabulary
Paalu / Thanju English
Rendu two
Rend aamadhu (aamadhu ; aamathu) / rend aavadhu second, the second one
yuddham (yuddhathu) war
min aale / mun aale before, in front
graamam (graamathu) village
puhllei boy, son
ellaam (ellaathu ; ellaa) all, everuthing, everybody
meel (adj) higher, upper
padipu reading, studies
enge where
aakum indeed, of course, can you guess ...?
poonaa (past 3 rd p pl / f sg of po, poo 'to go' ) they went, she went
patahnam (patahnathu) town, city
(emphatic particle meaning:) of course, indeed,
thaan, dhaan
alone
edhu (edhu : endha) which
mukiam a mainly, chiefly
madhiraaszi / madraas Madras
chela, szela (adj.) some, a few
skuuhl, paadaszaalei / skuul, pahllikuudam (pahllikuudathu ;
school
pahllikuuda(thu)
kutiahl (paalu) children, boys, girls
thaamasi (-kar. -chu, -pu) / thangu (-ar, -in, -uv) stay, live
(a relative phrase meaning:) that/who is in,
le uhlla
that/who are in
bandhhukahl / sondhakaaraa(hl) relatives
... o ...o either ... or ,,,
eedh aavadhu oru any, some
eduthuko (-kar, -kindu, -kuv / -kar, -hd, -pu) take, fix up for yourself
thamasikara / thangara (present partyicipial adj) staying, living.

Grammar 3
The verb forms uhlla, thangara and thaamasikara in the above Thanju and Paalu passages are present participial
adjective forms.

The phrases containing these forms are equivalent to a relative clause in English:

Hotel le thaamasikara puhlleiahl means 'the boys. who stay in a hotel' or 'the boys staying in a hotel'.

In Braahmik there is no relative clause, threre are only participial adjectival phrases that precede the head noun.

Participial adjectives can be formed from the present and past tense bases by just adding the suffix -a. The future 3
rd p n form itself serves as the future adjectival participle, but that form is very rarely used in Braahmik.

A few verbs like iru 'to be', poo 'to go' or aa 'to be, become' have these forms formed irregularly. They are listed
below :

Irukara, irundha, irukum, poora / poohara, poona, poohum and aara / aahara, aana, aahum

Dilli ki poora vandi means 'the Delhi bound train'

Poona varsham means 'last year, the year that went by'

Naan poona varsham Madras le irundha poodhu means 'when I was in Madras last year'

The participial adjectives are the same for all genders and numbers.

Padikara paian, padikara paszangahl, padikara pohnnu all mean 'student(s)'.

Padicha manushan, padicha pohnnu mean 'the educated man, the educated girl'
For the future tense, instead of using the form ending in -um, the construction made up of the infinitive of a verb plus
the present adjectival participle poora is used:

Nie padicha paadam 3 (muuhn) aavadhu, nie padika poora paadam 4 (naal) aavadhu means 'the lesson you studied
is the 3 rd, the lesson you are going to study is the 4 th'.

Braahmik / Lesson 4
The verb form szollatum (formed by affixing -tum to the infinitive of a verb) means 'let me (him, her, us, them) say'

When the interrogative particle a is placed after it, it means 'may I say?'

Epo paath aal um is a phrase that means 'always, whenever (you) see', The structure is complex,
with epo... and ...umforming a frame meaning 'always, ever', into which a past participle plus aa(l) maning 'when / if
(you)...'

The emphatic particle e, placed after the present adverbial participle form of a verb, means 'going on ...ing'.

Avar paduthund e irupar means literally 'he would go on lying down',

The present participle form is obtained by affixing -(ki/hi)ndu to the past participle form of a verb,

To get the present, past or future continuous tenses, the three finite tense forms of the verb iru 'to be' are used :

Naan padichund irundhen 'I was studying'

Nienga naahlei ki Mumbai ki pooynd irupehl 'You will be on your way to Mumbai tomorrow'

Kozhandheihahl innum thuungind irukaa 'The children are still sleeping'.

The particle o has many uses. One of them is 'as for ...'. Eng apaa k o 'as for my father, as far as my father is
concerned'.

The perfect tenses could be formed by placing the shortened verb -du (as a suffix in its various tense forms) attached
to the refular verb:

Szaapdu 'eat', szaaptudu 'finish eating'. The imperative, present, past and future bases of the suffixal vern -du are”

-du, -dar, -tu, -duv.

While the verb chaapdu, szaapdu 'to eat' is an ordinary transitive verb, chaaptudu, szaaptudu 'finish eating, eat it up'
is aperfective verb that implies a definite beginning or definite finishing of an action.
The phrase or e means 'one and the same' or 'innumerable, endless, extreme (and so many other equivalents
depending upon the context)':

Or e kahleipu 'extreme fatigue, (being) extremely tired', or e kuutam 'a milling crowd, or e chatei 'a single (one and
the same) shirt'.

Words indicating time (as onl the calendar) can be used as adverbs without a postposition: thinga kezhamei 'Monday,
on Monday. Also kalambara 'morning, in the morning'.

Grammar 4
Braahmik at one time had, like Tamil, separate auciliary verbs to give a reflexive, concessive or perfective sense to
the main verb. Being a rapidly growing colloquial language, it contracted these auxiliary verbs into mere verbal
suffixes to convert the main verb into a reflexive, concessive or perfective verb. The verbs are kohllu (reflexive /
concessive) contracted to -ko and vidu (perfect tense auxiliary) contracted to -du.

In the following table, ordinary verbs and the corresponding reflexive / concessive and prefective verbs are given:

Verbs
Ordinary Reflexive / concessive Perfective
poo 'go' pooyko 'you may go' pooydu 'go away'
vaa 'come' vandhuko / -ho 'you may come' vandhudu 'come away'
edu 'take' eduthuko 'you may take' eduthudu 'ake it away'
okaaru 'sit down' okaandhuko / -ho 'take your seat' okandhudu '(just) sit down (and don't get up)'
sziri /chiri 'Laugh' sziri- / chirichuko 'snuke, laugh in your sleeves' sziri- / chirithudu 'burst out laughing'

Cardinal Numerals 

1 ohnnu, 2 rendu, 3 muuhnu / muunnu, 4 naalu, 5 anju, 6 aarru, 7 eezhu, 8 etu, 9 ombadhu, 10 pathu. 

The verb iru does work for both 'to be' and 'to have', The difference is brought out by syntax : 

Avan oru kozhandhei 'he (is) a child' 

Avan u ku oru kozhandhei iruku 'he has a child' 

Naan pahna kaaran 'I am a rich man' 

En kite pahnam iruku 'I have money' 

King Midas u ku kazhudhei kaadhu 'King Midas has ass's ears'. 

Enga thaathaa ku romba vayas aachu 'My gandfather is very old'. 

Kozhandhei ki pathu vayasu 'The child is 10 years old'. 

En kite oru pusthaham iruku 'I have a book'. 

Ena k oru thambi irukaan 'I have a younger brother'. 

Braahmik / Lesson 5
Braahmik uses English words freely, especially when discussing science subjects or when referring to modern
equipment of western origin.

Text

Eng apaa varshaa varsham en birthday ki nerreia story books vaangi tharuvaa. Adh ei ellaam en shelf le ozhung a
arrange pahnni vech iruken.

Indha varsham books u ku badhil a video games vaangi thandhaa. Adh ei computer oodu disc drive le vechutu naan
nerreia naazhi vehlaiaaduveen.

On kite computer iruk a ? CD ei tharatum a ? nie vehlaiaadi pakare a ?

Veendaam daa, eng apaa thituvaa. Pariekshei varadhu, padikahnum.

English Translation:

My father buys me a lot of story books for my birthday every year. I have arranged them all neatly in my shelf.

This year he bought video games instead of books. I play for a long time keeping it on the disc drive of the computer.

Do you have a computer ? Shall I give you the CD ? Would you like to try and play with it too ?

No, man, my father will scold me. The exam is coming near. I have to sudy.

Notes: 
Varshaa varsham 'every year'.

Similar expressions are :

Maasaa maasam 'every month' and vaaraa vaaram 'every week'/

Vaangi tharuvaa 'he (generally) buys for me'.

Indha varsham 'this year'. vehlaiaadi pakare a ? 

Vehleiaadi paaru 'try to play'. The verb paaru 'to see' is used with other verbs with the meaning 'try to ...

The interrogative particle a after a present rtense form may mean 'are you ....ing' or 'would you like to ....' .

Veendaam daa 'I don't want, man'. Young equals (male) while talking to each other use the 'tag address' daa after a
verb, in the same way as the word 'chum' could be used in English. This is done more frequently in Braahmik

Padikahnum '(I) have to read'. The suffix /-hnum (Thanju) or -hnam (Paalu) attached to the infinitive of a verb means
/have to, must'.

Vocabulary:

Thanju / Paalu English

varshaa varsham every year
en birthday ki for my birthday
nerreia / nerrechum a lot of
vaangi thaaa (thar, thandh, tharuv) to buy and give, buy for me
ozhung a neatly
arrange pahnni veich iru to have arranged and kept .
ku badhil a instead of
nerreia naazhi, romba neeram for a long time
oodu (postposition) of
vehlaiaadu (-dar, -din, -duv) to play
tharatum a ? shall I give ?
vehlaiaadi paaru (paakar, paathu, paapu) try to play
veendaam it is not needed, I don't want, don't
daa (a tagged on address among young equals)
thitu (thitar, thitin, thituv) to scold
pariekshei examination
vaa (var, vandhu, varuv) to come
padikahnum (I, you, we) have to study.

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Grammar 5:
The infinitive form of some verbs can also serve as an adjective:

Nerreia (infinitive of nerrei (nerreiar, nereinj, nerreiuv) 'to fill up, fill to the brim'). As an adjective it means 'a lot of'

English verbs can be turned into a braahmik verb by placing the verb pahnnu after the English infinitive :

Arrange pahnnu 'to arrange'

The past participle of one or more verbs followed by another verb is a common construction, often translatable by a
single word in English :

Vaangi thaa 'buy (for me), buy and give'

Eduthu kondu vaa (eduthundu vaa), kondu vandhu thaa 'bring'

Kuutindu poo 'accompany, escort'

Arrange pahnni vei 'keep smth. arranged' (ordinary)

Arrange pahnni vech iru 'keep smth arranged. (perfective) 

Possessive Pronouns

Corresponding to the English possessive adjectives (mu, your, his, her, our, etc.), there are possessive pronouns
(mine, yours, his, hers, ours, etc.)

In Braahmik too there are possessive pronouns corresponding to the possessive adjectives. These are given in the
following table:

Possessive  Possessive 
English English
Adhective Pronoun
 en, en oodu my endhu, en oodadhu mine
on, on oodu your (sg) ondhu, on oodadhu yours
om, om oodu your om oodadhu yours (hon)
avan, avan oodu his avandhu, avan oodadhu his
ava, avahl oodu her avahldhu, avahl oodadhu hers
avar, avar oodu his (hon) avardhu, avar oodadhu his/hers (hon)
adhu, adhu n oodu its adhu n oodadhu its
namma, nammahl oodu our nammahl oodadhu ours (incl)
enga, engahl oodu our engahl oodadhu ours (excl)
onga, ongahl oodu your ongahldhu, ongahl oodadhu yours )pl, hon sg)
avaa, avaahl oodu their avaahl oodadhu theirs (his, hers hon)
adhuha, adhuhahl oodu their adhuhahl oodadhu theirs (n pl)

Exercises 5
Some exercises are given below to test one's understanding of Braahmik.

Exercise 5.1 : Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form corresponding to the word given in parentheses ( ) :

1.---- apaa office u ku pooraa. (my)

2.Nie ----- ----- ku epo varuve ? (my house)

3.Idhu ------ -----. (my house)

4. Idhu ----- ----- a ? (your book)

Exercise 5.2 : Translate into English :

1.Idh ei aathu ku eduthundu poo.

2.Eng apaa ku rendu thambihahl irukaa.

3.Nie pahna kaaran. On kite nerreia pahnam iruku.

4.Meeszei meele irukara pusthaham aar oodu pusthaham ?

Braahmik / Lesson 6
Solution to Ex. 1 and 2 of Lesson 5:

Exercise 1 : Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form corresponding to the words given in parentheses ( ) :

1.Ong apaa office u ku pooraa. (my) 'Your father goes to the office.

2.Nie eng aathu ku epo varuve ? (my house) 'When will you comel to my (our) house ?'

3.Idhu eng aam. (my house) 'This (is) my (our) house.

4. Idhu on pusthaham a ? (your book) 'Is this your (sg) book ?'

Exercise 2 : Translate into English :

1.Idh ei aathu ku eduthundu poo. 'Take this home'.

2.Eng apaa ku rendu thambihahl irukaa. 'My father has two younger brothers.'

3.Nie pahna kaaran. On kite nerreia pahnam iruku. 'You are a rich man, You have a lot of money'.

4.Meeszei meele irukara pusthaham aar oodu pusthaham ? 'Whose book is the one on the table ?'

Text

Nie kadei ki pooytu, indha list le uhlla saaman ei ellaam vaangindu, naan vehli le pooradhu k uhlle, vaa.

Ipo poonaa, vaangindu varen. Aanaa, ena ku veerre veelei irukarradhu n aale, ipo poo maaten.

Pinne epo thaan poove ?

Saayandhram naan thirumbi vandhadhu k aprram pooren.

Szari. Aanaa, innei ki saayandhram e vaangindu vandhudu. Illei aanaa, nahlei ki szaapaadu kedeiaadhu. Adh ellaam
szameial u ku veendia mukiam aanaa saamaangahl. Marraka mate e ?

Marraka maaten.

English Translation

Go to the shop, by the things in this list and come, before I go out.
If I go now, I will get them. But since I have some other work, I won't go now.

Then, when will you go ?

I will go after I return in the evening.

OK, but buy them this evening itself. Otherwise, there will be no food tomorrow. They are the important things for
preparing our food.

You will not forget, will you ?

I won't forget.

Notes:

The past participle form of a verb is used to connect a number of sentences into one, the last one being the only one
having a finite form of the verb :

Nie pooytu, vaanfindu vaa 'Go, buy and come'

Corresponding to the adverbial clause of condition, Braahmik uses a conditional form of the verb, formed by adding
the suffix -naa(l) to the past tense base of the verb:

Poonaa(l) (= poon + aa(l)) 'If you go',

Irukaradhu n aale 'Because (I) have, because there is'. pooradhu k uhlle 'Before (I) go' vandhadhu k aprram 'after (I)
come'

These constructions are formed by placing the conjunction aale preceded by the dummy particle n or the
preposition ku”” followed by the adverb uhlle or aprram after the participial noun.

The present and past participial nouns are formed by adding -dhu to the present and past 'participial adjectives'

The verb forms maaten, maate, maataan, ... maatom, maatehl, ...maataadhu are negative forms in the future
tenses, meaning 'I (you, he, etc.) won't (be able) to ,,,', used with the infinitive of a verb.

Vocabulary:

! Thanju / Paalu English

kadei shop
indha list le uhlla that is/are in this lest
saaman things, goods, baggage
vehli le outside
pooradhu going (present particip noun)
k uhlle within, before
poonaa if (I, you, he, we) go(s)
vaangindu vaa buy, buy and bring
aanaa but
veere, veerre different, some other
veelei work, job
irukarradhu being (present partic noun) n aale
ipo now
poo maaten I won't go.
pinne then, well then; after
epo thaan when indeed, when if at all
thirumbi vaa (var, vandhu, varuv) to return, come back
apram, aprram later, after
szari OK, fine
innei ki saayandhram this evening
illei aanaa of not, otherwise
nahlei ki tomorrow
kedeiaadhu It is not, there is not, there will not be
szameial / chameial cooking
veendia necessary, required (adj)
mukiam aanaa important, essential, chief, main
marraka maaten I wo'nt forget..

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Grammar 6
Negative Forms of Verbs:
The negative form of the verb common to the simple past and present is obtained by placing the negative
particle lei after the infinitive form of a verb. The verb maaten, maate, .... placed after the infinitive form, acts as the
future negative:

Naan pooha lei 'I didn't go, I don't go, I am not going' Naan pooha maaten 'I will not go, I am not going

Participial Nouns

Participial nouns referring to the action indicated by the verb are formed by affixing -adhu to the present or past tense
bases/ The future participial noun of the same kind is obtained by placing the participial
nouns pooradhu or poonadhuafter the infinitive of a verb:

Kalambra oodaradhu odambu ku nalladhu 'Running in the morning is good for the body'. Padichadhu manasu le
nikahnum 'What was studied must be retained in the mind'.

The participial noun can also refer to the person or thing that performed the action. In this case the endings attached
to the present and past bases are:

-an (m sg), -a(hl) (f sg), -ar (hon sg), -dhu (n sg), -vaa(hl) (pl) -adhu(ha(hl)):

Vandhavan, (-vahl, -dhu) yaaru ? 'Who is the one that came ?'

Vandhavaahl u k ellaam szaapadu pootaa 'They served lunch for all who came.

Exercises 6:

Exercise 6.1: Translate into English

1.Indha pakam poonadhu on thambi a ? 2.Naan innei ki Madraas u ku poo lei. 3.Nahlei ki pooha poore a ? 4.Vehli le
poonavaahl ellaam aathu ku vandhutaahl a ?

Exercise 6.2: Translate into Braahmik:

1.Go home. . 2.I won't go to the office tomorrow.

3.If you come, I will also come.

4.Did you have school yesterday ?

Braahmik / Lesson 7
Solution to Exercise 6 of Lesson 6:
Exercise 6.1: Translate into English

1.Indha pakam poonadhu on thambi a ? 'Is the one who went this way your younger brother ?' 2. 3.Naan innei ki
Madraas u ku poo lei. 'I am not going to Madras today' 4. 5.Nahlei ki pooha poore a ? 'Are you going (to go)
tomorrow ?' 6. 7.Vehli le poonavaahl ellaam aathu ku vandhutaahl a ? 'Have all those who went out come home ?'

Exercise 6.2: Translate into Braahmik:

1.Go home. Aathu ku poo 2.. 3.I won't go to the office tomorrow. Nahlei ki office u ku pooha maaten. 4. 5.If you come,
I will also come. Nie vandh aa, naan um varen. 6. 7.Did you have school yesterday ? Neethei ki ona ku skuul
irundhudh a ?

Text (in mixed Thanju-Paalu style):”'

Braahmik peeszara peer idhu varei India muzhuka maathram dhaan paravi irundhaa. Aanaa innei ki loohath le ellaa
edathu le um avaahl ei paakalaam.

Vehli uurhahl u ku pooy irukara ivaa ellaar um e nannaa padichu avaa 'vaa subject le expert aana peer aakum.

Adhu n aale avaahl le romba peer oszandha sthaanath le ellaam irukaa.

Ivaa oru chinna community ei cheendhavaahl aanaal um, ivaa veelei szeiara ellaa fields le um ivahl oodu ozheipu
romba um mecha veendia oru vishayam dhaan.

English Translation

Till now the Braahmik speakers were only spread all over India. But today we can see them all over the world.

All of these, who have gone to outside places are well educated and are experts in their respective fields.

Therefore many of them are in many high positions.

Although these belong to a small community, their industriosness in the various fiels they wotk in is a matter to be
highly appreciated.

Notes

The word peer could be vaiously translated as 'persons', 'those who', etc. : romba peer 'many, many people', veelei
szeiara peer 'those who work'. The word uur can refer to a village, town, city or country, depending upon the context.
Thusvehli uur 'in another town' or simply 'abroad'/ The expression avaa 'vaa is an abbreviation of avaa avaa and this
repetition of avaa has a distributive sense. Hence avaa 'vaa means 'their respective'.

Vocabulary
 Braahmik English
peeszara peer speaking (pres partic adj)
idhu this
idhu varei till this (time), up to this (point)
muzhuka totally, throughout
maathram dhaan only
pravu (-var, -vin, -vuv) to spread, extend
paravi iru (iruk, irundhu, irupu) to (have) be(en) spread
innei ki today
looham, loham (-athu) the World
ellaa edathu le um in all places
edam (edathu) place
paakalaam (one) can see.
vehli uur out of town, abroad
pooy iru to have gone
ivaa these (peaple)
ellaar um e everu one of them
nannaa padichu having been well educated
avaa 'vaa their respective
expert aana peer those who have become experts
adhu n aale therefore
avaahl le romba peer many among them
oszaru (-rar, -ndhu, =ruv) grow tall, go high up
oszandha tall, high
sthaanam (-athu) position
chinna small
cheeru, szeeru (-rar, -ndhu 0ruv) to join, be attached, belong
ceendhavaa(hl) those who belong, members
ozheipu toil, industriousness
mecha veendia worthy of appreciation
mechu (mechar, mechin, mechuv) to appreciate, applaud
 visheiam, vishayam (vishayathu) (subject) matter

Gtammar 7
The Imperative (2 nd p) Singular and Plural Forms of Verbs

The imperative Singular and Plural of Verbs

Infinitive Imp Sinfular Imp Plural
po, poo 'to go' (nie) po, (nier) pom (nienga(hl)) poongo(hl)
(nie) oodu, (nier)
oodu 'to run' (nienga(hl)) odungo(hl)
oodum
(nie) padi, (nier)
padi 'to read, study' (nienga(hl)) padingo(hl)
padium
nillu 'stand up, stop,
(nie) nillu (nier) nillum (nienga(hl)) nillungo(hl)
wait'
porrapadu 'get ready,
(nie) porrapadu (nier) porrapadum (nienga(hl)) porrapadungo(hl)
start'
(nier) vaarum \\ (nienga(hl))
vaa 'come' (nie) vaa
vaango(hl)
iru 'be, stay, wait' (nie) iru (nier) irum (nienga(hl)) irungo(hl)
(nienga(hl))
nada 'walk' (nie) nada (nier) nadaum
nadango(hl)/nadaungo(hl)
eduthuko 'you may (nienga(hl)) eduthukongo(hl)
(nie) eduthuko (nier) duthukum
take' eduthukungo(hl)

The negative imperative

The negative imperative forms are obtained from the infinitive form by removing the final -a and attaching -aadhe,
aadheum, aadhengo / aadheungo / aadhungo:

Indha edam szuddham aa illei. Nier inge varaadheum, ange e irum ' This place is not clean. (Please) don't come
here, (sir), Please stay there itself'.

Exercise 7
Exercise 7.1: Translate into English:
1.Konjam irungo, ipo varen.

2.Nienga poongo, pooytu ange okaandh irungo.

3.En ei paathundu nikaadhe, pooy on veelei ei chei.

4.Ipo veelei szeia chollaadhengo, szaaptutu thaan szeiven. Adhu ku mun aale szeia maaten.

Exercise 7.2: Translate into Braahmik:”

1. Go home. Study for your examination.

2. Stop ! Where are you going ?

3.Come here (and) read this book.

4.Don't go to play. Go home straight now

Braahmik / Lesson 8
Solution to Exercise 7 of Lesson 7:

Exercise 7.1: Translate into English:

1.Konjam irungo, ipo varen. 'Wait a little, I am coming now'

2.Nienga poongo, pooytu ange okaandh irungo. 'You go and be seated there'.

3.En ei paathundu nikaadhe, pooy on veelei ei chei. 'Don't stand there looking at me, go and do your work.'

4.Ipo veelei szeia chollaadhengo, szaaptutu thaan szeiven. Adhu ku mun aale szeia maaten. 'Don't ask me to work
now, I will work only after eating. I won't do it before that.

Exercise 7.2: Translate into Braahmik:

1. Go home. Study for your examination. Aathu ku po. Nie on pariekshei ki padi.

2. Stop ! Where are you going ? Nillu ! Enge poore nie ?

3.Come here (and) read this book. Inge vandhu indha pusthahath ei padi.

4.Don't go to play. Go home straight now. Vehleiaada poohaadhe. Neera aathu ku poo ipo.
Text

Aar aakum peeszaradhu ?

Naan dhaan, ahnnaa.

O, nie a ? Aar o neneichen. Szeri, edhu ku foon pahnninaay ?

Chummaa thaan, romba naahl aach e on kite peeszi.

Nie chummaa onn um foon pahnna maataay, Ena ku theriaadh a on ei ?

Szeri, chummaa pahnna lei dhaan.

Apo vishayath ei chollu.

Ena ku avasaram aa pahnam veendi iruku, anupi tharuve a ?

Ethrrei veehnam, epo veehnam chollu.

Email le vevaram aa ezhudharen. Aprram anupinaa poorum.

Szeri, vechudatum a ?

Vechudaren. Odamb ei paathuko.

Nie um paathuko. Vechudaren.

English Translation

Who is speaking ?

It is me, Ahnnaa !

Oh, it is you ? I thought it was somebody else. Well, why did you call ?

Just like that. It is a long time since I talked to you.

You won't just call like that. Don't I know you ?

Yes, I didn't call you just for nothing.

Then tell me what's the matter.

I need some money urgently. Will you send it to me ?

Tell me how much you want and when you want it.

I shall write details in an email. It is enough if you send it after that.

OK, bye then ?

Bye, take care of your health.

You too, take care of our health. Bye !

Notes

This is apparently a conversation in Paalu, as evidenced by the words aakum, ethrrei and the verb ending -aay.

Here aakum has the effect of saying 'may I know'

The present participial noun peeszaradhu means '(the one) who is speaking'.

Aar aakum peeszaradhu ? 'Who indeed is the one who is speaking ?' or 'May I know who is speaking ?'

'*Naan dhaan 'It is me of course' or 'it is me only'

The tag word of address ahnnaa meaning 'elder brother' may not be translated into English as this is an ethnic habit.

Aar o 'somebody or other'.

Szeri 'OK, well'

Anupi tharuve a ? 'Will you (please) send it (to me) ?'.

The interrogative form itself includes the idea of 'please'.

The verb tharuve implies 'to me'.

In vechudatum a, the suffix -tum and the interrogative particle a together mean may I keep it down.

In informal conversation, no equivalent of 'bye', etc., is used. 'Shall I keep it down ?' or 'I shall keep it down' serves
the purpose of 'bye, then ?' and 'bye'.

Odamb ei paathuko 'take cre of your health' is the equivalent of 'wish you good health'.
Chummaa onn um (follwoed by a negative verb) 'for nothing at all'.

The postposition ku is used with some verbs:

Ena ku therium 'I know'.

Avan u ku theriaadhu 'He doesn't know'.

Ena ku veendi iruku 'I need'.

Ena ku veehnam / veehnum 'I want'

Ena ku veendaam / veehnaam 'I don't want'.

Vocabulary

Braahmik English
aaru, yaaru
peeszaradhu (the act of) speaking, (the one who is) speaking
naan dhaan It's me (dhaan here is a particle of reassurance)
ahnnaa elder brother
O (interjection) Oh
aar o somebody (else)
nenei (-kar, -chu, -pu) to think
edhu ku why, what for
foon pahnnu (-ar, -in, -uv) to phone, call, ring up
chummaa thaan just like that, for nothing
romba naahl aach e it's a long time, isn't it
on kite peeszi having spoken, (after speaking), to you.
foon pahnna maataay You won't call
theriaadh a on ei don't (I) know you ?
vishayam (-athu) (subject) matter ei chollu.
anupi thaa (thar, thandh, tharuv) to send (me)
ethrei, ethrrei (Paalu)/ethanei,
how many, how much
evvahlavu, evhlo (Thanju)
vevaram aa in detail
 vevaram (-athu) details
anupinaa if it is sent
poorum (it is) enough

Grammar 8
Impersonal Verbs

Braahmik has a number of imprsoanal verbs that have only the 3 rd person neuter singular form.

It has usually a passive sense. The main recipient or subject of the action is a noun or pronoun with the
postposition ku.

A few such verbs are given in the following table:

Impersonal Verbs
Braahmik English
theri (theriaradhu, therinjudhu, therium to be known.
veendi iru (iruku, irundhudhu, irukum) to be needed
kaanhu (kaahnaradhu, kandudhu, kaahnum) to be seen
pidi (pidikaradhu, pidichudhu, pidikum) to be liked

There is also a defective impersonal verbal particle that has only one form:

veehnam, veehnum 'it is needed'.

Its negative form is veendaam, veehnaam 'it is not needed'.
This defective verb in its abbreviated form of -nham, -nhum and its negative form -hndaa(m), -hnaam 'it is not
needed' is attached to the infinitive form of any verb, meaning 'it is necessary to' or 'it is not necessary to',
translatable by the words 'must' or 'don't':
The negative forms of the defective impersonal verbs are obtained as follows:
The infinitive followed by the negative particle lei gives the common past and present tense form.
For the future tense the suffix -aadhu is affixed to the infinitive after dropping the final -a:
Ena ku theria lei 'I cannot / could not see, didn't / don't know'.
Theriaadhu 'I will not be able to (I generally cannot) see, willl not know, I don't, as a matter of fact, know'.
 innei ki mazhei peium a ? 'Willl it rain today ?'
Theria lei / theriaadhu 'I don't know'
Maapahlei ki sweets pidikaadhu 'The bridegroom doesn't like sweets'.

Exercises 8
Exercise 8.1: Translate into English:

1.Indha visheiath ei pathi peesza pooradhu yaaru, nie a, naan a ?

2.Keeka vara poora peer ellaam on oodu students thaan e !

3.Nie peesza poora vishaiam avaa ellaar u k um pidicha vishaiam thaan e ?

4.Adhu avaahl ei keet aa thaan therium.

Exercise 8.2: Translate into Braahmik:

1.Are you the one who has come to see me ?

2.No, sir, I am sitting here just like that. I don't know who is going to see you.

3.If anybody comes to see me now, tell him to come tomorrow. I have to go now.

4.I won't be here, sir, I will go away in a short time.

braahmik / Lesson 9
Solution to Exercise 8 of Lesson 8:

Exercises 8

Exercise 8.1: Translate into English:

1.Indha visheiath ei pathi peesza pooradhu yaaru, nie a, naan a ? 'Is it you or I, who is going to speak on this
subhect ?'

2.Keeka vara poora peer ellaam on oodu students thaan e ! 'Those who are going to come to listen are your
students, aren't they ?
3.Nie peesza poora vishaiam avaa ellaar u k um pidicha vishaiam thaan e ? 'The subject you are foinf to speak on is
one that is liked by all, isn't it ?

4.Adhu avaahl ei keet aa thaan therium. 'That onel should onlu ask them.'

Exercise 8.2: Translate into Braahmik:

1.Are you the one who has come to see me ? 'En ei paaka vandh irukaradhu nie dhaan a ?

2.No, sir, I am sitting here just like that. I don't know who is going to see you.

'Illei, saar, naan chummaa thaan inge okaandhund iruken. Ongahl ei paaka pooradhu yaaru ena ku theriaadhu.

3.All right, if anybody comes to see me now, tell him to come tomorrow. I have to go now.

'Szari, ipo yaar aavadhy en ei paaka vandh aa, (avan ei) naahlei ki vara chollu,

4. I won't be here, sir, I will go away in a short time.

'Naan inge iruka maaten, saar, konja neerathu le naan pooyduven.'

Text

Vedi kaalambra romba neeram thuungind e irukaradhu thapu.

Muzhipu vandhadhu k apram um izhuthu poothindu thuungaradhu iruk e, adhu adh ei vida peria thapu.

Chat na ezhundhirundhom, pal ei theechom, muunj alambindom, vandh okaandhu konja neeram kanh ei muudindu
dhhyaanam pahnninom. apram szuru szurup a veelei ei gavanichom innu irukahnam.

Padikara paszangahl a irundh a, neethei ki nadandha paadath ei oru dhadavei padichutu, innei ki nadaka poora
poodath ei puriara varei k um rendu dhadavei muuhnu dhadavei padikahnum.

Padichadh ei cholli paathukahnum. Cholli paathukara poodhu thadumaarrin a, in oru dhadavei padikahnum.

Ipdi padich a, padipu le epo um e mun eerralaam.

English Translation

Going on sleeping early in the morning is wrong.

As for pulling the blanket round you even after you are awake and go on sleeping, it is a wrong that is much worse
than that.
It must be like this : We got up quickly, brushed the teeth, washed the face, came and sat down and meditated for
some time with closed eyes, and then began to attend to our work vigorously.

If (we are) students, (we) should read once the lesson done yesterday and should read the lesson to be done today
two or three times until (we) understand it.

We should repeat to ourselves what we read.. If (we) falter during recapitulation, (we) should read (it) once again.

If we study like this, it is possible to make progress in (our) studies.

Notes

Most of the sentences in this passage are peculiar to Braahmik and are not as in English.
In the first sentence, the expression thuungind e irukaradhu 'going on sleeping' is a participial noun phrase
functioning as the subject and the subject complement is thapu 'wrong'.
The copula 'is' is not expressed in the present tense.
In the last sentence Ipdi padich a, padipu le epo um e mun eerralaam 'if studied like this, it is possible to make
progress in studies.', no subject is overtly expressed, making the sentence an impersonal construction.
The sentence, Chat na ezhundhirundhom, pal ei theechom, muunj alambindom, vandh okaandhu konja neeram
kanh ei muudindu dhhyaanam pahnninom. apram szuru szurup a veelei ei gavanichom innu irukahnam, 'We did
this, we did that, etc., etc., it should be like that', is a very special style of talking, to give corrective instructions to
someone. The real meaning is 'You should do this, you should do that, etc.', without the tag statement 'it should
be like that.
The link verb iru 'to be' is expressed in the past and the future, though not in the present tense :
A statement like naan padikara paian 'I am a student' is in the present tense with no copula.
But, in the past tense naan padikara paian a irundhen 'I was a student', there is the copula irundhen presnt. At the
same time, the subject complement is changed into an 'adverb' by placing the 'adverbialising paticle' a or aa.
When the past participle is used in place of a finite past tense, no subject need be mentioned, as in padikara
paian a irundh a 'if (I, you, he, she, it) were a student'.
A sentence, in which the finite verb has an impersonal suffix like -hnim, -(l)aam is an impersonal sentence , to
which a subject has to be supplied in the *English translation, depending upon the context.
Rendu dhadavei muujnu dhdavei, rendu muuhnu dhadavei 'Two or three times'.

Vocabulary
 Braahmik English
Vedi kaalambra early in the morning
romba neeram for a long time
thuungu (-ar, -in, -uv) to sleep
thuungind iru be sleeping
thuungind irukaradhu sleeping (pres particip noun)
thuungind e irukaradhu going on sleeping
thapu wrong, mistake.
muzhipu blinking, waking up
muzhipu vandhadhu k apram after wakiong up
um and, also, even
izhu (-kar, -thu, -pu) to pull
izhuthu poothiko (-kar, -nd, -kuv/-pu) pull (the blanket) over (oneself tightly)
poothindu thuungaradhu sleeping well covered (with blanket)
iruk e as for (what is... )
(adh) ei vida peria greater than that
chat na/nu quickly
ezhundhiru (-kar, -ndhu, -pu) get up
pal, pallu tooth, (teeth)
pal (ei) theey (-kar, -chu, -pu) to brush the teeth
moham, muunji face
alambu (-bar, -bin, -buv) to wash
konja neeram (for) a little time
kahn ei muudiko (-kar, -nd, -kuv) close your eyes
dhhyaanam pahnnu (-ar, -in, -uv) to meditate
apram then, after
szuru szurup a actively, vigorously
veelei ei gavani (-kar, chu, -pu) attend to one's work, mind one's business
innu irukahnam it should be like that.
padikara paszanga(hl) students
a irundh a/aa(l) if (one) is
 neethei ki uesterday
nadandha paadam (-thu) the lesson that was taken
oru dhadavei once
padichudu (-dar, -tu, -duv) to finish reading
innei ki today
nadaka poora poodam (thu) lesson that is going to be taken
puri (-ar, -nju, (-um)) to be understood (imper verb)
puriara varei k um till it is understood
rendu (dhadavei) muuhnu dhadavei two or three times
padichadhu what is read
cholli paaru (paakar, paathu, paapu) repeat, try to say again
thadumaarru (-ar, -in, -uv) falter
Ipdi padich a if one reads likel this
padipu le in studies
epo um e at any time, always
men eerral progress, making progress

Grammar
The use of the particle e as avan irukaan e 'as for him', nie iruke e 'as for you; oh, you, you', adhu iruk e 'that one,
oh God; as far as that is concerned', has no parallel in English.
Degrees of comparison are expressed by using the expression ei vida followed by an adjective like peria,
chinna'great(er), small(er)':
idhu adh ei vida peria thapu 'this is a greater mistake than that'.
Nie en ei vida oyaram 'you are taller than I', where oyaram 'height' is a noun.
Onomotopoetic words followed by innu, na, nu give rise to adverbs:
Chat na 'quickly, suddenly', pahlich nu 'dazzlingly', mazha mazha nu 'sloppily' O nu, oo nu 'loudly' as
in kozhandhei oo nu azhudhudhu 'the child cried loudly'.
When giving strong advice to children or when admonishing subordinates, instead of 'you should do this, you
should do that', a construction that translates 'we did this, we did that, it should be like that' is used :
 poonom, vandhom innu irukanham 'you should go quickly and come back quickly'.
The particle a has several meanings, depending on context:
It converts a statement into a question : nie padiche a, illei a ? 'did you study or not ?'
Placed after any word in a question, it emphasises that word in the question : idh ei nie a ezhudhine ? 'is it you
who wrote this ?'
The particle a converts a noun into an adverb : Indhy puu azhah a iruku 'this flower is beautiful'. (a is an
abbreviation of aaha, infinitive of the verb aa to become).
The particle a (abbr. of aaha) is used with the link verb in the past and future tenses : Eng apaa vaadhiaar 'my
father is a teacher', avar vadhiaar a irundhaar 'he was a teacher'.
The particle a / aal is a conditional clause or phrase marker: nie kadei ki poon a, saamaan vangindu vaa.” 'If you
go to the shop, buy (and bring) the things'. Nie padikara paian a irundh a. 'If you are a student'.
Further numerals : 11 padhin ohnnu / onnu, 12 pannendu / pandhrendu, 13 padhi muuynu / muunnu, 14 padhi
naalu, 15 padjin anju, 16 padhin aarru, 17 padhin eezhu, 18 padhin etu, 19 path ombadhu, 20 iruvadhu.
When giving expression to an approximate number, one may say :
ohnn o rend o or ohnnu rendu 'one or two'.

En kite pathu padhin anju ruubaay iruku, 'I have 10 or 15 rupees with me'.

See also
Roman Tamil and Braahmik
Sankethi
Kerala Iyer

References
Dr. P. C. Ganeshsundaram (Sydney)

Rudin (Leningrad / Petrograd)

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Brahmin Tamil

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