Tamil to English examples

நான் ஆங்கிலம் வேகமாக கற்றுக்கொள்ள விரும்புகிறேன்.

→ I want to learn English quickly.

Tamil puts the verb at the very end — 'I English quickly learn want'. Every word must be repositioned for English. The subject stays first but the verb must move to second position.

நான் மூன்று ஆண்டுகளாக ஆங்கிலம் படித்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறேன்.

→ I have been studying English for three years.

Tamil uses a continuous verb form with a duration marker. English uses the present perfect continuous — a tense with no direct Tamil equivalent.

கொஞ்சம் மெதுவாக பேசுங்கள்.

→ Please speak more slowly.

Tamil encodes politeness into the verb form itself. English uses 'please' as a separate word — much simpler but Tamil speakers often forget to include it.

நான் அதிகமாக படித்திருந்தால், தேர்வில் தேர்ச்சி பெற்றிருப்பேன்.

→ If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.

Tamil conditionals use the '-aal' suffix with past tense. English uses the past perfect in the condition and 'would have' in the result — both signal a past unreal situation.

ஆங்கிலம் மிகவும் முக்கியமான மொழி.

→ English is a very important language.

Tamil can omit 'is' in this type of sentence. English requires 'is' and also requires the article 'a' before 'language' — both frequently dropped by Tamil speakers.