Verbs
The main purpose of the word class of verbs is to express any kind of action performed by any kind living or non-living being. Those actions can happen at the time of expression but also in the past or in the future.
In Tamil, you have to follow a few rules of conjugation in order to master all tenses.
General information
Tamil verb forms can be split into finite and non-finite forms as well as nominalized verb forms. Finite verb forms are the ones that are used as predicates meaning that they are the main action of a sentence. Non-finite verb forms are used either in subclauses or in compound verbs.
Finite verb forms can take the tense, number, person and gender suffixes. The non-finite verb forms only take the tense suffix and even that is only needed in certain cases.
Verb stem
The verb stem is the form of a verb to which you add suffixes to. If you look up a verb in the lexicon, it is this form that you are going to find.
While you can just add suffixes to most of the verbs, there are also some others that have some helper letter in between the stem and the suffixes. Those helpers க்｢k｣ or க்க்｢kk｣ are called stops.
Based on the usage of the helpers, verb stems are grouped as weak, middle, and strong verb stems.
Strong verb stems
Verb stems that use the க்க்｢kk｣ stop are considered strong verb stems. When the suffix that is going to be added to the stem is a vowel, you will automatically add the stop in between. However, if the suffix does not start with a vowel, the stop will not be added
நட｢naṭa｣ + க்க்｢kk｣ + அ｢a｣ = நடக்க｢naṭakka｣
In this example, அ｢a｣ is the suffix to mark the infinitive (see next chapter) and since this is a vowel, you add the க்க்｢kk｣ stop in between
நட｢naṭa｣ + ந்｢n｣ = நடந்｢naṭan｣
In this example, ந்｢n｣ is the suffix to mark the past tense (see one of the following chapters) and since this is not a vowel, the க்க்｢kk｣ stop will be omitted.
Middle verb stems
A verb stem which is using the stop க்｢k｣ when a suffix is added is called a middle stem. As for the strong verb stem, the stop is only added when the suffix starts with a vowel.
கேள்｢kēḷ｣ + க்｢k｣ + அ｢a｣ = கேட்க｢kēṭka｣
கேள்｢kēḷ｣ + ட்｢ṭ｣ + ஏன்｢ēṉ｣ = கேட்டேன்｢kēṭṭēṉ｣
Note that in this example the ள்｢ḷ｣ is transformed into ட்｢ṭ｣ because of the suffix and the stop.
Weak verb stems
All other verb stems are called weak. Those have no stops but always use the regular verb stem, no matter what suffix is added.
தூங்கு｢tūṅku｣ + அ｢a｣ = தூங்க｢tūṅka｣
தூங்கு｢tūṅku｣ + இ｢i｣ = தூங்கி｢tūṅki｣
The infinitive
The base of every verb is its infinitive form. You can easily identify them by their -அ｢-a｣ suffix which is added to the verb stem.
Note that the rules of letter transformation still apply as well as that the -உ｢-u｣ at the end is removed from the verb stems.
கல்｢kal｣ + அ｢a｣ = கற்க｢kaṟka｣ - to learn
படு｢paṭu｣ + அ｢a｣ = டுக்க｢ṭukka｣ - to sleep
வரை｢varai｣ + அ｢a｣ = வரைய｢varaiya｣ - to draw
Tenses
The Tamil language basically has three base tenses: Present, Past and Future. As you will learn in the following chapters, you can also construct progressive forms of those three tenses but grammatically there are only three these three tenses.
All these tenses are marked by their corresponding suffixes. However, unfortunately, there are more than one suffix for each tense:
Present Tense- -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣
- -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣
- -த்｢-t｣
- -ந்｢-n｣
- -ன்｢-ṉ｣
- -ட்｢-ṭ｣
- -த்த்｢-tt｣
- -வ்｢-v｣
- -ப்｢-p｣
- -ப்ப்｢-pp｣
The seven verb classes
Based on how and when those suffixes are used, verbs can be classified into seven classes:
| Class | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | -த்｢-t｣ | -வ்｢-v｣ |
| 2 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | -ந்｢-n｣ | -வ்｢-v｣ |
| 3 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | -ன்｢-ṉ｣ | -வ்｢-v｣ |
| 4 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | doubling | -வ்｢-v｣ |
| 5 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | -ட்｢-ṭ｣ | -ப்｢-p｣ |
| 6 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | -த்த்｢-tt｣ | -ப்ப்｢-pp｣ |
| 7 | -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣ | -ந்｢-n｣ | -ப்ப்｢-pp｣ |
Some initial hint to figure out which class a verb belongs to is by checking the verb stem and where it belongs to. Weak verb stems belong to the classes 1-4, middle verb stems fall into class 5 and strong verb stems are either class 6 or 7.
Person-Gender-Number suffix
Once you know the class of the verb and thus figured out which suffix to use for the tense you want to build, the next part is building the person-gender-number suffix.
In the chapter about nouns, you learnt about the 10 different personal pronouns used in Tamil. Each of those pronouns also have a suffix that marks the person, gender and then number of the verb form (thus called person-gender-number suffix).
| Pronoun | Suffix |
|---|---|
| நான்｢nāṉ｣ | -ஏன்｢-ēṉ｣ |
| நீ｢nī｣ | -ஆய்｢-āy｣ |
| அவன்｢avaṉ｣ (இவன்｢ivaṉ｣, உவன்｢uvaṉ｣) | -ஆன்｢-āṉ｣ |
| அவள்｢avaḷ｣ (இவள்｢ivaḷ｣, உவள்｢uvaḷ｣) | -ஆள்｢-āḷ｣ |
| அது｢atu｣ (இது｢itu｣, உது｢utu｣) | -து｢-tu｣, -அது｢-atu｣, -உம்｢-um｣ |
| அவர்｢avar｣ (இவர்｢ivar｣, உவர்｢uvar｣) | -ஆர்｢-ār｣ |
| நாங்கள்｢nāṅkaḷ｣, நாம்｢nām｣ | -ஓம்｢-ōm｣ |
| நீங்கள்｢nīṅkaḷ｣ | -ஈர்கள்｢-īrkaḷ｣ |
| அவர்கள்｢avarkaḷ｣ | -ஆர்கள்｢-ārkaḷ｣ |
| அவை｢avai｣ | -அ｢-a｣ |
With the knowledge of these suffixes, we can now build the verb form in the tense, gender, person and number we need.
Let's go through each class so that you get a good idea, how they are built.
As you might have noticed, a single verb form in Tamil is enough to build an entire sentence: படித்தோம்｢paṭittōm｣
If you want to analyze this, split the verb into its suffixes starting from the ending until you only have the verb stem left:
- ஓம்｢ōm｣ ⇒ 3rd person plural
- த்த்｢tt｣ ⇒ past tense, verb class 6
- படி｢paṭi｣ ⇒ verb stem of "to learn"
So the translation for படித்தோம் is: We learned
The 7 verb classes
For each verb class, you will see a table with examples and notes about each class.
Class 1: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, -த்｢-t｣, -வ்｢-v｣
Using the word அழு｢aḻu｣ to cry as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | அழுகின்றேன்｢aḻukiṉṟēṉ｣ | அழுதேன்｢aḻutēṉ｣ | அழுவேன்｢aḻuvēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | அழுகின்றாய்｢aḻukiṉṟāy｣ | அழுதாய்｢aḻutāy｣ | அழுவாய்｢aḻuvāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | அழுகின்றான்｢aḻukiṉṟāṉ｣ | அழுதான்｢aḻutāṉ｣ | அழுவான்｢aḻuvāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | அழுகின்றாள்｢aḻukiṉṟāḷ｣ | அழுதாள்｢aḻutāḷ｣ | அழுவாள்｢aḻuvāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | அழுகின்றது｢aḻukiṉṟatu｣ | அழுதது｢aḻutatu｣ | அழும்｢aḻum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | அழுகின்றார்｢aḻukiṉṟār｣ | அழுதார்｢aḻutār｣ | அழுவார்｢aḻuvār｣ |
| 1. Pl | அழுகின்றோம்｢aḻukiṉṟōm｣ | அழுதோம்｢aḻutōm｣ | அழுவோம்｢aḻuvōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | அழுகின்றீர்கள்｢aḻukiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | அழுதீர்கள்｢aḻutīrkaḷ｣ | அழுவீர்கள்｢aḻuvīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | அழுகின்றார்கள்｢aḻukiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | அழுதார்கள்｢aḻutārkaḷ｣ | அழுவார்கள்｢aḻuvārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | அழுகின்றன｢aḻukiṉṟaṉa｣ | அழுதன｢aḻutaṉa｣ | அழும்｢aḻum｣ |
The 3rd person-singular-neuter does not include the -வ்｢-v｣ for the future tense. That is because combining the -உ｢-u｣ from the அழு｢aḻu｣ and the -உ｢-u｣ from -உம்｢-um｣ swallow the -வ்｢-v｣.
Also, the 3rd person-plural-neuter looks the same for the future tense as the singular version. You will notice that it's the case in all classes
You will also notice that the present suffixes can both be used interchangeably. It doesn't matter in any class whether you use -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ or -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣. It's mostly decided from dialect to dialect what suffix people prefer for which verb class.
So அழுகின்றேன்｢aḻukiṉṟēṉ｣ and அழுகிறேன்｢aḻukiṟēṉ｣ are both correct and well used in Tamil.
Class 2: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, -ந்｢-n｣, -வ்｢-v｣
Using the word விழு｢viḻu｣ to fall as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | விழுகின்றேன்｢viḻukiṉṟēṉ｣ | விழுந்தேன்｢viḻuntēṉ｣ | விழுவேன்｢viḻuvēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | விழுகின்றாய்｢viḻukiṉṟāy｣ | விழுந்தாய்｢viḻuntāy｣ | விழுவாய்｢viḻuvāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | விழுகின்றான்｢viḻukiṉṟāṉ｣ | விழுந்தான்｢viḻuntāṉ｣ | விழுவான்｢viḻuvāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | விழுகின்றாள்｢viḻukiṉṟāḷ｣ | விழுந்தாள்｢viḻuntāḷ｣ | விழுவாள்｢viḻuvāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | விழுகின்றது｢viḻukiṉṟatu｣ | விழுந்தது｢viḻuntatu｣ | விழும்｢viḻum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | விழுகின்றார்｢viḻukiṉṟār｣ | விழுந்தார்｢viḻuntār｣ | விழுவார்｢viḻuvār｣ |
| 1. Pl | விழுகின்றோம்｢viḻukiṉṟōm｣ | விழுந்தோம்｢viḻuntōm｣ | விழுவோம்｢viḻuvōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | விழுகின்றீர்கள்｢viḻukiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | விழுந்தீர்கள்｢viḻuntīrkaḷ｣ | விழுவீர்கள்｢viḻuvīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | விழுகின்றார்கள்｢viḻukiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | விழுந்தார்கள்｢viḻuntārkaḷ｣ | விழுவார்கள்｢viḻuvārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | விழுகின்றன｢viḻukiṉṟaṉa｣ | விழுந்தன｢viḻuntaṉa｣ | விழும்｢viḻum｣ |
Class 3: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, -ன்｢-ṉ｣, -வ்｢-v｣
Using the word தூங்கு｢tūṅku｣ to sleep as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | தூங்குகின்றேன்｢tūṅkukiṉṟēṉ｣ | தூங்கினேன்｢tūṅkiṉēṉ｣ | தூங்குவேன்｢tūṅkuvēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | தூங்குகின்றாய்｢tūṅkukiṉṟāy｣ | தூங்கினாய்｢tūṅkiṉāy｣ | தூங்குவாய்｢tūṅkuvāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | தூங்குகின்றான்｢tūṅkukiṉṟāṉ｣ | தூங்கினான்｢tūṅkiṉāṉ｣ | தூங்குவான்｢tūṅkuvāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | தூங்குகின்றாள்｢tūṅkukiṉṟāḷ｣ | தூங்கினாள்｢tūṅkiṉāḷ｣ | தூங்குவாள்｢tūṅkuvāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | தூங்குகின்றது｢tūṅkukiṉṟatu｣ | தூங்கியது｢tūṅkiyatu｣ | தூங்கும்｢tūṅkum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | தூங்குகின்றார்｢tūṅkukiṉṟār｣ | தூங்கினார்｢tūṅkiṉār｣ | தூங்குவார்｢tūṅkuvār｣ |
| 1. Pl | தூங்குகின்றோம்｢tūṅkukiṉṟōm｣ | தூங்கினோம்｢tūṅkiṉōm｣ | தூங்குவோம்｢tūṅkuvōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | தூங்குகின்றீர்கள்｢tūṅkukiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | தூங்கினீர்கள்｢tūṅkiṉīrkaḷ｣ | தூங்குவீர்கள்｢tūṅkuvīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | தூங்குகின்றார்கள்｢tūṅkukiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | தூங்கினார்கள்｢tūṅkiṉārkaḷ｣ | தூங்குவார்கள்｢tūṅkuvārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | தூங்குகின்றன｢tūṅkukiṉṟaṉa｣ | தூங்கின｢tūṅkiṉa｣ | தூங்கும்｢tūṅkum｣ |
When the third person singular neuter suffix -அது｢-atu｣ is added to the tense marker for the past tense -இன்｢-iṉ｣, the marker is simplified to -இ｢-i｣. And as per letter transformation rules, -இ｢-i｣ + -அ｢-a｣ needs a -ய்｢-y｣ in between. That's how தூங்கு｢tūṅku｣ + இன்｢iṉ｣ (இ)｢(i)｣ + அது｢atu｣ becomes தூங்கியது｢tūṅkiyatu｣.
As you might have noticed in Class 1 and 2 for the 3rd person plural neuter present tense and past tense, you always add a -அன்｢-aṉ｣ in between tense suffix and the person-gender-number suffix. This is the case for every case, except for Class 3.
Or in other words, you could see the person-gender-number suffix of the 3rd-person-neuter-plural as -அன｢-aṉa｣ and the exception is that it is -அ｢-a｣ for the 3rd verb class.
Class 4: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, doubling, -வ்｢-v｣
Using the word போடு｢pōṭu｣ to put as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | போடுகின்றேன்｢pōṭukiṉṟēṉ｣ | போட்டேன்｢pōṭṭēṉ｣ | போடுவேன்｢pōṭuvēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | போடுகின்றாய்｢pōṭukiṉṟāy｣ | போட்டாய்｢pōṭṭāy｣ | போடுவாய்｢pōṭuvāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | போடுகின்றான்｢pōṭukiṉṟāṉ｣ | போட்டான்｢pōṭṭāṉ｣ | போடுவான்｢pōṭuvāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | போடுகின்றாள்｢pōṭukiṉṟāḷ｣ | போட்டாள்｢pōṭṭāḷ｣ | போடுவாள்｢pōṭuvāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | போடுகின்றது｢pōṭukiṉṟatu｣ | போட்டது｢pōṭṭatu｣ | போடும்｢pōṭum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | போடுகின்றார்｢pōṭukiṉṟār｣ | போட்டார்｢pōṭṭār｣ | போடுவார்｢pōṭuvār｣ |
| 1. Pl | போடுகின்றோம்｢pōṭukiṉṟōm｣ | போட்டோம்｢pōṭṭōm｣ | போடுவோம்｢pōṭuvōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | போடுகின்றீர்கள்｢pōṭukiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | போட்டிர்கள்｢pōṭṭirkaḷ｣ | போடுவீர்கள்｢pōṭuvīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | போடுகின்றார்கள்｢pōṭukiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | போட்டார்கள்｢pōṭṭārkaḷ｣ | போடுவார்கள்｢pōṭuvārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | போடுகின்றன｢pōṭukiṉṟaṉa｣ | போட்டன｢pōṭṭaṉa｣ | போடும்｢pōṭum｣ |
This speciality of this class is the fact that the past tense does not have a fixed suffix. Instead, you would double the consonant of the last syllable. Almost all verbs of this class end on either -டு｢-ṭu｣ or -று｢-ṟu｣. Important: Not all verbs ending on those letters belong to this class.
Belong to this class
போடு｢pōṭu｣
பெறு｢peṟu｣
சாப்பிடு｢cāppiṭu｣
Do not belong to this class
ஆடு｢āṭu｣
மாறு｢māṟu｣
மறு｢maṟu｣
Class 5: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, -த்｢-t｣, -ப்｢-p｣
Using the word கேள்｢kēḷ｣ to ask as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | கேட்கின்றேன்｢kēṭkiṉṟēṉ｣ | கேட்டேன்｢kēṭṭēṉ｣ | கேட்பேன்｢kēṭpēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | கேட்கின்றாய்｢kēṭkiṉṟāy｣ | கேட்டாய்｢kēṭṭāy｣ | கேட்பாய்｢kēṭpāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | கேட்கின்றான்｢kēṭkiṉṟāṉ｣ | கேட்டான்｢kēṭṭāṉ｣ | கேட்பான்｢kēṭpāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | கேட்கின்றாள்｢kēṭkiṉṟāḷ｣ | கேட்டாள்｢kēṭṭāḷ｣ | கேட்பாள்｢kēṭpāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | கேட்கின்றது｢kēṭkiṉṟatu｣ | கேட்டது｢kēṭṭatu｣ | கேட்கும்｢kēṭkum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | கேட்கின்றார்｢kēṭkiṉṟār｣ | கேட்டார்｢kēṭṭār｣ | கேட்பார்｢kēṭpār｣ |
| 1. Pl | கேட்கின்றோம்｢kēṭkiṉṟōm｣ | கேட்டோம்｢kēṭṭōm｣ | கேட்போம்｢kēṭpōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | கேட்கின்றீர்கள்｢kēṭkiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | கேட்டிர்கள்｢kēṭṭirkaḷ｣ | கேட்பீர்கள்｢kēṭpīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | கேட்கின்றார்கள்｢kēṭkiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | கேட்டார்கள்｢kēṭṭārkaḷ｣ | கேட்பார்கள்｢kēṭpārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | கேட்கின்றன｢kēṭkiṉṟaṉa｣ | கேட்டன｢kēṭṭaṉa｣ | கேட்கும்｢kēṭkum｣ |
This 5th class is a class of irregular verbs. Luckily, however, there aren't that many verbs that belong to this class. The most important ones are:
- காண்｢kāṇ｣ - to see
- தின்னு｢tiṉṉu｣ - to eat
- கேளு｢kēḷu｣ - to hear
- வில்லு｢villu｣ - to sell
- நில்லு｢nillu｣ - to stay/stand
By rule, the past tense suffix for this class is -த்｢-t｣ but transformation rules lead to have totally different suffixes that can be categorized in 4 different sub classes.
Verbs of this class that end on -ண்｢-ṇ｣: The suffix becomes -ட்｢-ṭ｣
காண்｢kāṇ｣ —> கண்டேன்｢kaṇṭēṉ｣
(Note: காண்｢kāṇ｣ becoming கண்｢kaṇ｣ is a irregularity of this particular verb)
Verbs of this class that end on -ன்｢-ṉ｣: The suffix becomes -ற்｢-ṟ｣
தின்｢tiṉ｣ —> தின்றேன்｢tiṉṟēṉ｣
Verbs of this that end on -ள்｢-ḷ｣: The suffix becomes -ட்｢-ṭ｣ (as in 1.) and additionally the -ள்｢-ḷ｣ itself becomes a -ட்｢-ṭ｣, too. (This is the sub class from the example table)
கேள்｢kēḷ｣ —> கேட்டேன்｢kēṭṭēṉ｣
Verbs of this class that end on -ல்｢-l｣: The suffix becomes -ற்｢-ṟ｣ (as in 2.) and additionally the -ல்｢-l｣ itself becomes a -ற்｢-ṟ｣, too.
வில்｢vil｣ ｢vil｣ —> விற்றேன்｢viṟṟēṉ｣
நில்｢nil｣ —> நின்றேன்｢niṉṟēṉ｣
(Note: The -ல்｢-l｣ turning into -ன்｢-ṉ｣ is an irregularity of this particular verb)
Class 6: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, -த்த்｢-tt｣, -ப்ப்｢-pp｣
Using the word படி｢paṭi｣ to learn as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | படிக்கின்றேன்｢paṭikkiṉṟēṉ｣ | படித்தேன்｢paṭittēṉ｣ | படிப்பேன்｢paṭippēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | படிக்கின்றாய்｢paṭikkiṉṟāy｣ | படித்தாய்｢paṭittāy｣ | படிப்பாய்｢paṭippāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | படிக்கின்றான்｢paṭikkiṉṟāṉ｣ | படித்தான்｢paṭittāṉ｣ | படிப்பான்｢paṭippāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | படிக்கின்றாள்｢paṭikkiṉṟāḷ｣ | படித்தாள்｢paṭittāḷ｣ | படிப்பாள்｢paṭippāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | படிக்கின்றது｢paṭikkiṉṟatu｣ | படித்தது｢paṭittatu｣ | படிக்கும்｢paṭikkum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | படிக்கின்றார்｢paṭikkiṉṟār｣ | படித்தார்｢paṭittār｣ | படிப்பார்｢paṭippār｣ |
| 1. Pl | படிக்கின்றோம்｢paṭikkiṉṟōm｣ | படித்தோம்｢paṭittōm｣ | படிப்போம்｢paṭippōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | படிக்கின்றீர்கள்｢paṭikkiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | படித்தீர்கள்｢paṭittīrkaḷ｣ | படிப்பீர்கள்｢paṭippīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | படிக்கின்றார்கள்｢paṭikkiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | படித்தார்கள்｢paṭittārkaḷ｣ | படிப்பார்கள்｢paṭippārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | படிக்கின்றன｢paṭikkiṉṟaṉa｣ | படித்தன｢paṭittaṉa｣ | படிக்கும்｢paṭikkum｣ |
This class basically the same as the first verb class with the different that the suffix is doubled because of the strong verb that fall into this class. As you might have noticed, the present tense also doubles the -க்｢-k｣ of -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣/-கிறு｢-kiṟu｣
Class 7: -கின்று｢-kiṉṟu｣ / -கிறு｢-kiṟu｣, -ந்த்｢-nt｣, -ப்ப்｢-pp｣
Using the word நட｢naṭa｣ to walk as an example:
| Person | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sg | நடக்கின்றேன்｢naṭakkiṉṟēṉ｣ | நடந்தேன்｢naṭantēṉ｣ | நடப்பேன்｢naṭappēṉ｣ |
| 2. Sg | நடக்கின்றாய்｢naṭakkiṉṟāy｣ | நடந்தாய்｢naṭantāy｣ | நடப்பாய்｢naṭappāy｣ |
| 3. Sg (m) | நடக்கின்றான்｢naṭakkiṉṟāṉ｣ | நடந்தான்｢naṭantāṉ｣ | நடப்பான்｢naṭappāṉ｣ |
| 3. Sg (f) | நடக்கின்றாள்｢naṭakkiṉṟāḷ｣ | நடந்தாள்｢naṭantāḷ｣ | நடப்பாள்｢naṭappāḷ｣ |
| 3. Sg (n) | நடக்கின்றது｢naṭakkiṉṟatu｣ | நடந்தது｢naṭantatu｣ | நடக்கும்｢naṭakkum｣ |
| 3. Sg (hon) | நடக்கின்றார்｢naṭakkiṉṟār｣ | நடந்தார்｢naṭantār｣ | நடப்பார்｢naṭappār｣ |
| 1. Pl | நடக்கின்றோம்｢naṭakkiṉṟōm｣ | நடந்தோம்｢naṭantōm｣ | நடப்போம்｢naṭappōm｣ |
| 2. Pl | நடக்கின்றீர்கள்｢naṭakkiṉṟīrkaḷ｣ | நடந்தீர்கள்｢naṭantīrkaḷ｣ | நடப்பீர்கள்｢naṭappīrkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl | நடக்கின்றார்கள்｢naṭakkiṉṟārkaḷ｣ | நடந்தார்கள்｢naṭantārkaḷ｣ | நடப்பார்கள்｢naṭappārkaḷ｣ |
| 3. Pl (n) | நடக்கின்றன｢naṭakkiṉṟaṉa｣ | நடந்தன｢naṭantaṉa｣ | நடக்கும்｢naṭakkum｣ |
Looking at the tables above might make you think that tenses are a difficult topic. Indeed, the past tense is probably the most difficult part of Tamil Grammar. Especially the amount of suffixes you have to remember looks and feels really complicated.
However, in reality, you will learn what class a verb belongs to when you learn the verb itself and in the long term, you will have used each verb class often enough that you can correctly guess the verb class of a verb without having to explicitly learn it.
Children that learn Tamil from the very young age never learn explicitly that there are seven verb classes and that they all have different suffixes. It's all practice and using the verbs regularly. When you have a look at all the tense suffixes and example and read them out loud, you will notice that the past tense always sounds similar, regardless of which class. And after a few weeks of practice, you will be able to hear the tense when someone uses a verb without exactly knowing the verb class or suffix.
Irregular verbs
Apart from the seven verb classes, including the fifth which already comes with some irregularities, there is a small number of verbs that don't fit into any of these classes:
- There are a few verbs that have a custom past tense
சொல்லு｢collu｣ → சொன்னேன்｢coṉṉēṉ｣
The suffix here is -ன்｢-ṉ｣ as you have seen in the 5th verb class already
- Some verbs change the verb stem for the past tense
சா｢cā｣ → செத்தேன்｢cettēṉ｣
In this example, the verb stem ending changes from being a long ｢-a｣ to a short ｢-e｣
You will come across this small number of verbs during your language learning journey and you will be able to pick them up along the way. Don't worry about them now.
Progressive tenses
While Tamil Grammar books usually teach that the three tenses are to be interpreted depending on the context, there is also a way that can be used to explicitly express progressive tenses.
A progressive tense describes something ongoing happening at a specific time in the present, past or future.
I'm playing → It's present and I play (and keep playing) I was playing → It was the past and I played then (and kept playing) I will be playing → It will be the future and I will play then (and keep playing)
In Tamil, these forms can be explicitly expressed, too, without relying on the context. Therefore, you will need the help of the past tense suffix of a verb, the word கொண்டு｢koṇṭu｣ and the verb இரு｢iru｣
verb stem + past tense suffix + உ｢u｣ / இ｢i｣ கொண்டு｢koṇṭu｣ இரு｢iru｣ + tense suffix + person-gender-number suffix
For example
படி｢paṭi｣ + த்த்｢tt｣ + உ｢u｣ கொண்டு｢koṇṭu｣ இரு｢iru｣ + கின்று｢kiṉṟu｣ + ஏன்｢ēṉ｣
→ படித்து｢paṭittu｣ கொண்டு｢koṇṭu｣ இருக்கின்றேன்｢irukkiṉṟēṉ｣
You add the past-tense suffix together with உ｢u｣ (or for the third verb class it's இ｢i｣) to the verb stem and then the word கொண்டு｢koṇṭu｣ and finally the form of the word இரு｢iru｣ in the tense and person that you are talking about.
இரு｢iru｣ means to sit or to stay and கொண்டு｢koṇṭu｣ is used for something like with. So to describe the progressive tense in Tamil, you can say that you are/were staying/sitting with doing something else then.
Using the past tense with -உ｢-u｣ (or -இ｢-i｣) suffixes is called verb participle and is something that we will cover in the last part of the book when dealing with more complex sentences.