Looking to add more meaning to your Tamil sentences? As a beginner, we highly recommend that you focus on Tamil adverbs. These powerful words modify verbs, adjectives, and entire sentences to give them more depth and nuance. In this Asian language, adverbs are known as வினையுரிச்சொல் or Viṉaiyuriccol, and they express manner, place, time, degree, or frequency. When used to describe or modify verbs, adverbs can reshape, refashion, or improve the verb, giving your sentences a whole new level of meaning. Ready to learn more? Keep reading below!
In English, adding “ly” to a word like “quiet” turns it into an adverb, and the same concept applies to Tamil. That’s why in this post, we’ll go over the intricacies of how to form Tamil adverbs and give you a round-up of the common ones to use in daily conversations.
Formation Of Tamil Adverbs
Adverbs in Tamil are formed by adding suffixes to various parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The suffixes that are added will depend on the type of adverb being formed. For instance, adverbs formed from a noun usually end in –ஆக or Āka. Below are some examples to help you out with this concept.
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Beautifully | அழகாக | Aḻakāka |
| Softly | மெதுவாக | Metuvāka |
| Saltily | உப்பாக | Uppāka |
| Gracefully | அருமையாக | Arumaiyāka |
Common Tamil Adverbs
Adverbs are an essential part of the Tamil language, as they allow speakers to provide more detail and nuance in their communication. By adding adverbs to their sentences, Tamil speakers can indicate the time, place, manner, or degree of an action or event, which can greatly enhance the clarity and precision of their communication. Let’s go over those in the sections below!
Adverbs Of Manner
Adverbs of manner in the Tamil language describe how an action is performed. They provide information about the way in which an action is carried out or the attitude with which it is performed.
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Happily | மகிழ்ச்சியாக | Makiḻcciyāka |
| Sadly | வருத்தமாக | Varuttamāka |
| Angrily | கோபமாக | Kōpamāka |
| Quietly | அமைதியாக | Amaitiyāka |
| Loudly | சத்தமாக | Cattamāka |
| Foolishly | முட்டாள்தனமாக | Muṭṭāḷtaṉamāka |
Adverbs Of Manner In Sentences
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Pratish happily went home. | பிரதீஷ் மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் வீட்டிற்கு சென்றான். | Piratīṣ makiḻcciyuṭaṉ vīṭṭiṟku ceṉṟāṉ. |
| Apoorva clapped his hands loudly. | அபூர்வா சத்தமாக கை தட்டினாள். | Apūrvā cattamāka kai taṭṭiṉāḷ. |
| Quietly, Vijay kept reading his book. | அமைதியாக தன் புத்தகத்தை படித்துக் கொண்டே இருந்தான் விஜய். | Amaitiyāka taṉ puttakattai paṭittuk koṇṭē iruntāṉ vijay. |
Adverbs Of Time
Adverbs of time in the Tamil language describe the time of an action or event. They are used to provide information about when an action takes place and can be formed using words that are already adjectives or adverbs.
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Today | இன்று | Inru |
| Yesterday | நேற்று | Nerru |
| Weekly | வாரந்தோறும் | Vārantōṟum |
| Monthly | மாதாந்திர | Mātāntira |
| Yearly | ஆண்டுதோறும் | Āṇṭutōṟum |
| Immediately | உடனே | Uṭaṉē |
| Tonight | இன்றிரவு | Iṉṟiravu |
| Later | பின்னர் | Piṉṉar |
| Soon | விரைவில் | Viraivil |
Adverbs Of Time In Sentences
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Tonight will be epic! | இன்றிரவு காவியமாக இருக்கும்! | Iṉṟiravu kāviyamāka irukkum! |
| We visit the Cauvery River yearly. | ஆண்டுதோறும் காவிரி ஆற்றுக்குச் சென்று வருகிறோம். | Āṇṭutōṟum kāviri āṟṟukkuc ceṉṟu varukiṟōm. |
| Soon, summer will end and autumn will begin. | விரைவில், கோடை முடிந்து இலையுதிர் காலம் தொடங்கும். | Viraivil, kōṭai muṭintu ilaiyutir kālam toṭaṅkum. |
| They must leave this area immediately! | அவர்கள் உடனடியாக இந்தப் பகுதியை விட்டு வெளியேற வேண்டும்! | Avarkaḷ uṭaṉaṭiyāka intap pakutiyai viṭṭu veḷiyēṟa vēṇṭum! |
| Yesterday, we went to the market. | நேற்று, நாங்கள் சந்தைக்குச் சென்றோம். | Nēṟṟu, nāṅkaḷ cantaikkuc ceṉṟōm. |
Adverbs Of Place
Tamil speakers use adverbs of place to provide spatial context to a sentence, making it easier for the listener or reader to understand where the action is taking place. For example, by using the adverb “இங்கே” (inke) meaning “here,” a speaker can convey that the action is happening in their current location.
Want to learn more? Check out the words below!
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Below/Beneath | கீழே | Kile |
| Above | மேலே | Mele |
| Behind | பின்னால் | Pinnai |
| Through | மூலம் | Mulam |
| Around | சுற்றி | Curri |
| Here | இங்கே | Inke |
| Somewhere | எங்கோ | Enko |
| Nowhere | எங்கும் இல்லை | Enkum Illai |
Adverbs Of Place In Sentences
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| I must have lost my earring somewhere. | என் காதணியை எங்காவது தொலைத்திருக்க வேண்டும். | Eṉ kātaṇiyai eṅkāvatu tolaittirukka vēṇṭum. |
| Please come here. | தயவு செய்து இங்கே வா. | Tayavu ceytu iṅkē vā. |
| You must go around the temple to reach the house. | வீட்டை அடைய கோவிலை சுற்றி வர வேண்டும். | Vīṭṭai aṭaiya kōvilai cuṟṟi vara vēṇṭum. |
| The message went through. | செய்தி சென்றது. | Ceyti ceṉṟatu. |
| Down below there are many insects building a nest. | கீழே பல பூச்சிகள் கூடு கட்டுகின்றன. | Kīḻē pala pūccikaḷ kūṭu kaṭṭukiṉṟaṉa. |
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