4 Tamil Conjunctions: An Easy Guide!

Conjunctions or இணைப்புகள் (Iṇaippukaḷ) are words that connect clauses, sentences, or words within a clause or sentence. In any language, conjunctions are crucial in providing coherence and cohesion to a piece of writing or speech. Tamil conjunctions may sound challenging to master, but with some practice and patience, you can master them in no time! In this article, we’ll be covering some of the most frequently used Tamil conjunctions. We’ll also explain how these words are used and give examples to help you understand them better. Let’s get started!

There’s no denying that conjunctions are important in Tamil, as they help to connect ideas and provide structure to sentences and paragraphs. They also help to convey the relationships between different parts of a sentence or clause, such as cause and effect, contrast, or similarity. By using these special words, writers and speakers can create more complex and nuanced sentences and communicate more effectively with their audience. Let’s get to know more about it below.

Tamil Conjunctions

Conjunctions in Tamil are words that connect clauses, phrases, or sentences or express various relationships between them. Conjunctions can be divided into four types including:

1. Coordinating conjunctions
2. Subordinating conjunctions
3. Conjunctive adverbs
4. Correlative conjunctions

We will look at conjunction words in each category after briefly defining them.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are conjunction used to connect words, phrases, or independent clauses and are of equal syntactic importance. Remember that they always join elements of the same kind, for example, subject + subject, verb phrase + verb phrase, or sentence + sentence. These are typically found in the middle of a sentence with a comma just before the Tamil conjunction or at the beginning of the sentence.

In Tamil, some common coordinating conjunctions include the following:

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
And	ஆனால்	Anal	Play
But	மற்றும்	Marrum	Play
So	அதனால்	Atanal	Play
Or	அல்லது	Allatu	Play

Subordinating Conjunctions

They add two clauses together, with one being dependent on the other. Let’s have examples of these in Tamil and then look at some sentences.

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
As	என	Ena	Play
If	என்றால்	Eral	Play
As if	என	Ena	Play
After	பிறகு	Piraku	Play
Before	முன்	Mun	Play
As though	இருந்தாலும்	Iruntalum	Play
Although	என்றாலும்	Enralum	Play
Though	இருந்தாலும்	Iruntalum	Play
Because	ஏனெனில்	Enenil	Play
So that	அதனால்	Atanal	Play
How	எப்படி	Eppati	Play
Than	விட	Vita	Play
Whether	என்பதை	Enpatai	Play
Since	இருந்து	Iruntu	Play
Till	வரை	Varai	Play
Until	வரை	Varai	Play
When	எப்பொழுது	Eppolutu	Play
While	போது	Potu	Play
Where	எங்கே	Enke	Play

Let’s try to see these words in the sentences below.

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
She played hide and seek until the sun went down.	சூரியன் மறையும் வரை கண்ணாமூச்சி விளையாடினாள்.	Cūriyaṉ maṟaiyum varai kaṇṇāmūcci viḷaiyāṭiṉāḷ.	Play
The teacher kept writing while talking to the students.	ஆசிரியர் மாணவர்களுடன் பேசிக்கொண்டே எழுதினார்.	Āciriyar māṇavarkaḷuṭaṉ pēcikkoṇṭē eḻutiṉār.	Play
We will talk more next time when I see you again.	அடுத்த முறை நான் உங்களைப் பார்க்கும்போது மேலும் பேசுவோம்.	Aṭutta muṟai nāṉ uṅkaḷaip pārkkumpōtu mēlum pēcuvōm.	Play

Conjunctive Adverbs

They connect independent clauses, meaning the two sentences can stand alone with this connector.

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
Also	மேலும்	Melum	Play
Finally	இறுதியாக	Irutiyaka	Play
Next	அடுத்தது	Atuttattu	Play
Otherwise	இல்லையெனில்	Illaiyenil	Play
Therefore	எனவே	Enave	Play
Indeed	உண்மையில்	Unmaiyil	Play
Besides	தவிர	Tavira	Play
Instead	பதிலாக	Patilaka	Play
Then	பிறகு	Piraku	Play
Likewise	அதேபோல்	Atepol	Play
Still	இன்னும்	Innum	Play
Meanwhile	இதற்கிடையில்	Itarkitaiyil	Play

Let’s try to see these words in the sentences below.

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
Ramu went to school also Tina had a dance lesson.	ராமு பள்ளிக்குச் சென்றாள், டினாவுக்கு நடனப் பாடம் இருந்தது.	Rāmu paḷḷikkuc ceṉṟāḷ, ṭiṉāvukku naṭaṉap pāṭam iruntatu.	Play
Dad needed to get the laundry done besides going to the car wash.	கார் கழுவுவதற்குச் செல்வதைத் தவிர அப்பா சலவை செய்ய வேண்டியிருந்தது.	Kār kaḻuvuvataṟkuc celvatait tavira appā calavai ceyya vēṇṭiyiruntatu.	Play
Uncle knew about the family secrets and therefore he kept these hidden.	மாமாவுக்கு குடும்ப ரகசியங்கள் தெரியும், எனவே அவர் அவற்றை மறைத்து வைத்தார்.	Māmāvukku kuṭumpa rakaciyaṅkaḷ teriyum, eṉavē avar avaṟṟai maṟaittu vaittār.	Play

Correlative Conjunctions

These conjunctions cannot do without each other and usually work in pairs. Typical examples are:

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
Either – Or	இது – அல்லது	Itu – Allatu	Play
Neither – Nor	அதுவுமில்லாமல் – இதுவுமில்லாமல்	Atuvumillamal – Ituvumillamal	Play
Whether – Or	என்பதை – அல்லது	Enpatai – Allatu	Play
Both – And	இரண்டும் – மற்றும்	Irantum – Marrum	Play
As many – As	பல – என	Pala – Ena	Play
Not only – But also	மட்டுமல்ல – ஆனால்	Mattumalla – Anal	Play

Using these in sentences, we have:

English	Tamil	Pronunciation	Sound
Not only was it raining, but also it started to snow.	மழை மட்டுமல்ல, பனியும் பெய்யத் தொடங்கியது.	Maḻai maṭṭumalla, paṉiyum peyyat toṭaṅkiyatu.	Play
Both Chandra and Shashi were having a birthday party on the same day.	சந்திரா மற்றும் சசி இருவரும் ஒரே நாளில் பிறந்தநாள் விழாவை கொண்டாடினர்.	Cantirā maṟṟum caci iruvarum orē nāḷil piṟantanāḷ viḻāvai koṇṭāṭiṉar.	Play
Find as many socks as you can.	உங்களால் முடிந்தவரை பல காலுறைகளைக் கண்டறியவும்.	Uṅkaḷāl muṭintavarai pala kāluṟaikaḷaik kaṇṭaṟiyavum.	Play

Learn Tamil With The Ling App

Learning the grammar of your chosen language using applications can effectively improve your skills due to the convenience and personalization they offer. Language learning apps like Ling can also be accessed from anywhere at any time, as long as you have a smartphone or computer and an internet connection. This makes it easy to fit language learning into your busy schedule and allows you to learn at your own pace.

In addition to convenience, our app, Ling, uses algorithms to personalize each user’s learning experience. This can be particularly helpful for those who struggle with traditional language learning methods, as it allows them to focus on the areas where they need the most improvement. Language learning apps also often offer a range of activities, such as games, quizzes, and interactive exercises, which can help make the learning process more enjoyable and engaging.

Overall, the combination of convenience, personalization, and variety of learning activities offered by language learning apps can make them practical tools for improving your language skills. Ready to try it out? Download the app today in the Apple Store or Google Play Store. Take advantage of the opportunity of learning this classical language quickly with Ling!