In the Tamil language, Tamil prepositions link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to the rest of the sentence to make a complete sentence. Tamil sentences can include several prepositions in a single sentence. Therefore, it would be great to get a grip on Tamil prepositions and the words often used in sentences.
A preposition is used in day-to-day conversation like My room is up the stairs, near the bathroom. These conversations need prepositions. In Tamil, prepositions are called முன்மொழிவுகள் “munmolivukal”. Besides pronouns, you will find demonstrative pronouns such as this, that, and these in a sentence often followed by prepositions. We will look at these later.
Now, here is a sentence with an example of the Tamil sentence structure. Sit on that chair beside him. அவன் பக்கத்தில் அந்த நாற்காலியில் அமர Avan pakkattil anta narkaliyil amara. Did you notice? The sentence structure in Tamil is subject-object-verb. The prepositions often come before the object.
With this introduction to Tamil prepositions, let’s get a glimpse of the language itself.
Uniqueness Of Tamil Language
Tamil is a highly inflected language, with verbs conjugated for tense, mood, and person, and nouns declined for case and number. It has a complex system of verbal agreement. Verbs agree with their subjects in person, number, and gender. Tamil uses compound verb forms which are used to express complex ideas.
It is an agglutinative language, meaning that prefixes and suffixes are added to words to form new words or to change the meaning of existing words. It has a unique system of honorifics, which are used to show respect for certain people. Tamil uses special honorific forms for addressing people of higher status, such as members of the royal family or the clergy.
Heading back now to Tamil prepositions.
List Of Tamil Prepositions
The best way to learn prepositions is to practice using them in context. Start by reading a lot of books and articles to become familiar with the different prepositions used in the language. Then, practice using the prepositions on your own for writing and speaking.
But what do we do for Tamil prepositions? Here is a list of words that give a good idea of prepositions in the Tamil language.
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| Above | மேலே | Mele |
| Across | முழுவதும் | Muluvatum |
| Against | எதிராக | Etiraka |
| For | க்கான | Kkana |
| Along | சேர்த்து | Certtu |
| Among | மத்தியில் | Mattiyil |
| Around | சுற்றி | Curri |
| At | மணிக்கு | Manikku |
| Before | முன் | Mun |
| Behind | பின்னால் | Pinnal |
| Below | கீழே | Kile |
| Beneath | பெனெத் | Penet |
| Beside | பேசும் | Pecum |
| Between | இடையில் | Itaiyil |
| By | பயம் | Ayam |
| Down | கீழ் | Kil |
| From | இருந்து | Iruntu |
| In | உள்ளே | Ulle |
| Into | உள்ளே | Ulle |
| Inside | உள்ளே | Ulle |
| Near | அருகில் | Arukil |
| Of | இன் | In |
| Off | ஆஃப் | In |
| On | அன்று | Ahp |
| Outside | வெளியே | Veliye |
| Since | இருந்து | Iruntu |
| To | செய்ய | Anru |
| Toward | நோக்கி | Ceyya |
| Under | கீழ் | Nokki |
| Upon | மீது | Mitu |
| With | உடன் | Uttan |
| Within | உள்ளே | Ulle |
| Without | இல்லாமல் | Illamal |
Demonstrative pronouns
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| This | இது | Itu |
| That | அந்த | Anta |
| Those | அந்த | Anta |
| These | இவை | Ivai |
Examples Of Phrases With A Preposition
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| According to | படி | Pati |
| Because of | ஏனெனில் | Enenil |
| Close to | அருகில் | Arukil |
| Far from | தொலைவில் இருந்து | Tolaivil iruntu |
| Inside of | உட்பக்கத்தில் | Utpakkattil |
| Instead of | அதற்கு பதிலாக | Atarku patilaka |
| As far as | வரை | Varai |
| On behalf of | சார்பில் | Carpil |
| On top of | மேல் | Mel |
| In regards to | சார்ந்துள்ள | Carntulla |
| Similar to | இதற்கு ஒத்த | Itarku otta |
Sentences With Tamil Prepositions
| English | Tamil | Pronunciation |
| I’m from America. | நான் அமெரிக்காவிலிருந்து வருகிறேன். | Nan Amerikkaviliruntu varukiren. |
| The book is under the desk. | புத்தகம் மேசையின் கீழ் உள்ளது. | Puttakam mecaiyin kil ullatu. |
| The market is close to my house. | சந்தை என் வீட்டிற்கு அருகில் உள்ளது. | Cantai en vittirku arukil ullatu. |
| You have to go across the river. | ஆற்றின் குறுக்கே செல்ல வேண்டும். | Arrin kurukke cella ventum. |
| Can you come near the light? | வெளிச்சத்தின் அருகில் வர முடியுமா? | Veliccattin arukil vara mutiyuma? |
Learn Tamil With Ling
To learn Tamil, as mentioned earlier – practice is the only way! Remember that a preposition is a word or words that support a noun, noun phrases, and pronouns often placed before it. For an in-depth idea about the Tamil language, more parts of speech, and the culture in Tamil Nadu, you can check out the blog Ling.
A day in Tamil Nadu is typically filled with lots of activity. The day begins with morning prayers and then people go to work or school. During the day, many people take part in sports or go to the beach. After work or school, people usually have dinner with their family and then spend the evening engaging in cultural activities such as attending a performance or visiting a temple. The night is usually spent interacting with family and friends.
The Ling App
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The user interface is quite amazing. One of the best parts of the app is its voice recognition technology which helps you practice speaking, listening, and pronunciation. Those who struggle with the Tamil accent will have the best support with Ling on their side.
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