Miscellaneous Tamil Queries

[palacerani]

I hope this is the right thread for this:

I've just finished watching Azhagi, and have need of some translation assistance. At the very beginning of the movie, there's a brief spoken intro, without any subtitles. I'd love to know what the narrator is saying, if some could have a listen to it:
http://loftandregainedparadife.net/azhagi-intro.mp3

He talks about 'Dhanam'. I don't know what the movie is about so I don't know if Dhanam stands for money or is the name of a woman.  He says...

I can't live without Dhanam and in the belief that I will get my Dhanam today, definitely today, I search for it/her.

[jamesronsson]

He talks about 'Dhanam'. I don't know what the movie is about so I don't know if Dhanam stands for money or is the name of a woman.  He says...

I can't live without Dhanam and in the belief that I will get my Dhanam today, definitely today, I search for it/her.

Thanks!!! Dhanam is dhanamlakshmi, the female lead, played by Nandita. That line, as it happens is reworked at the very end of the film. Much obliged.

[Specsy]

I've just started learning Tamil this year but unfortunately I don't even have an English/Tamil dictionary. Could anyone tell me the verbs for to laugh and to stop (intransitive)?

Also how do you express "want"? I think I should use some kind of construction with வேண்டும் but I only know how to used that for "need", like I have to go.

[royalibrahim]

Hi Tamil folks,

I can say, the exact word for "Saawariya" = "Priyamanavale" in Tamil, am I right? Is there any other word other than this?

[rnitya_25]

That's right Ibrahim, though the exact translation for Priyamanavale is "the girl who is so sweet/kind" as priyam means affection/kindness. And note that Priyamanavale is said to a girl. Priyamanavan is referred to when talking about a boy.

You can also say Kadhala(boy)/Kadhali(girl).

[royalibrahim]

Thanks rnitya_25.

I guess for "Khairiyat" == "sowkiyam"
                "Sahulat" == "sowhariyam"
in Tamil are the opt words.

[birdcall]

When I was young I was fluent in tamil, and now I can understand but not speak well. I notice differences in the way i speak and others speak, and it may because I speak Brahmin tamil, for example the zh sound, which I pronounce but many tamilians replace with a retroflex l. are the sounds S and Ch interchangable? for example, for food some people say chaapaaDu and some say saapaaDu. Another example is "quickly," siikram and chiikram, which confuses me because different members of my family use different pronunciations. Also, what is the difference between nallu and nanna?

[palacerani]

When I was young I was fluent in tamil, and now I can understand but not speak well. I notice differences in the way i speak and others speak, and it may because I speak Brahmin tamil, for example the zh sound, which I pronounce but many tamilians replace with a retroflex l. are the sounds S and Ch interchangable? for example, for food some people say chaapaaDu and some say saapaaDu. Another example is "quickly," siikram and chiikram, which confuses me because different members of my family use different pronunciations. Also, what is the difference between nallu and nanna?

That's my problem too. I speak 'brahmin' Tamil at home so the Tamil spoken on the streets and in movies is not the same. I can understand most of it but I can't speak it. We say chaapaadu too and azhagu, not alagu. and I don't know when to use the ngla type of endings like nalaangla etc.

[royalibrahim]

What is "kidayathu" in Tamil meant?

[Ishiqa]

What is "kidayathu" in Tamil meant?

It means, don't have.

[bitterlemons]

When I was young I was fluent in tamil, and now I can understand but not speak well. I notice differences in the way i speak and others speak, and it may because I speak Brahmin tamil, for example the zh sound, which I pronounce but many tamilians replace with a retroflex l. are the sounds S and Ch interchangable? for example, for food some people say chaapaaDu and some say saapaaDu. Another example is "quickly," siikram and chiikram, which confuses me because different members of my family use different pronunciations. Also, what is the difference between nallu and nanna?

Birdcall,

it is mostly related to the place of origin within Tamil Nadu. S and Ch are interchageable most of the time...sorry to be so vague, but it really depends on the word. The "S" sound is a borrowed sound for Tamil, so some people replace it with the Ch sound, others don't. Interestingly enough, it is only in Brahmin Tamil that the option seems to exist - colloquial, spoken non-brahmin Tamil seems to use S everywhere, though it is written with the Tamil letter Ch. (Except sugar, which in Madras tamil becomes Cheeni!) Brahmin Tamil also uses "Sh" instead of "S" sometimes....usually the source of much stereotyping.

Not sure what you mean by Nallu. Nanna is good/well  - as in Nanna irukiya (Are you well?) This, in colloquial Tamil is often "Nalla irukiya?" - the first is Brahmin Tamil though both Nanna/Nalla are corruptions/contractions of the formal Nandragha.

Regards,

Bitterlemons

[birdcall]

maybe by nallu i meant nalla. when aunties tell me to study well it sounds like they're saying "nallu paDi"

there are other different pronunciations within my family that i hear also, like (the way I say it is) porom (nasalized at the end) to mean enough, but some people say poram (non-nasalized, just an m) or even podom with a d

i also say ille/le for "no," but i hear illay a lot (parava illay)

[bitterlemons]

Birdcall,

if aunties are telling you to study well, they are certainly saying "Nalla PaDi" - aunties tend to do that :-)

Enough is written "Podhum" - and pronounced either porum (Po-room) or Podum - Porom would mean "We're going". Porum spoken fast does sound like Poro, with a nasal ending to the last o. All pefectly acceptable.

for the word No - Illai is the written form, also used quite commonly in spoken Tamil. Ille is also pretty common - have never heard of "le" for no - maybe slang that your family uses?

Bitterlemons

[birdcall]

i hear "le" in the same context as the hindi "na" tacked on to the end of sentences, even after the "-aa" of questions words. So the hindi "kya aapko dosa chaahiye?" or "dosa chaahiye na?" would be in tamil "dose veeNumaa?" or "dose veeNumaa le?"

[royalibrahim]

Hi Tamil folks,

Could you tell me the difference between "kattayam", "kandippagha"  and "avasiyam"?

For which word the Hindi/Urdu word "Zaroorath" fits perfectly?

[rnitya_25]

Zaroorath fits avaisiyam perfectly. They both refer to the necessity of something.

Kattayam and kandippa/kandippagha refer to the assurance of something. I.e. "naan kattayam varuven" means, "I will definately come". Whereas for avasiyam, you would use it like this: "Idhu ennoda natyam ku romba avasiyam" meaning, "This is very vital/necessary for my dance".

[royalibrahim]

Thanks rnitya.

Could you tell me what is the opt word for "Kattayam and kandippa/kandippagha" in Hindi/Urdu?

[royalibrahim]

What does "thamasu" mean? and where it came from in to Tamil?

[rnitya_25]

Ibrahim,

I assume you refer to thamasu, in the context of thamasvigam. It means the act of being idle, in the negative sense.


The opt word for kattayam/kandippa would be 'zaroor', as it also means assurance. You can also use "bilqul".

[royalibrahim]

Thanks rnitya.

I specified "thamaasu" -- joke, I heard it many times particularly from the far southern region.

Is this the native (pure) tamil word, or did it come from some other language? Does joke have any other alternative in Tamil??

[munkeemania]

I am a tamilian. And yes, Thamasu definitely means joke!

[royalibrahim]

kaun jeetega -- yaaru jayipanga
kaun jeet jayega -- yaaru jayikka poranga

I guess, my above translation is correct.
And also, what's the difference between "jai" and "vetri"? I guess both are meaning "success" right?

[royalibrahim]

Please correct me if I am wrong:

Aksar --> Adikkadi (frequent, often)
kabhi kabhi --> Appappo (sometimes sometimes)
kabhi bhi, hamesha --> eppavumay (always)
achanak --> Thidirunnu (suddenly)

[royalibrahim]

Is Tamil's "khilladi" is equivalent to Hindi's "khiladi" (meaning: player) for eg: "Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi"

[Ram]

No, they are not the same.
Kilidai in tamil means a shrewd person (one who is good at something)
Ex: Avan periya killadi- He's shrewd