Gender and Number in Tamil: Nouns and Verbs
How Tamil handles gender, with masculine, feminine and neuter forms, and how verb endings match the subject.
Tamil's approach to gender is different from many European languages.
Rational and non-rational nouns
Tamil divides nouns into two broad groups:
- Rational nouns refer to people (and gods). They have masculine and feminine forms.
- Non-rational nouns refer to animals, objects and ideas. They are neuter.
Pronouns by gender
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | அவன் (he) | அவர்கள் (they) |
| Feminine | அவள் (she) | அவர்கள் (they) |
| Neuter | அது (it) | அவை (they, things) |
Verb endings
Verbs end differently for each subject:
| Subject | Ending (present) | Example with படி |
|---|---|---|
| நான் | -கிறேன் | படிக்கிறேன் |
| நீ | -கிறாய் | படிக்கிறாய் |
| அவன் | -கிறான் | படிக்கிறான் |
| அவள் | -கிறாள் | படிக்கிறாள் |
| அவர் | -கிறார் | படிக்கிறார் |
| அது | -கிறது | படிக்கிறது |
| நாங்கள் | -கிறோம் | படிக்கிறோம் |
| நீங்கள் | -கிறீர்கள் | படிக்கிறீர்கள் |
| அவர்கள் | -கிறார்கள் | படிக்கிறார்கள் |
Pairs of nouns
- ஆசிரியர் is a teacher, and can be male or female.
- மகன் is son, and மகள் is daughter.
- அண்ணன் is older brother, and அக்கா is older sister.
Gender in verb endings
Past and future verbs also show the gender of the subject, as the next articles show.
Why it is easier than it looks
There are few exceptions, and gender is natural in most cases. For objects, you rarely need to think about it.
Tips
- Learn the pronouns and endings together.
- Remember neuter for objects.
- Use the dictionary to check forms.
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Offline English–Tamil dictionary with meanings in proper Tamil script
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