Adding Suffixes
Adding suffixes

Adding suffixes is one of the most important things in Thamil grammar. The rules for adding suffixes will be used in a large majority of the remaining lessons. The rules presented below aren't all the rules, but they are the more commonly used ones.

suffix addition rules
  1. If the suffix begins in a vowel sound and the word ends in an ,, <, V, or I, insert a a; in between.
  2. If the suffix begins in a vowel sound and the word ends in an m, M, C, x, X, or xs, insert a t; in bewteen.
  3. If the suffix begins in a vowel sound and the word ends in an c sound, and...
    1. If the word is made of 2 short letters, insert a t; in between.
    2. If the word is not made of 2 short letters, drop the -c and add the suffix.
  4. If the suffix begins in a vowel sound and the word is made of 2 short letters, with the 2nd letter being a consonant, then double the 2nd letter and add the ending.

  • Otherwise, join the word and suffix as they are.

So far, we've come across 2 instances of adding suffixes. The first time was forming a question. Not coincidentally, each sentence ended in a consonant, so the last rule was used. Then came present tense verbs, where a verb suffix was added to "verb root + fpw;/f;fpw;". Since fpw; and f;fpw; both end in a consonant, the last rule was used again.

These rules for adding suffixes will always apply unless otherwise specified.

Compound Subjects

Now let's try examples using the ending for compound subjects.

Compound Subjects
For each member of a compound subject, the suffix -ck; is added to each word.

Since compound subjects refer to more than 1 person or thing, the subject thus becomes plural.

Suffix examples:
  1. jk;gpAk; jq;ifAk; nfhLf;fpwhu;fs; = "Younger brother and younger sister give."
  2. mk;khTk; ehDk; cl;fhu;fpNwhk; = "Mother and I sit."
    1. ehDk; khLk; XLfpNwhk; = "The bull and I run."
      • ehd; -ck; = ehDk;
      • khL -ck; = khLk;
    2. ePAk; gRTk; ghu;f;fpwPu;fs; = "You and the cow see."
      • eP -a; -ck; = ePAk;
      • gR -t; -ck; = gRTk;
  4. MZk; ngz;Zk; cl;fhu;fpwhu;fs; = "The male and the female sit."