Brahmin Tamil/Grammar8

Impersonal Verbs

Braahmik has a number of imprsoanal verbs that have only the 3 rd person neuter singular form.

It has usually a passive sense. The main recipient or subject of the action is a noun or pronoun with the postposition ku.

A few such verbs are given in the following table:

There is also a defective impersonal verbal particle that has only one form:


 * veehnam, veehnum 'it is needed'.


 * Its negative form is veendaam, veehnaam 'it is not needed'.


 * This defective verb in its abbreviated form of -nham, -nhum and its negative form -hndaa(m), -hnaam 'it is not needed' is attached to the infinitive form of any verb, meaning 'it is necessary to' or 'it is not necessary to', translatable by the words 'must' or 'don't':


 * The negative forms of the defective impersonal verbs are obtained as follows:


 * The infinitive followed by the negative particle lei gives the common past and present tense form.


 * For the future tense the suffix -aadhu is affixed to the infinitive after dropping the final -a:


 * Ena ku theria lei 'I cannot / could not see, didn't / don't know'.


 * Theriaadhu 'I will not be able to (I generally cannot) see, willl not know, I don't, as a matter of fact, know'.


 * innei ki mazhei peium a ? 'Willl it rain today ?'


 * Theria lei / theriaadhu 'I don't know'


 * Maapahlei ki sweets pidikaadhu 'The bridegroom doesn't like sweets'.

Exercises 8
Exercise 8.1: Translate into English:

1. Indha visheiath ei pathi peesza pooradhu yaaru, nie a, naan a ?

2. Keeka vara poora peer ellaam on oodu students thaan e !

3. Nie peesza poora vishaiam avaa ellaar u k um pidicha vishaiam thaan e ?

4. Adhu avaahl ei keet aa thaan therium.

Exercise 8.2: Translate into Braahmik:

1. Are you the one who has come to see me ?

2. No, sir, I am sitting here just like that. I don't know who is going to see you.

3. If anybody comes to see me now, tell him to come tomorrow. I have to go now.

4.I won't be here, sir, I will go away in a short time.