Tamil Demonstratives in Transliteration: This, That and These
For the Tamil examples, the key contrasts are proximity and number: one form means “this” close to the speaker, another means “that” farther away, and a third means “these” for multiple close things. The list also includes complete sentences, so do not treat every item as a standalone vocabulary label.
Start with these expressions
| English | Transliteration | Native script |
|---|---|---|
| This | ithu | இது |
| That | athu | அது |
| These | ivai | இவை |
| This is a book. | ithu puthagam. | இது புத்தகம். |
| That is a house. | athu veedu. | அது வீடு. |
| These are books. | ivai puthagangal. | இவை புத்தகங்கள். |
Use proximity first, then number
The evidence supports a compact distinction for nonhuman things. The close singular demonstrative refers to one thing near the speaker; the remote singular demonstrative refers to one thing farther from the speaker. The dictionary defines the first as “this” for a thing close to the speaker [1] and the second as “that” for a thing remote from the speaker [2]. The close plural demonstrative refers to multiple nearby things [3].
Apply that contrast to the complete examples: the book sentence shows close plus singular, the house sentence shows remote plus singular, and the books sentence shows close plus plural. This gives you a practical reading method without claiming that the items are a complete Tamil demonstrative system. In particular, the evidence here does not establish a remote plural form, person-related forms, or a general question pattern.
Also separate the app’s learner-facing romanization from the dictionary’s spelling aid. The two systems write the first and second demonstratives differently in Latin letters, while the dictionary entries identify their meanings and distance contrast [1][2]. Treat the app spellings as the forms attached to these learning examples, not as proof that only one romanization is possible.
[1] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
[2] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
[3] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
Try it
You are pointing to one book close to you and want to say the complete sentence “This is a book.” Which example should you choose?
Choose your answer before reading on.
Check your answer:
Use expression 4 in the table above.
This fits because the situation combines a close referent with singular number, and the required response is a complete sentence rather than a one-word demonstrative label.
When reviewing the examples, mark each one twice: first for distance from the speaker, then for singular or plural number. Finally, check whether it is a standalone label or a complete sentence.
Practise speaking with Bhol. Learn words and sentences written in English letters.
