Lesson 37B1

Question Tags

உறுதிப்படுத்தும் கேள்விகள்

English tacks a small mirrored question onto the end of a statement to seek agreement — a two-part structure that echoes the confirmation particles Tamil already uses.

Grammar Comparison

The tag flips positive to negative, and mirrors the auxiliary

English

You're coming, aren't you? / You aren't coming, are you? (the tag always flips the statement's polarity)

Tamil (English explanations)

நீ வர்றியில்லையா? — a confirmation particle attached at the end, similar function

Tamil confirmation questions often add a particle like -இல்லையா at the end of a statement to invite agreement, playing a similar conversational role. English's version is more mechanical: build a mini question from the statement's own auxiliary verb (are, is, can, will), flipped to the opposite polarity — a positive statement gets a negative tag (You're coming, aren't you?) and a negative statement gets a positive tag (You aren't coming, are you?). Match the tag's auxiliary to whichever helping verb the main sentence already has.

Vocabulary

You're coming, aren't you?yor KUM-ing arnt yoo

Tamil (English explanations): நீ வர்றியில்லையா?nī varṟiyillaiyā?

She isn't here, is she?shee IZ-int heer iz shee

Tamil (English explanations): அவள் இங்க இல்லையில்லையா?avaḷ inga illaiyillaiyā?

You can swim, can't you?yoo kan swim kant yoo

Tamil (English explanations): உனக்கு நீச்சல் தெரியுமில்லையா?unakku nīchal theriyumillaiyā?

English	Pronunciation	Tamil (English explanations)
You're coming, aren't you?	yor KUM-ing arnt yoo	நீ வர்றியில்லையா?nī varṟiyillaiyā?
She isn't here, is she?	shee IZ-int heer iz shee	அவள் இங்க இல்லையில்லையா?avaḷ inga illaiyillaiyā?
You can swim, can't you?	yoo kan swim kant yoo	உனக்கு நீச்சல் தெரியுமில்லையா?unakku nīchal theriyumillaiyā?

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