Learn to speak Tamil

1. 1

   Week 1: sounds and greetings

   Say hello (வணக்கம்) and thank you (நன்றி) until they feel natural. Learn the sounds that differ from English, and say ten short sentences about yourself.

2. 2

   Week 2: everyday requests

   Learn to order, ask the price, ask where things are and say you do not understand. Build each as a full sentence and say it three times.

3. 3

   Week 3: questions and answers

   Practise question words and the answers to them. Listen to each Tamil sentence first, then say it, then compare.

4. 4

   Week 4: short exchanges

   Chain sentences into a mini conversation: greet, introduce yourself, ask a question, answer one. Record yourself and listen back.

Tamil is written in the Tamil script. You learn to read it alongside speaking; you do not have to master it first.

Tamil sits in the harder band for English speakers. Different grammar, sounds or script from English.

• Ten to twenty minutes, same time every day.
• Say everything out loud, even when alone.
• Learn whole sentences, not isolated words.
• Repeat yesterday's sentences before learning new ones.
• After a couple of weeks, find a conversation partner or tutor and use what you have practised. At 30 minutes a day, Tamil reaches working proficiency in roughly 6 years, and you will be speaking well before that.