Lesson 4: Reported Speech in Tamil
Introduction
Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is a crucial aspect of advanced Tamil grammar. It allows you to convey what someone else has said without quoting them directly. In this lesson, we'll explore how to transform direct speech into reported speech in Tamil, covering various tenses and types of sentences.
1. Basic Structure of Reported Speech
In Tamil, reported speech typically involves the following changes:
- Removing quotation marks
- Changing pronouns and possessive adjectives
- Adjusting tenses
- Using reporting verbs like சொன்னார் (coṉṉār - said) or கேட்டார் (kēṭṭār - asked)
Direct Speech:
"நான் வீட்டிற்குச் செல்கிறேன்," என்று ராம் சொன்னான்.
"Nāṉ vīṭṭiṟkuc celkiṟēṉ," eṉṟu rām coṉṉāṉ.
"I am going home," Ram said.
Reported Speech:
ராம் தான் வீட்டிற்குச் செல்வதாகச் சொன்னான்.
Rām tāṉ vīṭṭiṟkuc celvatākac coṉṉāṉ.
Ram said that he was going home.
2. Reporting Different Tenses
a. Present Tense to Past Tense
Direct:
"நான் படிக்கிறேன்," என்று அவள் சொன்னாள்.
"Nāṉ paṭikkiṟēṉ," eṉṟu avaḷ coṉṉāḷ.
"I am studying," she said.
Reported:
அவள் தான் படித்துக் கொண்டிருப்பதாகச் சொன்னாள்.
Avaḷ tāṉ paṭittuk koṇṭiruppat ākac coṉṉāḷ.
She said that she was studying.
b. Past Tense to Past Perfect
Direct:
"நான் நேற்று சினிமா பார்த்தேன்," என்று அவன் சொன்னான்.
"Nāṉ nēṟṟu ciṉimā pārttēṉ," eṉṟu avaṉ coṉṉāṉ.
"I watched a movie yesterday," he said.
Reported:
அவன் முந்தைய நாள் சினிமா பார்த்திருந்ததாகச் சொன்னான்.
Avaṉ muntaiya nāḷ ciṉimā pārttiruntadākac coṉṉāṉ.
He said that he had watched a movie the previous day.
c. Future Tense
Direct:
"நான் நாளை வருவேன்," என்று அவர் சொன்னார்.
"Nāṉ nāḷai varuvēṉ," eṉṟu avar coṉṉār.
"I will come tomorrow," he said.
Reported:
அவர் மறுநாள் வருவதாகச் சொன்னார்.
Avar maṟunāḷ varuvatākac coṉṉār.
He said that he would come the next day.
3. Reporting Questions
When reporting questions, we use the verb கேட்டார் (kēṭṭār - asked) and change the question to a statement.
Direct Question:
"நீ எங்கே போகிறாய்?" என்று அவள் கேட்டாள்.
"Nī eṅkē pōkiṟāy?" eṉṟu avaḷ kēṭṭāḷ.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
Reported Question:
அவள் நான் எங்கே போகிறேன் என்று கேட்டாள்.
Avaḷ nāṉ eṅkē pōkiṟēṉ eṉṟu kēṭṭāḷ.
She asked where I was going.
4. Reporting Commands
When reporting commands, we use verbs like சொன்னார் (coṉṉār - told) or கேட்டுக்கொண்டார் (kēṭṭukkoṇṭār - requested) and change the imperative to an infinitive.
Direct Command:
"கதவைத் திற," என்று அவர் சொன்னார்.
"Katavait tiṟa," eṉṟu avar coṉṉār.
"Open the door," he said.
Reported Command:
அவர் கதவைத் திறக்கச் சொன்னார்.
Avar katavait tiṟakkac coṉṉār.
He told (me) to open the door.
Summary
In this lesson, we've covered:
- The basic structure of reported speech in Tamil
- How to report different tenses
- Reporting questions and commands
- Adjusting time expressions and pronouns in reported speech