Lesson 3: Passive Voice
Introduction
In this lesson, we'll explore the passive voice in Tamil. The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action rather than the doer of the action. Understanding and using the passive voice will help you express ideas more flexibly and formally in Tamil.
1. Forming the Passive Voice
In Tamil, the passive voice is typically formed by using the past participle of the main verb followed by படு (paḍu) which means "to experience" or "to undergo".
Active Voice:
அவன் புத்தகத்தை எழுதினான்.
Avaṉ puttakattai eḻutiṉāṉ.
Translation: He wrote the book.
Passive Voice:
புத்தகம் அவனால் எழுதப்பட்டது.
Puttakam avaṉāl eḻutappaṭṭatu.
Translation: The book was written by him.
2. Uses of Passive Voice
The passive voice in Tamil is commonly used in the following situations:
- When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant
- To emphasize the action rather than the doer
- In formal or official language
- To avoid mentioning the doer of a negative action
Example 1:
இந்த கட்டிடம் 1995ல் கட்டப்பட்டது.
Inta kaṭṭiṭam 1995il kaṭṭappaṭṭatu.
Translation: This building was constructed in 1995.
Example 2:
அறிவிப்புகள் வெளியிடப்படும்.
Aṟivippukaḷ veḷiyiḍappaḍum.
Translation: Announcements will be made.
3. Passive Voice in Different Tenses
The passive voice can be used in different tenses in Tamil:
Present Tense:
சாலை அமைக்கப்படுகிறது.
Cālai amaikkappaṭukiṟatu.
Translation: The road is being constructed.
Past Tense:
திருடன் போலீசாரால் பிடிக்கப்பட்டான்.
Tiruḍaṉ pōlīcārāl piḍikkappaṭṭāṉ.
Translation: The thief was caught by the police.
Future Tense:
புதிய சட்டங்கள் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்படும்.
Putiya caṭṭaṅkaḷ aṟimukappaṭuttappaṭum.
Translation: New laws will be introduced.
Next Steps
Great job on learning about the passive voice in Tamil! In the next lesson, we'll explore conditional statements in Tamil.
Continue to Lesson 4