Lesson 3: Passive Voice and Causatives

Introduction

Welcome to the third lesson of Module 5. In this lesson, we'll explore passive voice constructions and causative forms in Tamil. These structures allow for more varied and nuanced expression, emphasizing different aspects of actions and their performers.

We'll cover two main areas:

  • Passive Voice
  • Causative Constructions

1. Passive Voice

In Tamil, passive voice is formed by using the verb படு (paṭu) as an auxiliary verb. The main verb is changed to its verbal noun form before adding படு.

Example:

புத்தகம் எழுதப்பட்டது.

Transliteration: Puttakam eḻutappaṭṭatu.

Translation: The book was written.

Here's the structure:

Verbal Noun + படு

Some verbs have irregular forms in passive voice, so it's important to learn these separately.

2. Causative Constructions

Causative constructions in Tamil express the idea of "causing someone to do something" or "having something done". There are two main ways to form causatives in Tamil:

  1. Using the causative suffix -வி (-vi):

    செய் (do) → செய்வி (cause to do)

  2. Using the verb வை (vai) as an auxiliary:

    செய்ய வை (make someone do)

Examples:

1. அவன் என்னைப் பாடவைத்தான்.

Transliteration: Avaṉ eṉṉaip pāṭavaittāṉ.

Translation: He made me sing.

2. அம்மா குழந்தையை உணவு உண்ணச் செய்வித்தார்.

Transliteration: Ammā kuḻantaiyai uṇavu uṇṇac ceyvittār.

Translation: Mother caused the child to eat food.

Conclusion

Excellent work on completing this lesson on passive voice and causative constructions in Tamil! You've learned how to form and use these important grammatical structures, which will allow you to express ideas with greater flexibility and precision.

In the next lesson, we'll explore advanced case usage in Tamil.

Continue to Lesson 4: Advanced Case Usage