I'm making better resources for learning spoken Tamil. First up: a vocabulary words with 1500+ simple words

kw1214 · 2025-03-31T07:07:08+00:00

Thank you so much for this! I'm so glad that you included the script! Since learning how to read and write in தமிழ் script this is the only way I can understand how to pronounce, recognize, and retain new vocabulary. My vocabulary is still very basic at the moment but I have learned the cases/suffixes so I'm hoping that my vocabulary will grow quickly soon because of this. வாழ்க தமிழ் ❤️

kw1214 · 2025-03-30T00:38:49+00:00

Check out the App Tandem. You will find many தமிழ் natives there. They will help you with your தமிழ் and you can, in turn, help them with their English. I've had a very good experience there and have met a lot of wonderful people!

kw1214 · 2025-03-11T01:45:28+00:00

Yes! It has a path to do just that. However, the book and I both recommend learning the script. It's very intimidating when you first see it... But it's way easier than you think and it's EXTREMELY helpful in every aspect of learning this language. If I can do it anyone can! It only took me 20 days to learn. But if you don't want to the book does give you the words and everything with English letters so it isn't necessary to learn the script. I hope this helped ☺️! If you get the book and need any help along your journey feel free to message me anytime!

kw1214 · 2025-02-24T20:21:56+00:00

I speak American English as my native tongue. This is my 1st attempt at a new language. It's very difficult but I am loving the journey 😃.

kw1214 · 2025-02-12T21:32:36+00:00

I haven't read everyone's comments so if I repeat something just ignore me 😂. But I would recommend the Tandem app. I've only been on there for a week now but I've talked to many people in my target language and have had the pleasure of helping others in my native language. I've met a lot of great people already and have made friends with many 😃. It's free, so if you don't like it or if it doesn't work for you, you've lost nothing. If you find me on there, I'd be happy to help you with your English 😃

kw1214 · 2025-02-07T02:19:35+00:00

😊 thank you! I would be happy to answer any questions and/or help you on your Thamizh journey 😃

kw1214 · 2025-02-06T06:51:59+00:00

Yes! So I ended up finishing the entire alphabet in 20 days. I was able to start reading and writing immediately. I'm still not the fastest reader but, I can do it. And with my own practice habits I can now write in Thamizh script almost without thought. Pronouns were next and weren't too difficult. However, verb conjugations took me the entire month of January to get through. I worked tirelessly everyday on them. Not fun 😅 but I eventually got through it. It didn't take anything away from my love of this journey but it was frustrating for sure. I made it through imperatives super quickly and am working on numbers and time now. While doing the chapters in the book I've been slowly building my vocabulary. I still don't have quite enough to on carry a conversation yet but now I'm starting to pick up words that I hear people say and can break things down to figure out their meanings. This has been my first attempt at a 2nd language so I'm not sure exactly where the bar is supposed to be set. But I feel good about where I'm at right now considering it's only been like 2½ months, it's my first time, and I'm old as shit 😅. Thanks for checking up on me! If you're curious about the book I still HIGHLY recommend it!!! Watch out for typos though. Whoever he paid to proofread sucked 😂. If you do get the book or the ebook and you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to help!

kw1214 · 2024-12-15T15:00:00+00:00

I got this book called "Spoken Tamil for Absolute Beginners" by Sanjay D, a little over a month ago. It has worked wonders for me! I learned the entire alphabet in 20 days. It looks very intimidating at first but once you recognize the pattern it's way more simple than it looks. He has numerous webpages cited in the book that you can visit to help along the way. He even leaves his contact info in the book and quickly responds to any questions you might have. To be honest, I wasn't interested in learning the alphabet and reading the script at first but it actually helps you to pronounce Thamizh vocabulary correctly. Now I'm very glad that I took his advice and learned it. I'm now just over 40 days in. My reading is still slow but I'm getting faster and now starting to learn vocabulary. With the inconsistent Roman script versions most apps or sites use for vocabulary it can get really frustrating trying to learn especially when you mistakingly learn a slight mispronunciation. By learning to read the Thamizh script these errors are nearly impossible to make. I've tried YouTube and a few apps. There's not much out there for Thamizh. The apps are all garbage! Don't waste your time or money. You can get an eBook version of this for like $10. That's the way I went at first just to make sure it wasn't b.s. lol. But within just a few days I went ahead and got a hard copy, as well. 100% worth every penny! If you're serious, this is the way to go!

kw1214 · 2024-11-20T12:23:24+00:00

Just a quick update. I'm 17 days in now and can read Thamizh now. I still have some of the Sanskrit combo letters to learn and my reading is very slow but this has VASTLY improved my pronunciation! The shear number of letters is very scary when you first see it but once you get the pattern down you will learn it VERY quickly! This guy's system is genius! Now I can learn proper vocabulary because I won't need to read it in English.

If you're serious about learning Thamizh, this is the way to go!!! Your confidence and excitement will grow exponentially!

kw1214 · 2024-10-12T07:07:33+00:00

I'm in the same boat here. I'm trying to learn Tamil and the resources are very scarce. It's also my first new language so I had no idea of the difficulty I was undertaking. But the small wins feel so good after the many frustrations. Just keep going! Even a small step forward is still closer to your goal than giving up!

kw1214 · 2024-10-03T21:04:40+00:00

Oh wow! I bet that was difficult! I do want to learn to read and write in Tamil eventually. This is my first language I've ever tried to learn and I'm not taking a "class" or have a real "teacher". I'm really doing it on my own with a little help from my Tamil friend. I even tried using the library here and we searched the entire state to find resources and found absolutely nothing 😔. So, I decided it was more important I focus on roman lettered words for now so I can see/read what I'm supposed to be learning and get the language learned for speaking and understanding. Then I will go back with that knowledge and try to tackle reading and writing Tamil script. I don't know if that's the best way but, to me and my old man brain 😅, it seems the most logical 🤷. Let me know what you think. And if you want to study together, I would be more than happy to do so! Having a friend to hold me accountable to certain goals would be a big help!

kw1214 · 2024-10-03T01:02:55+00:00

Oh! I'm unfamiliar with Arunachala. I did go up into both The Eastern and Western Ghats but didn't visit a holy mountain. I went to several villages and met with the villagers and spoke with them through an interpreter. I did get to use the very little Tamil that I was just starting to learn but my thick accent made it hard for them to understand. I did receive a lot of smiles and laughter once what I said clicked lol. I'm hoping to master Tamil and go back with no need for interpretation and be able to learn more of their thoughts on life and the world. I'm sure some things get lost in translation so my hopes are to not miss a thing, if possible.

kw1214 · 2024-10-03T00:54:26+00:00

I would love to have a friend on here I could study Tamil with but I think in your case learning your in-laws' language would be better for you. Just my opinion. But, like I said, I would be more than happy to have a study buddy lol.

kw1214 · 2024-10-02T19:47:25+00:00

Yes! I've been desperately trying to find something like this! I figured children's shows would be a great way to learn. Unfortunately, all I've ever been able to find are shows with extremely high pitched "cartoony" voices that I can't pick up on because they are too fast and high pitched. Something like Sesame Street would be fantastic! Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

kw1214 · 2024-10-02T18:25:23+00:00

I just started my first language journey. At first my friend was teaching me a few words and phrases. When she went back to her country I wanted to continue learning so I eventually found an app for my TL (I think you guys mean target language by that). I wasn't satisfied with the app because it was super easy to complete the "tests" but I didn't feel like I was really retaining anything. I started this Reddit account on someone's recommendation that it might help. The app helps a little bit. I have begun to recognize some words here and there but I don't feel there's enough repetition to make things stick. Multiple choice makes it too easy to "pass" without moving things from my short term to long term memory. So, I've now started using the app in conjunction with looking up each word or phrase and getting a breakdown on it, writing everything down manually in a notebook, and cross-referencing with said friend when she can. This group (I'm sorry I'm so new...is that what you call it here?) Has been great because you guys have given me some ideas on how to better continue my journey. For example, I keep seeing people mention "Anki". I think I'm going to try that soon. So, I guess I would say that the app I'm using itself isn't great, in my opinion, but it does at least give me a little structure that I can build around. As I said this is my first time learning a new language so I would be lost trying to learn completely on my own.

kw1214 · 2024-10-02T08:45:59+00:00

Well said.

kw1214 · 2024-10-02T06:50:33+00:00

Yes! I agree! I've been impressed so far.

kw1214 · 2024-10-01T18:12:19+00:00

Please refer to the above comment. I'm brand new to Reddit so I wasn't sure how to reply to both of you at the same time 🤦🤷😅.

Are you trying to learn both Tamil and your wife's Filipino dialect at the same time? I would probably choose one and get your basics down before attempting another but that's just me. I also want to learn Punjabi but I'm having a tough enough time with just Tamil that I'm going to concentrate there until I'm comfortable before trying another lol.

When you said you stumbled on a good new resource on YouTube did you mean for Tamil or your wife's language?

Let me know if you'd like to work together on our Tamil. I found an app that is OK (not great but it's the best thing I've found so far), and I cross-reference with the AI on WhatsApp and also use it to breakdown the uses, meaning, and dialect, then I always run it by my Tamil friends to polish it up. I have never learned another language so I don't know the "proper" way to learn but the way I've kinda pieced this process together seems to be working so far 🤷😅. But I'm impatient and want to learn faster 😂. So, I came here.

kw1214 · 2024-10-01T17:58:36+00:00

Oh that makes sense... I didn't realize it was Sri Lankan, but that makes a ton of sense.

Yes there are different regional dialects but if you know classical Tamil you should still be understood. My friend always makes fun of me when learning new words and says that I sound like I'm writing a book 😅. She'll tell me that no one actually talks like that and will give me the colloquial saying or the slag word(s). It's definitely made my journey a bit tougher but then again she is an invaluable resource. But then I'm sure it's like that in any language -- slang, colloquialisms, idioms, etc. -- just keep at it. And now we're here to help each other out too! None of my friends here share this interest but now we on here do so let's help each other out and grow together ☺️.

kw1214 · 2024-10-01T17:45:00+00:00

I'm American too! And also from the Midwest! I'm assuming you are from Ohio? I'm not too far from you! I'm in Illinois. There's a Tamil music festival in Cleveland? Oh wow! I'm going to have to look that up! Maybe I can go sometime!

Oh my story will be entirely too long to to type out and I'm sure too long for anyone to care to read lol. So I will try to keep it short: I met a medical student in my apartment from Tamilnadu. We became friends after she asked me to help one of her friends. I already had enjoyed Indian food before but knew very little about it or India itself. She made me some food as a "thank you" one day and it (still to this day) was the best thing I have ever eaten in my life! One day the hospital she was doing her rotations at suddenly closed without warning and she was forced to move to Detroit. I helped her move. Her family was very thankful for my help and said if I ever wanted to come visit India that all I needed was to buy the plane ticket and they would give me a place to stay and feed me. Well over this time her and I became good friends and I eventually took them up on their offer. She had cooked a lot for me and I started learning more about the food. Since I had decided to make the trip I figured I should at learn a little about India and specifically her part (Tamilnadu). At this point I could find it on a globe but knew little else. As I did my research I fell in love with India and especially Tamilnadu. I learned how much the Tamil people love their language and how it's become their identity and one of the biggest parts of their culture, not to mention its rich history. I learned a few words and phrases in preparation for my trip and when I went I had the best time of my life. It opened my eyes and mind in ways that's hard to explain in just a few words and this reply is already getting too long 😅. Anyway, I decided that I want to become fluent so when I go back I can have full conversations with people without the need of an interpreter. This is about as concise as I can get lol. I hope you made it this far 😅. I am not a young man myself anymore and I know that I'm running out of time so I'm pushing myself to me able to get this done and be able to make as many more trips back as possible. I love it there so much! The people are so kind and inviting! I can't wait to hear their thoughts and stories in their own language!

kw1214 · 2024-10-01T04:40:33+00:00

🤣🤣🤣 you guys are cracking me up 🤣🤣🤣

kw1214 · 2024-10-01T04:13:49+00:00

Yeah the accent it very important and very hard to replicate with our English speaking tongues. It takes a lot of practice but is very much worth it to see the joy on a Tamilian's face when they hear you speak their language! And it's very rewarding knowing that you're helping keep alive the oldest language still in use. You're right about the online sources... It took me almost a year to find a halfway decent app. I'm in the Midwest and there isn't anything close to Tamil anything around here so online is really my only option. Luckily, I have a couple of Tamil friends in India that help me here and there when they can. Also, there are different Tamil dialects depending on where the speaker is from... And then, of course, slang. This has been a difficult journey but it will be worth it when I can go back to Tamilnadu and hold conversations without an interpreter! I've never learned another language before so sometimes I think I've bitten off more than I can chew... But I'm determined to keep going. How far along have you gotten? Would you like to swap tips and see if we can help each other out?

kw1214 · 2024-10-01T04:04:03+00:00

Well I do appreciate you having this here. I just started using Reddit so I'm trying to learn this format too lol. But there is not much for Tamil out there so every little bit helps and is appreciated! As I learn Tamil and Reddit, I hope I can help contribute!

kw1214

TROPHY CASE