When to use it
Use it when your child missed school and you ask another parent about the homework.
The sentence in English: “Did the teacher explain the homework?”
In “Did the teacher explain the homework?” ‘Did’ carries the past, so ‘explain’ stays in base form.
- Did
- auxiliary verbdo · tense: past · auxiliary that makes a question in the past
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- teacher
- nounnoun
- explain
- verbexplain · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · after "did" the verb stays in its base form
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- homework
- noununcountable noun; it has no plural
The sentence in Tamil: “ஆசிரியர் வீட்டுப்பாடத்தை விளக்கினாரா?”
In “ஆசிரியர் வீட்டுப்பாடத்தை விளக்கினாரா?” the past and the question sit in one verb, ‘விளக்கினாரா’ (did explain?). Its ‘-ஆர்’ shows respect for the teacher, and ‘வீட்டுப்பாடம்’ (house-lesson) is homework.
- ஆசிரியர்
- noun'teacher', respectful form
- வீட்டுப்பாடத்தை
- nounvīṭṭuppāṭam 'homework' + object -ai
- விளக்கினாரா
- verbviḷakku · tense: past · person: 3rd, respectful · viḷakkiṉār 'explained' + ā (question)
What changes from one language to the other: English × Tamil
English puts the past in ‘did’; Tamil in the verb, with a respectful ending.
Example conversation
— ஆசிரியர் வீட்டுப்பாடத்தை விளக்கினாரா?
— Did the teacher explain the homework?
— ஆமாம், பன்னிரண்டாம் பக்கத்தில் இருக்கிறது.
— Yes, it's on page twelve.