When to use it
Use it when someone explained too quickly, such as how a ticket machine works.
The sentence in English — “I didn't understand the instructions, can you repeat?”
In “I didn't understand the instructions, can you repeat?” ‘didn't’ negates the past and ‘-s’ marks the plural.
- I
- pronounpersonal pronoun, always written with a capital letter
- didn't
- contractiondo · tense: past · contraction of "did not"; makes the negative in the past
- understand
- verbunderstand · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · after "didn't" the verb stays in its base form
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- instructions
- nounplural noun
- can
- auxiliary verbcan · tense: present · modal verb of ability or permission
- you
- pronounpersonal pronoun
- repeat
- verbrepeat · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · main verb after "can"
The sentence in Tamil — “எனக்கு அறிவுறுத்தல்கள் புரியவில்லை, மீண்டும் சொல்ல முடியுமா?”
In “எனக்கு அறிவுறுத்தல்கள் புரியவில்லை, மீண்டும் சொல்ல முடியுமா?” understanding is phrased ‘எனக்கு… புரியவில்லை’ (to me it was not clear). ‘repeat’ is ‘மீண்டும் சொல்’ (say again).
- எனக்கு
- pronoun'to me', the one who understands
- அறிவுறுத்தல்கள்
- nounplural of aṟivuṟuttal 'instruction'
- புரியவில்லை
- verbpuri · tense: negative (-illai) · 'was not understood', with eṉakku
- மீண்டும்
- adverb'again'
- சொல்ல
- verbcol · form: infinitive (-a) · 'to say'; mīṇṭum col = repeat
- முடியுமா
- auxiliary verbmuṭi · tense: future · form: question (-ā) · colla muṭiyumā = could you say?
English × Tamil — What changes from one language to the other
English makes ‘I’ the one who understands; Tamil says the meaning comes to me.
Example conversation
— எனக்கு அறிவுறுத்தல்கள் புரியவில்லை, மீண்டும் சொல்ல முடியுமா?
— I didn't understand the instructions, can you repeat?
— சரி, மெதுவாகச் சொல்கிறேன்.
— Of course, I'll go slowly.