With over 80 million speakers around the world, Tamil is an interesting and useful language to learn. Whether you are planning to make a trip to Chennai or you want to learn it for fun, it will definitely be a rewarding venture.
Tamil language which belongs to the Dravidian language family is one of the 22 scheduled languages in the Constitution of India. It is not only used in Tamil Nadu but also in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and many other places. It is one of the longest surviving language in the world with a rich history and literature. The language reflects the culture of the Tamil people.
Since everyone’s reason for learning Tamil is different, instead of giving you a step by step guide on how to learn Tamil, we have decided to list down the best resources available to learn the language. This will give you a better idea on which resources will be the best to help you meet your goals when it comes to learning Tamil. We will look at quite a number of resources available ranging from hiring your own private tutor to learning from apps. Some might be more effective than the others as it will depend on how you prefer to learn. So, try out and find what works best for you.
Learn Tamil with a Private Tutor
One of the most effective way to learn Tamil is by taking lessons with a tutor. Everyone has their own learning style. Some are visual learners while others may be auditory learners. If you have a private tutor who will design the lessons according to your learning style, you will be able to progress faster in mastering the Tamil language.
You will be able to discuss your goals before you start lessons with your tutor which will lead you to have tailor made lessons for you. Some might need to learn conversational Tamil because of a holiday trip. Others may need to brush up on their reading and writing skills for an exam. Whatever your motivation to learn Tamil is, having a private tutor will get you to your destination faster.
Getting individual one-to-one attention means you get to learn at your own pace. The tutor will focus solely on you during your session. If you are shy to pronounce something new in Tamil, it will only be you and your tutor during classes. This will help put you at ease and improve your concentration as well as help build your confidence.
Superprof is an online platform which connects students with tutors from all around the world. Superprof tutors are highly qualified to teach their respective subjects as they are required to upload their credentials which are verified before being posted on the website.
Students have the flexibility to choose according to their preference based on the tutor’s availability, qualifications and classes being conducted online or face to face.
Search for Tamil lessons tutors here.
Apps for Learning Tamil
Smartphones and tablets are widely used by everyone in this digital age. Most of us tend to use it to browse through social media or for other entertainment purposes. Why not use it to learn Tamil? There are many applications (apps) available to help you along in your journey of mastering the Tamil language.
We have listed down a few apps to assist you in learning Tamil below:
- Brainscape (Developer: Brainscape)
- HelloTalk (Developer: Hellotalk Foreign Language Exchange)
- Learn Languages with Ling App (Developer: Simya Labs Company Limited)
- Learn Tamil through English (Developer: Agurchand)
- Learn Tamil Quickly (Developer: Alter Gyan)
- Mango Languages (Developer: Creative Empire, LLC)
- Tamil 101 - Learn to Write (Developer: Uma Loganathan)
- Tandem (Developer: Tripod Technology)
Tamil is not available in Duolingo or Babbel which are quite prominently known in the language app category. However, the range of applications listed above will will help you in your learning journey.
These apps serves to bolster your learning experience. Using apps is the most convenient resource as almost everyone owns a smartphone these days and they tend to carry it around everywhere. This makes learning Tamil very convenient as you are able to open the app and use it everywhere. You can use these apps while waiting for your food in a restaurant, while commuting or even on the comfort of your own bed before going to sleep. These apps are great to use as they help you improve your Tamil language skills and is one of the best supplemental resource but they should not be the only resource you use to learn.
Learn Tamil Online
There are multiple websites that either offer paid online courses or free materials for you to choose from. If you prefer to learn on your own, this is will be a good option for you as this method provides you with flexibility and freedom. You get to choose how and when you want to learn.
Here are a few sites listed below:
- learntamil.com
- learn.tamilnlp.com
- mylanguages.org
- noolagam.com
- tamilvu.org
- tamilcube.com
- udemy.com
Explore these sites to find which one works best for you. If you would like to focus on grammar for example, Tamil Virtual Academy (tamilvu.com) has over 80 video lessons available for free. This site is suitable for beginners.
What are the differences between Tamil and Hindi? Click here.
Noolgam (noolagam.com) on the other hand is actually designed for children. However it contains audio clips of the Tamil alphabets with worksheets and flashcards which you may find useful. You are also able to learn numbers and basic vocabulary. It can be paired with other sites on the list as it is not comprehensive.
There are many courses available for Tamil language on Udemy. The instructors for each course varies. Please read the reviews carefully before purchasing any course. Do keep track for their sales period to purchase courses at a lower price for a greater value for money.
YouTube Tamil lessons
YouTube, a free video sharing platform is well known among all and used almost on a daily basis in the form of entertainment and social media. Since everyone has gadgets and easy access to internet, it can also serve as a great tool for audio-visual learners to gain knowledge on Tamil language.
However, the huge amount of content available on YouTube can be nerve-racking. If you know what to look for, it can help you in your mission to master Tamil.
We have listed a few options for you below:
- Learn and Speak Tamil Like a Native
- Learn Tamil through English (from bvenkysubbu)
- Learn Tamil through English (from desidame4eva)
- Pebbles Tamil
- Tamil Toddlers
- The Tamil Channel
Learn and Speak Tamil Like a Native provides Tamil lessons which are suitable for beginners and advanced learners. It has over 100 uploads and adds new content regularly.
Learn Tamil through English by bvenkysubbu offers a more structured course to learn colloquial spoken Tamil through simple lessons. Since there are many options to choose from, explore and find what suits you best. If you are looking to pick up some basic vocabulary, Tamil Toddlers will be of good use for you. It depends on what stage of learning your are in at the moment and what you are looking to learn.
You can also opt to use YouTube to watch Tamil movies and songs to learn Tamil in a fun way. Tamil film industry, referred to as Kollywood is India’s second-biggest movie industry. Learning Tamil gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in it. Movies are one of the entertaining way to learn spoken Tamil. Tamil songs have beautiful melodies and many songs have meaningful lyrics.
Find out more about Tamil's rich history and culture by clicking on these links.
Learning Tamil Using Books
If you prefer to learn and increase your knowledge through reading, books are a good option for you. When learning something new like Tamil language, reading books after watching a video will be helpful to retain facts and small details. Research shows that every time you read a book, your brain receives a “workout”. Frequent reading has long-term effect and can lower mental decline.
There are books available to learn Tamil for beginners which serves as a guide to learn the language. Some books are accompanied with audio CD’s to help with the pronunciation. Below are some such options:
- The Colloquial Tamil: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) by E. Annamalai & R.E. Asher
- Spoken Tamil for Absolute Beginners by Sanjay D
- Tamil Language in Context by Vasu Renganathan
After you have a grip on the Tamil alphabets and have started to pick up and understand Tamil words, reading Tamil literature will further help you improve formal and written Tamil. This will help you broaden your understanding of the language. Reading will also help you pick up new words and improve your vocabulary. Tamil literature also provides exposure to the rich Tamil culture.
However, most literary works are written in formal Tamil. Beginners might get confused with the words used as colloquial spoken Tamil is different. If you have reached a level where you are able to understand spoken Tamil well, you will find reading and understanding Tamil fiction and poetry less confusing.
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