Survival Tamil: 30 Situations (L2)

By the end

What you'll build

• Greet, thank and apologise politely, and choose the respectful நீங்க (nīṅga) form so you are never accidentally rude to a stranger or elder
• Get an auto, bus, metro, train or cab, bargain a fair fare, and ask for directions when you are lost
• Buy vegetables, groceries and clothes at a kadai, ask the price, bargain, and pay by cash or UPI
• Order food and tea at a mess, hotel or canteen, control the spice, and settle the bill
• Talk to a PG owner or landlord about rent, water, power and repairs, and deal with the watchman and household help
• Recharge a phone, use a bank or ATM, and handle salon, laundry and courier interactions
• Describe common symptoms at a pharmacy or clinic and call for help in an emergency
• Introduce yourself, make small talk with colleagues and neighbours, and survive a basic phone call
• Recognise the difference between spoken and written Tamil endings, and pick the spoken form that a Chennai local expects to hear
• Understand slow, everyday Tamil speech well enough to respond, and ask people to slow down or repeat when needed

Curriculum

What's inside

7 modules · 42 lessons

1. 01

   Start Here: Sounds, Greetings & Numbers

   5 lessons
   • Welcome: How Survival Tamil Works
   • Everyday Greetings & Courtesiespronunciation card
   • Catch the Greeting (Listening)listening lab
   • Numbers, Money & Timeword power
   • Error Fix: நீ vs நீங்க — Don't Be Rude by Accidentfill blank
2. 02

   Getting Around Chennai

   7 lessons
   • Auto Rickshaw: Meter & Fare (Listening)listening lab
   • Bargain & Board the Auto (Speaking)speaking lab
   • City Bus (MTC)fill blank
   • Chennai Metro (Listening)listening lab
   • Railway Station & Trainsfill blank
   • + 2 more lessons
3. 03

   Shopping & Money

   5 lessons
   • Vegetable Market / Kadai (Listening)listening lab
   • Provision / General Storefill blank
   • Buying Clothes & Bargaining (Speaking)speaking lab
   • Mobile Recharge & SIM Shopfill blank
   • Bank & ATM (Speaking)speaking lab
4. 04

   Food & Eating Out

   5 lessons
   • Tea Shop: Tea, Coffee & Snacks (Listening)listening lab
   • Restaurant / Mess: Ordering a Mealfill blank
   • Office Canteen (Speaking)speaking lab
   • Food Delivery at the Door (Listening)listening lab
   • Consolidation: Survival Phrase Deckflashcard sr
5. 05

   Home & Neighbourhood

   6 lessons
   • PG / Room Rental with the Ownerfill blank
   • Rent, Bills & Complaints (Speaking)speaking lab
   • Watchman & Apartment Gate (Listening)listening lab
   • Household Help / Maidfill blank
   • Daily Vendors: Water Can, Milk & Paper (Listening)listening lab
   • + 1 more lesson
6. 06

   Services, Health & Emergencies

   6 lessons
   • Salon & Barber (Listening)listening lab
   • Laundry / Ironing (Dhobi)fill blank
   • Pharmacy / Medical Shop (Listening)listening lab
   • Doctor / Clinic: Describing Symptoms (Speaking)speaking lab
   • Emergency: Asking for Help (Listening)listening lab
   • + 1 more lesson
7. 07

   People, Talk & Review

   8 lessons
   • Introductions: Who Are You? (Speaking)speaking lab
   • Small Talk: Weather & Neighbourhood (Build a Sentence)sentence builder
   • Phone Call Basics (Listening)listening lab
   • Office Small Talk with Colleagues (Speaking)speaking lab
   • Error Fix: Number & Respect Agreementfill blank
   • + 3 more lessons

The shape of it

How this course works