Lesson 4 of 8Free

இல்லை என்று சொல்லுதல் — எதிர்மறை

Saying No — Negation

Learn to say what you don't do, didn't do, and won't do using don't, doesn't, didn't, and won't.

14 minutes

By the end of this lesson you will be able to— இந்த பாடத்தின் இறுதியில்

  • Use 'don't' and 'doesn't' for present negation: 'I don't like milk', 'She doesn't play cricket'
  • Use 'didn't' for past negation: 'I didn't go to school yesterday'
  • Use 'won't' for future negation: 'I won't forget'

Let's Learn

What you will learn today

Learn to say what you don't do, didn't do, and won't do.

Half of talking is saying 'no'

So far you have learned to say what you DO, DID, and WILL DO. But what about what you DON'T do? Negation is how English says 'no' inside a sentence.

இதுவரை நீங்கள் செய்வதை சொல்ல கற்றீர்கள். இப்போது செய்யாததை சொல்ல கற்போம் — இதுவே எதிர்மறை.

Present negation: don't and doesn't

To say you don't do something NOW or REGULARLY:

  • 'Don't' with I, you, we, they: 'I don't like milk', 'We don't play on Sundays'
  • 'Doesn't' with he, she, it: 'She doesn't eat meat', 'He doesn't watch TV'
  • The main verb stays in base form: 'She doesn't plays' ← WRONG. 'She doesn't play' ← CORRECT

இப்போது அல்லது வழக்கமாக செய்யாததை சொல்ல:

Past negation: didn't

'Didn't' works for ALL subjects — I, you, he, she, we, they. And the main verb goes back to BASE form!

  • 'I didn't go to school yesterday.' (go, NOT went)
  • 'She didn't eat breakfast.' (eat, NOT ate)
  • 'They didn't play cricket.' (play, NOT played)

'Didn't' எல்லா subjects-க்கும் பொதுவானது. முக்கியம்: வினைச்சொல் base form-ல் இருக்க வேண்டும்!

Future negation: won't

'Won't' = will not. Simple — just replace 'will' with 'won't'.

  • 'I won't forget.' (I will not forget)
  • 'It won't rain tomorrow.' (It will not rain)
  • 'She won't come to the party.' (She will not come)

'Won't' = will not. எளிமையானது — 'will' என்பதை 'won't' ஆக மாற்றுங்கள்.

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The biggest Tamil-English difference

In Tamil, 'இல்லை' goes at the END. In English, the negative word goes BEFORE the verb. This is the most common mistake Tamil speakers make.

📐 Negation in real life

A child describing what they don't do:

  1. 1I don't like waking up early.
  2. 2My sister doesn't eat vegetables.
  3. 3We didn't go to school yesterday because it was raining.
  4. 4I won't forget my homework tomorrow.

ஒரு குழந்தை தான் செய்யாததை விவரிக்கிறது:

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Your turn — say what you don't do

Think of 3 things: one you don't do regularly, one you didn't do yesterday, and one you won't do tomorrow.

You can now say YES and NO in all three tenses

Present: don't/doesn't. Past: didn't. Future: won't. The negative always goes BEFORE the verb. You now have full control of three tenses in both positive and negative.

இப்போது மூன்று காலங்களிலும் 'ஆம்' மற்றும் 'இல்லை' சொல்ல தெரியும்!

🌟

Don't, doesn't, didn't, won't — four words that let you say 'no' in any tense. Always put the negative word BEFORE the verb.

Next: joining ideas with 'and', 'but', 'because', and 'so' — the key to longer, more natural sentences.

Key Points

முக்கிய குறிப்புகள்

  • 'Don't' = do not — used with I, you, we, they: 'I don't like milk'
  • 'Doesn't' = does not — used with he, she, it: 'She doesn't play cricket'
  • 'Didn't' = did not — for the past: 'I didn't go yesterday' (verb goes back to base form!)
  • 'Won't' = will not — for the future: 'I won't forget', 'It won't rain tomorrow'
  • Tamil comparison: Tamil adds 'இல்லை' at the end; English adds 'don't/doesn't/didn't' BEFORE the verb
G

Glossary

சொல் அகராதி

Negation

எதிர்மறை

Don't

செய்யாதே (I/you/we/they)

Doesn't

செய்யாது (he/she/it)

Didn't

செய்யவில்லை (past)

Won't

செய்ய மாட்டேன் (future)

Practice Activities

Quizவினாடி வினா

Answer each question to check your understanding.

Question 1 of 3

Which is correct? 'She _____ like ice cream.'

Match the Termsபொருத்துக

Click a term on the left, then click its matching definition on the right.

MMatch terms to their definitions

Click a term, then click its matching definition.

Terms

Definitions

Fill in the Blanksஇடைவெளி நிரப்புக

Type the missing word and press Check or Enter.

Fill in the blanks

Type the missing word and click Check or press Enter.

I __ like waking up early.
She __ eat breakfast yesterday.
It __ rain tomorrow.
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