எப்போது
eppōtu/ɛpːoːd̪ɯ/
The word எப்போது (eppōtu) is the Tamil way to say "when".
எப்போது is used to express "as soon as, at the time that (conj)".
Meaning: as soon as, at the time that (conj)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is eppōtu. The IPA is /ɛpːoːd̪ɯ/.
Did you know?
- Tamil can express the idea of 'when' by using a participle verb ending, effectively turning an action into a time marker without using a separate word for 'when'.
- The word எப்போது is formed by combining the interrogative base எ- meaning 'what' and the word போது meaning 'time'.
- In Tamil, the same word எப்போது is used for both 'when' as a question and 'when' as a conjunction, but the sentence structure changes entirely to signal the difference.
Examples in context
- உங்கள் பிறந்த நாள் எப்போது?When is your birthday?This sentence is useful for asking about the date of a birthday using எப்போது.Tatoeba #4267930 by Singaravelu, translation #16997 by CK
- நாம் எப்போது கடைக்கு செல்லலாம்?When can we go to the store?This sentence is useful for asking about the time one can go to the store using எப்போது.Tatoeba #10720897 by DriedGrapes31, translation #10720898 by DriedGrapes31
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kavitha and Karthik are planning a meeting.
- கவிதா Kavithaநாம் எப்போது சந்திக்கலாம்?Nām eppōtu santikkalām?When can we meet?
- கார்த்திக் Karthikநாளை மாலை ஆறு மணிக்கு வரலாம்.Nāḷai mālai āru maṇikku varalām.You can come tomorrow at six in the evening.
- கவிதா Kavithaஅது எனக்கு வசதியாக இருக்கும்.Atu enakku vacatiyāka irukkum.That will be convenient for me.
- கார்த்திக் Karthikசரி, கவிதா. நாளை சந்திப்போம்.Sari, Kavithā. Nāḷai santippōm.Okay, Kavitha. See you tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry எப்போது, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries எப்போது, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
