நீங்கள் எங்கே போகிறீர்கள்?
ningal enge pokireerkal?
நீங்கள் எங்கே போகிறீர்கள்? (ningal enge pokireerkal?) is the Tamil way to say "where are you going?"
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current destination. The word எங்கே means "where" and போகிறீர்கள் means "are going."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into ningal (you), enge (where) and pokireerkal (are going).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
நீங்கள் எங்கே போகிறீர்கள்? is the formal way to ask this question. In spoken, colloquial Tamil, the phrase is often shortened to enge poreenga?
How do you pronounce it?
ningal enge pokireerkal?
When do people say it?
In many Tamil-speaking cultures, asking "where are you going?" can function as a common, polite greeting or a way to initiate small talk, even if the speaker does not strictly require the destination.
Did you know?
- The word நீங்கள் is closely related to the Malayalam word നിങ്ങൾ (niṅṅaḷ). This shows the shared ancestry of the Dravidian languages spoken in Southern India.
- The formal word for 'you', நீங்கள் (ningal), is constructed by adding the plural marker -கள் (-kal) to the singular form. This means you are grammatically treating the person as a group to show respect.
- The word எங்கே contains an emphatic marker -ē that can subtly change the question from a general inquiry to a more pointed 'where exactly'.
Examples in context
- வணக்கம்! நீங்கள் எங்கே போகிறீர்கள்?Hello! Where are you going?
Example conversation
Divya meets Santhosh on the street.
- திவ்யா Divyaசந்தோஷ், நீங்கள் எங்கே போகிறீர்கள்?Santhōṣ, nīṅkaḷ eṅkē pōkiṟīrkaḷ?Santhosh, where are you going?
- சந்தோஷ் Santhoshநான் கடைக்கு போகிறேன்.Nāṉ kaṭaikku pōkiṟēṉ.I am going to the shop.
- திவ்யா Divyaஎன்ன வாங்கப் போகிறீர்கள்?Enna vāṅkap pōkiṟīrkaḷ?What are you going to buy?
- சந்தோஷ் Santhoshகொஞ்சம் காய்கறிகள் வாங்க வேண்டும்.Koñcum kāyikaṟikaḷ vāṅka vēṇṭum.I need to buy some vegetables.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries எங்கே, நீங்கள், CC BY-SA 4.0.
