Convenience Store

1. பை வேணுமா? பத்து ரூபாய்.

   Pai vēṇumā? pattu rūpāy.

   Do you need a bag? Ten rupees

   Usage

   Said by staff. Tamil Nadu has banned single-use plastic outright since 2019, so even a petti kadai (a small family-run corner shop) charges for a cloth or paper bag. Decline with "vendaam"

   Grammar Note

   Tamil has a wide gap between the literary and spoken registers, and shops use the spoken one exclusively: literary "vendumaa" contracts to "venumaa". Questions are marked by the suffix "-aa" without any change in word order

2. நூறு கிராம் மட்டும் போடுங்க.

   Nūṟu kirām maṭṭum pōṭuṅka.

   Please give me just a hundred grams

   Usage

   At a South Indian corner shop, rice, pulses, sugar, spices and nuts are scooped from sacks and tins and weighed out loose rather than pre-packed. You can buy tiny amounts, which suits travellers and costs less than packaged goods. Units are "kilo" and "graam"

   Grammar Note

   The polite imperative adds "-unga" to the verb stem (spoken form of literary "-ungal"): "podu" (put) becomes "podunga". "Mattum" is a restrictive particle attaching to the preceding word to mean "only"

3. சின்ன பாக்கெட்டும் இருக்கு, அஞ்சு ரூபாய்.

   Ciṉṉa pākkeṭṭum irukku, añcu rūpāy.

   We also have a small sachet, five rupees

   Usage

   Said by staff. Shampoo, hair oil, detergent and coffee powder all come in single-use sachets costing one to five rupees. Ask for a bottle and the shopkeeper will often suggest a sachet — less waste on a short trip. Look for the strips hanging at the shop front

   Grammar Note

   The additive "um" is a suffix, not a separate word: "packet" + "um" gives "packettum" with consonant doubling (sandhi). "Anju" is the spoken form of literary "aindhu" (five)

4. பை வேண்டாம், என்கிட்ட பை இருக்கு.

   Pai vēṇṭām, eṉkiṭṭa pai irukku.

   I do not need a bag, I have my own

   Usage

   Since the plastic ban, carrying a cloth bag ("thunip pai") has become routine in Tamil Nadu. Declining saves around ten rupees and is well received. Say it before the shopkeeper starts bagging

   Grammar Note

   Tamil has no verb "to have"; possession is "X kitta Y irukku" (with X there is Y). "Kitta" is a colloquial postposition derived from literary "idam" (place), and "en" + "kitta" contracts to "enkitta"

5. ஸ்ட்ரா வேணுமா?

   Sṭrā vēṇumā?

   Would you like a straw?

   Usage

   Said by staff. You will be asked when buying carton juice or tetra-pack milk. Tamil Nadu's plastic ban means straws are now paper. Decline with "vendaam"

   Grammar Note

   The negative of "venum" (to want) is the dedicated form "vendaam" rather than a negated verb. The initial "s" in loanwords is written with a Grantha letter, which never appears in native Tamil words

6. இது எம்ஆர்பி விலை, குறைக்க முடியாது.

   Itu emārpi vilai, kuṟaikka muṭiyātu.

   This is the MRP, it cannot be reduced

   Usage

   Said by staff. Indian law requires an MRP (Maximum Retail Price) on every packaged item, and a corner shop sells at that price. Unlike a market stall there is no bargaining, so treat this as the end of it. Charging above MRP, conversely, is illegal

   Grammar Note

   The infinitive plus "mudiyum / mudiyaathu" expresses ability or its absence: "kuraikka mudiyum" (can be lowered) negates to "kuraikka mudiyaathu". "Mudiyaathu" is tenseless and covers both present and future

7. அந்த மேல் அடுக்கில் இருக்குறதை எடுத்துக் கொடுங்க.

   Anta mēl aṭukkil irukkuṟatai eṭuttuk koṭuṅka.

   Please take down the one on the upper shelf for me

   Usage

   A petti kadai is counter service, not self-service: you stand at the street-side hatch and the shopkeeper fetches items from the shelves behind. You never reach in yourself, so point and ask. In supermarkets such as Nilgiris or More you can browse freely

   Grammar Note

   "Eduthuk kodunga" chains the participle of "edu" (take) with "kodu" (give), describing one flow of action: take it and hand it over. Tamil readily strings verbs this way, as in "vaangik kodu" (buy it for me)

8. க்யூஆர் கோட் காட்டுங்க, ஸ்கேன் பண்ணி பணம் அனுப்புறேன்.

   Kyūār kōṭ kāṭṭuṅka, skēṉ paṇṇi paṇam aṉuppuṟēṉ.

   Please show the QR code, I will scan it and send the money

   Usage

   In India a UPI QR sticker sits by the till, and the customer scans it, keys in the amount and sends the money. Even shops with no card machine usually have the QR. Foreign visitors can use traveller schemes such as UPI One World, but carry cash as a fallback

   Grammar Note

   Spoken Tamil verbalises English nouns by adding "pannu" (to do): "skaen pannu", "pay pannu", "call pannu". "Panni" is its participle, meaning "having done"

9. ஃபிரிட்ஜில் இருந்து நானே எடுத்துக்கலாமா?

   Firiṭjil iruntu nāṉē eṭuttukkalāmā?

   May I take it from the fridge myself?

   Usage

   The drinks fridge usually stands at the shop front and customers are generally free to help themselves. The space behind the counter belongs to the owner, though, so a quick word first avoids friction. Chilled is "kulirndha", room temperature is "normal"

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-laam" expresses permission or possibility, and adding the question marker "-aa" turns it into "may I …?". "Naan" (I) plus the emphatic "-e" gives "naane" — I myself, stressing that the speaker will do it

10. சீல் வைச்ச தண்ணீர் பாட்டில் இருக்கா?

    Cīl vaicca taṇṇīr pāṭṭil irukkā?

    Do you have a sealed bottle of water?

    Usage

    Refilled bottles are a known risk, so check the cap seal before leaving the counter. Ask for a major brand such as Bisleri, Aquafina or Kinley. "Seal udainjirukku" means the seal is broken

    Grammar Note

    "Vaicha" is the past participle of "vai" (to place) — spoken form of literary "vaitha" — placed before a noun to form a relative clause. Tamil relative clauses use no relative pronoun: the participle modifies the noun directly

11. இங்க மொபைல் ரீசார்ஜ் பண்ண முடியுமா?

    Iṅka mopail rīcārj paṇṇa muṭiyumā?

    Can I get a mobile top-up here?

    Usage

    Prepaid balance for Jio, Airtel or BSNL can be topped up at a corner shop — just give the number and the amount. It is the easiest route when a tourist SIM runs dry or you cannot use Indian payment apps. A "Recharge" sign confirms the shop does it

    Grammar Note

    Literary "inge" shortens to "inga" in speech, as do "ange" and "enge". "Panna mudiyumaa" is the set way to ask whether something can be done and works for checking any service

12. இங்க கரண்ட் பில் கட்ட முடியுமா?

    Iṅka karaṇṭ pil kaṭṭa muṭiyumā?

    Can I pay an electricity bill here?

    Usage

    Many corner shops double as BBPS or CSC agents and accept electricity (TANGEDCO), gas, water and DTH payments. Show the bill or the account number; a fee of a few tens of rupees applies. Useful if you are renting a room for a longer stay

    Grammar Note

    "Kattu" basically means "to tie" or "to build", but in a fee context it means "to pay in": "vari kattu" (pay tax), "fees kattu" (pay tuition). Paying for shopping instead uses "kodu" (to give)

13. இதோட காலாவதி தேதி என்ன?

    Itōṭa kālāvati tēti eṉṉa?

    What is the expiry date on this?

    Usage

    Stock lingers on the shelves of a slow-moving shop, so always check dates on milk, bread and snacks. Packs usually carry "Best Before" or "Use By" in English too. If it has passed, say "kaalaavathi aayiduchu" and ask for a replacement

    Grammar Note

    The colloquial genitive is "-oda": "ithu" becomes "ithoda", "naan" becomes "ennoda" (literary uses "-udaiya"). "Kaalaavathi" is a Sanskritic compound of "kaala" (time) and "avadhi" (limit) — a deadline

14. சில்லறை இல்ல, மிட்டாய் எடுத்துக்கோங்க.

    Cillaṟai illa, miṭṭāy eṭuttukkōṅka.

    I have no small change — please take a sweet instead

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small South Indian shops are chronically short of one- and five-rupee coins, so a sweet ("mittaai") or a chocolate often stands in for the odd change. You can insist with "vendaam, kaase kodunga" (no, cash please), though often there really are no coins

    Grammar Note

    Non-existence is expressed not by negating a verb but by the dedicated word "illai" (spoken "illa"). "Eduthukkonga" combines "edu" (take) with the reflexive auxiliary "kol" (take for oneself) plus the polite imperative

15. இன்னைக்கு காசு பத்தல, மீதி நாளைக்கு தரட்டா?

    Iṉṉaikku kācu pattala, mīti nāḷaikku taraṭṭā?

    I am short of cash today — may I pay the rest tomorrow?

    Usage

    A petti kadai runs on neighbourhood trust, and regulars may buy on credit ("kadan"), noted in the shopkeeper's book. Ask only if you are on a long stay and shop there often — a first-time visitor will normally be refused, so do not press

    Grammar Note

    "Tharattaa?" is "tha" (give) plus the colloquial permission-seeking "-ttaa": shall I / may I. "Innaikku" and "naalaikku" are the spoken dative forms of literary "indru" and "naalai", and are the everyday choice

16. உங்ககிட்ட சில்லறை இருக்கா?

    Uṅkakiṭṭa cillaṟai irukkā?

    Do you have small change on you?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Hand over a 500-rupee note and this is the first thing you will hear. Answer "irukku" (yes) or "illa" (no). ATMs only give large notes, so break them at a big store or a petrol pump before shopping small

    Grammar Note

    "Neenga" (polite you) plus the postposition "kitta" gives "ungakitta". Tamil has a two-way second person — "nee" (familiar) and "neenga" (polite/plural) — and staff always use the "neenga" set with customers

17. ஒரே ஒரு பாக்கெட் மட்டும் தனியா தர முடியுமா?

    Orē oru pākkeṭ maṭṭum taṉiyā tara muṭiyumā?

    Could you sell me just one packet on its own?

    Usage

    A South Indian corner shop will tear a strip of biscuits, shampoo or batteries apart and sell you a single unit, and eggs go one at a time — travellers need not buy more than they can use. Pricing is per piece by default, so it costs no more

    Grammar Note

    "Ore oru" doubles "oru" (one) with the emphatic "ore" to insist on just a single item. "Thaniyaa" is "thani" (single) plus the adverbialiser "-aa", the all-purpose suffix that turns adjectives into adverbs in speech

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