Defective verbs

Defective verbs are often called 'stative verbs' because rather than refer to events or processes, they refer to states. In Tamil such verbs are often psychological verbs, e.g., தெரி, 'know', பிடி, 'like', புரி, 'understand.' Again, as with the modals, the habitual/future tense is used to express general/habitual knowing, liking, undestanding, etc., where as the past/present forms are used in more specific (or marked) contexts:

எனக்குத் தமிழ் பேசத் தெரியும்
1st per(obl)-dat tamil speak(inf.) know-fut neut
I know (how) to speak Tamil.

அவருக்கு அது பிடிக்காது
3rd pers masc-dat that(noun) like(inf.)-fut neut neg
He doesn't like that.

எனக்கு அவருடைய தமிழ் புரியும்
1st pers(obl)-dat 3rd pers masc-poss tamil understand-fut neut
I (always/generally) understand his Tamil.

எனக்கு அவருடைய தமிழ் புரியாது
1st pers(obl)-dat 3rd pers masc-poss tamil understand-fut neut neg.
I do not ever (i.e. never) understand his Tamil.

எனக்கு அவருடைய தமிழ் புரியவில்லை
1st pers(obl)-dat 3rd pers masc-poss tamil understand-past/pres neg.
'I did not understand his Tamil' or 'I do not understand his Tamil (right now).'

In contexts where evidence for knowing, understanding, liking, etc. is immanent, the present tense is used. As with the past, the present and past tenses are used to refer to particular moments:

என்ன அப்படி தமிழ் பேசுகிறாய்? உனக்குச் சரியாகவே தமிழ் பேசத் தெரியவில்லை
what that way Tamil speak-pres-2nd pers. impolite-interoggative. 2nd pers(obl)-dat right-adv-emp. Tamil speak(inf) know(inf)-pres/past neg.
'What! You speak Tamil in that way? (cf. That's how you speak Tamil?) You do not know how to speak Tamil.'

Below are examples of other defective verbs--கிடை (spoken, கெடெ), 'be available, have, get', போடு, 'be enough', வலி, 'hurt', பசி, 'be hungry.'

சாப்பாடு கிடைக்குமா?
food available-fut neut-interrogative
Is there food available (in general)?

அவருக்கு வேலை கிடைக்காது
3rd pers masc-dat work/job available(inf)-fut neg
There is no work for him available (in general).

இப்பொழுது புத்தகம் கிடைக்கவில்லை
now book available(inf)-pres/past neg.
'There are no books available (right now, but not necessarily in general)' or 'There were no books available.'

அது எனக்கு போதும்
that 1st pers(obl)-dat enough-fut neut
'That is enough for me' or 'I have had enough.'

அவ்வளவு சாப்படு அவருக்கு போதாது
that much food 3rd pers masc-dat enough-fut neut neg
'That much food is/will not be enough for him.'

எனக்கு பசிக்கிறது
1st pers(obl)-dat be hungry-pres-neut
'I am hungry (right now).'

என் கால் வலிக்கும்
1st pers obl/poss leg hurt-fut neut
'My leg hurts (in general/all the time).'