Conditional sentences ( `If'-type sentences in English) are formed by adding, in the place where PNG would normally occur, the suffix È(§) -aa(l). This is added to the PAST stem of the verb only, and thus tense and PNG are neutralized, i.e., the conditional of a verb gives us no information about tense or PNG.
If the verb is aspectually marked, such as with Éç iru or (¬)Éà (v)idu, the suffix È -aa is added to the AM in the past:
In some dialects, a variant È¡´Ô -aakkaa occurs instead of È(§) -aa(l):
ÇÂç Âÿ»Ô¡´Ô avaru vandaakka `If he comes...'
Since tense is neutralized in the conditional, the tense of the verb in conditional clauses is determined (interpreted semantically) by the tense of the verb in the larger context, usually the verb in the next clause:
Since the conditional marker is added to the past of the verb it is also not possible to have conditionals of certain modals and other categories, except by periphrastic constructions (cf. § 6.71 below). Note that the conditional suffix contains a final § -l which does not appear unless something is suffixed to it (cf. the Concessive § below).