iuNiT FaNDu

paaDam onnu

DRILL 1: RESPONSE

Give an appropriate response to the following questions. One possible

answer would be /onnum veeNDV, "I don't want anything."

1. miin veeN'o eraFai veeN'o? (Do you want fish Or meat?)

2. paal veeN'o veLLam veeN'o avanu?
3. aaarlikkyu aaaya veeN'o kaappi veeN'o? (Charlie).
4. miiukari veeN'o eraMikari veeN'o nimaikku?
5. sigarettu veeN'o biiDi veeN'o? (A /biiDi/ is a native Indian cig-
arette made of a small rolled-up tobacco leaf.)

DRILL 2: CONVERSATION ("What Language Are You Studying?')

1st: nimaL paDikkyunnadu malayaaL'o hindiyo?

2nd: liaan malayaaLam aaNu paDilskyunnadu.
1st: oo, adu prayaa ,uLLa bhaageyaaN' alle!
2nd: eeya. atra pray am illa.

pudiya vaakkugaL

hindi Hindi
prayaasamuLLa difficult (adjective)
bhaaga language
eeya an exclamation
atra that much
prayaasam difficult (noun)

90
 91

Pronunciation Note: A/
Compare the diagrams for /1"/ (page 92) and /r/ (page 93). Notice
that the tongue is considerably closer to the front teeth for N. Also
the tongue is wider and the sides of the tongue may actually touch the
pre-molar teeth.

DRILL 3: /f/ and /r/ compared

Compare the following sets of rhyming words, concentrating first on hear-
ing that the sounds are actually different.
kari (curry) kari (soot, coal)
adrift (knew) affirm (cut)
aaru (six) aaru (who?)

You may notice some difference in the quality of the vowel /a/ on
either side of the AV and /r/. Although you may be quite aware of this
difference in vowel quality, many Malayalis don't even hear it. They
consider the /a/ of /kari/ and the /a/ of /kail/ to be the same sound
and are not conscious of any difference. In the same way most native
English speakers don't hear any difference between the two "p"s in
"paper" even though there really is a difference.
Listen again to the pairs of rhyming words. Repeat after your in-
structor. You will probably find that your teacher is happier with your
pronunciation if you don't make the vowels different. As with the Eng-
lish "r" sound that we hear in the vowel before a retroflex sound (as
in /viiDui, see pp. 37,40)this difference in vowel quality is only a
"side effect." It may help you recognize whether the sound you hear
is /r/ or /r/.

4 AW,
 92

DIAGRAM 10

MalayaaLam AT
1

93
!

DIAGRAM 11
i

MalayaaLam /r/
 94

DisILL 4: PRONUNCIATION /i.e/

Words you have learned having the sound AV:

geri avaruDe

saari pie"aakkaarali

peeru miiukaari
kuuTTugaari
orakke
FaNDu
vaLare
nookkerudu irikkyunnu

DRILL 5: REPETITION
quarter; one fourth
1. kaal
eTTegaal aayi It's 8:15.
pattu maNiyaayi It's 10:00.
pattegaal aayi It' s 10:15.

eeRegaal aayi It's 7:15.

mukkaal
three quarters
2.
eTTemukkaal aayi It's 8:45.
raNDe mukkaal aayi It's 2:45.
pattemukkaal aayi It's 10:45.

are half
3.
naalariyaayi It's 4:30.
muunnariyaayi
It's 3:30.
raNDariyaayi
It's 2:30.

muunnu maNiyaayi
It's 3:00.
4.
muunnegaal aayi It's 3:15.
muunnariyaLyi
It's 3:30.
muunnemukkaal aayi It's 3:45.
 95

5. naalu maNiyaayi It's 4:00.

naalegaal aayi It's 4:15.
naalatiyaayi It's 4:30.
naalemukkaal aayi It's 4:45.

6. aaru maNiyaayi It's 6:00.

aaregaal aayi It's 6:15.
aarariyaayi It's 6:30.
aaremukkaal aayi It's 6:45.

DRILL 6: RESPONSE

The teacher or a student will write a time or draw a clock on the board
and ask
etra maNiyaayi?

Students will give appropriate answers.

DRILL 7: REPETITION

1. paaDaam (Let's) sing.

paaTTu song
paaTTu paaDaam (Let's) sing a song.
nama'kku paaTTu paaDaam. Let's sing a song.
malayaaLam Malayalam
namma'kku malayaaLam Let's sing a Malayalam
paaTTu paaDaam song!

2. paaDikkyaam (Let's) play (it).

graamofoon gramophone; phonograph
 96

graamofoon paaDikkyaam (Let's) play the phonograph.

namma'kku graamofoon Let's play the phonograph!
paaDikkya'rn.

Note: /paaDikky-/ literally means "cause something to sing."

3. vaauikkyaam (let' s) buy; (let' s) get

graamoffon vaamikkyaam (Let's) buy a phonograph.
patram newspaper
-patram vaauuikkyaam (Let's) get,a newspaper.
_saaTi sari
saafi this yellow sari
Ii marifia saafi vaauulkkyaam (Let's) buy this yellow sari.
namma'kk' 11 maia saail Let's buy this yellow sari.
vaauDikkyaam.

DRILL 8: REPETITION
a aria? who?
aar Okkyu who all?
viiTTil ad"' okky' uNDO Who all 'is at home?
(i.e. "in your family")

DRILL 9: RESPONSE

Give a complete answer to the question

(nimaLuDe) viiTTil ad" okky! uNDu?

Other students might prod ihe one answering with questions about
family members' names, occupations, etc.
 97

DRILL 10: TEACHER RESPONSE

Ask your teacher questions about his home and family.

DRILL 11: REPETITION

1. ii saari aeeaaiyuDed' aallo? Is this sari Chechi's?

idu aeeMiyuDe saariyaallo Is this Chechi's sari?
2. aa patram niDoaL'Ded' aallo? Is that paper yours?
adu nimaL'De patram aallo?' Is that your paper?

3. ii kaappi addeehattinded' aallo? Is this coffee his?

idu addeehattinde kaappiyaallo Is this his coffe0
4. ii biiDi aaruDed' aaNu? Whose biidi is this?
id' aaruDe biiDiyaaNu Whose biidi is this

Note:

Notice that the question is formed with /aallo?/ in the first three
sets, while the fourth set contains the question woid /aaruDe?/. Thus
the verb in the fourth set is /aaNu/ instead of /aallo?/. (See.grammar
note, to be found in iuNiT onnu, paaDam onnu.)

DRILL 12: RESPONSE

Holding up ot pointing to various objects in the room, the teacher or

students should ask questions of the types:

ii aaruDed' aaNu?
ial aeuDe aaNu?.
 1

98

Others will answer appropriately.

Examples:
1. (Q.) ad' aaruDe sweTTar aaNu?
(A.) adu juDiyuDe sweTTar aaNu.

2. (Q.) aa pustagam aafuDed' aaNu?

(A.) ii pustagam ended' aaNu.
 99

pudiya vaakkugaL
Nouns
sigarettu cigarette (Western style)
biiDi cigarette (Indian style)
hindi Hindi
bhaaga language
prayaasam difficulty
kaal one fourth; one quarter
mukkaal three fourths; three quarters
aa one half
paaTTu song
graamofoon gramaphone; phonograph

Adjectives
prayaasamuLLa difficult
atra that much

Verb Roots
paaD- to sing
paaDikky- to make sing; to play (phonograph)

Question Words
aaru? who?
aarokkyu? who all ?
aafuDe?; aafuDedu? whose?

Expressions
onnurn veeNDa Nothing is wanted; (I) don't
want anything.
 luNIT FaNDu

1
paaDam faNDu

Grammar Note: Past Tense

The past tense is the only irregularly formed tense in Malayalam.
Though one can make a few general rules about which of the several
endings to add, etc., there is really no system simple enough to be use-
ful. So the only practical solution is simply to memorize the past tense
of each verb.

DRILL 1: REPETITION

kaRikkyunnu eat and/or drink; consume

kaRia"ou ate and/or drank; consumed

kuDikkyunnu drink
kuDi66u drank

vaayikkyunnu read; play (an instrument)

vaaycau read; played

kaaNunnu see
kaNDu saw

paaDunnu sing
paaDi sang

DRILL 2: TRANSFORMATION

Change present to past tense or vice versa and translate.

Teacher: kuDikkyunnu
Student: kuDie-ou "drank"

100
 101

Teacher: paaDi
Student: paaDunnu "sing"

paaDunnu
kaNDu
kuDiMu
vaayikkyur nu
kaaNunnu
vaayiaau
paaDi
kaRikkyunnu
kuDikkyunnu

DRILL 3: CONVERSATION ("Did You See the Play?")

1st: innale draama kaNDo? Did you see the play yesterday?
2nd: kaNDu Yes.
1st: nannaayifunno? Was it good?
2nd: nannaayffunnu. Yes, it was.

Grammar Note:
Notice in the above conversation that to say "yes" you simply re-
peat the verb.

DRILL 4: CONVERSATION ("A Horrible Breakfast')

you (familiar form, used for
close friends and children)
tra avilil morning
 102

1st Trainee: ni raavile kaappi Did you drink the coffee this
'uDiCao? morning?
2nd Trainee: kuDiFou. Yes.
Mina/ (bad)
1st Trainee: vaLare 6i1tta It's really awful coffee, isn't
kaappiyaaN' alle? it?
2nd Trainee: ade, ade. You bet.
1st Trainee: roTTi kaRiMo? Did you eat the bread?
/aayirunnu/ (was, were)
2nd Trainee: kaRfailla. vaLare No. It was too stale.
paReyad' aayirunnu.

DRILL 5: PRONUNCIATION /R/

Concentrate on making a good /R/ in the following words.

kaRie-eo?
kaRiMu
kaRiMilla
paReya
paReyad' aayirunnu.
kaRiMilla. paReyad' aayirunnu.

Grammar Note: The Past Verbal Noun

In iuNiT onnu, paaDam anju you learned how /-adu/ is added to
the present tense of the verb, making it into a Present Verbal Noun.
In the same way the past verbal*noun is formed from the past tense
plus /-cAdu/.
 103

innale aana paaDi? Who sang yesterday?

innale aaf ' aaNu PaaDiyadu? Who sang yesterday?

innale sinama kaNDu. Yesterday I saw a movie.

innale sinamayaaNu kaNDadu. Yesterday I saw a movie.

As with the present tense and present verbal noun, the past tense
and past verbal noun have essentially the same meaning. It is a ques-
tion of style which one is used when.

DRILL 6: CONVERSATION ("Who's Singing?')

ip.pooL now, just now

nannaayi well (adverb)

1st: aar aaNu ippoo' paaDiyadu? Who was that singing just now?
2nd: jaaN aaNu paaDiyadu. That was John singing.
1st: avan nannaayi paaDupnu alle. He sings well, doesn't he.
2nd: ade. Yes.

DRILL 7: REPETITION

kaNDu saw
kaNDadu saw

kuDie*au drank
kuDie-eadu drank

paaDi sang
paaDiyadu sang

kaRiaau ate and drank

kaRie-oadu ate and drank
 104

vaayie-eu played (instrument); read

vaayiMada played (instrument); read

DRILL 8: TRANSFORMATION

Change the past tense verb to past verbal noun and vice versa.
Teacher: vaayie-ou
Student: vaayie-eadu

Teacher: paaDiyade
Student: paaDi

kallfau
kuDie"dadu
vaayiMadu
kaNDu
kaRiMadu
paaDiyadu
kuDiFau
kaNDadu
vaayfau
paaDi

DRILL 9: CONVERSATION ("What Were You Rea-ling?'9

1st : ippooL niDDaL end' aaNu What were you reading just
vaayiMadu? now?
2nd: "Blossoms in the Dust" aaNu I was reading "Blossoms in
vaayiMadu. the Dust."
1st : etra aaapttar vaayia'au? How many chapters have you
read?
2nd: anju 6aapttar. Five.
 105
i

Pronunciation Note:
In rapid speech the final I-I,/ of Appoo1.,/ will often drop. So you
hear /ippoo' niDuaL end' aaNu vaayie"dadu?/.

DRILL 10: FIELD EXERCISE (Past Tense)

Since there is no way to "figure out" what the past tense ending of a
verb will be, it is a good idea to find out what the past tense is when-
ever you learn a new verb.
In Kerala you will often be learning in informal situations by
simply talking to people you meet on the street, children who come to
your house to play, etc. Usually you can get such people to supply
you with the past tense by trying to put your newly-found verb in a
sentence with /innale/ "yesterday" or AaRiiiiia maasam/ "last month."
It might help to precede it with the 'phrase /idu Nellyo?/.
In this exercise your teacher will pretend he doesn't know English.
You are to find out from him the past tense forms of the following verbs.

Example: Student: idu Eet-iyo? innale endu aeyyunnu?

Teacher: Neriyilla. aeydu. innale endu aeydii.
Student: aeydu. innale endu aeydu.

(Always repeat the sentence the correct way.)

poogunnu go, going

parayunnu say, saying
paDikkyunnu study, studying
paaDikkyunnu turn on (phonograph)
ifikkyunnu sit, sitting
aeyyunnu do, doing
 106

DRILL 11: REVIEW

1

Review Drill 2, Conversation ("What Language Are You Studying"), page

90.

DRILL 12: TRANSFORMATION

Put the conversation "What Language Are You Studying," page 90, into
the past tense. .

DRILL 13: REVIEW PRONUNCIATION

Review Drills 3 and 4 (AV and /r/), pages 91 and 94.

 107

pudiya vaakkugaL

Nouns
draama drama, play
innale yesterday
raavile morning
maasam month

Pronouns
ni you (for children and close friends)
ninde ("Your," possessive case)
ninakku ("you; to/for you,". dative case)

Adjectives
aiitta bad
kaRirdia finished; last
Adverbs
nannaayi well
ippooL now; just now

Past Tense of Verbs

vaayiCau (vaayikkyunnu) read; played
kaRcau (kaRikkyunnu) ate and drank
kuDie"au (kuDikkyunnu) drank
kaNDu (kaaNunnu) saw
pooyi (poogunnu) went
pararinu (parayunnu) said
paDiFou (paDikkyunnu) studied
paaDia'au ( paaDikkyunnu) played; turned on (phonograph)
paaDi (paaDunnu) sang
irunnu (Ifikkyunnu) sat
aeydu (6eyyunnu) did
aayirunnu was/were
 iuNiT raNDu

paaDam muunnu

Pronunciation Note: The Alveolar Sounds 1/t, d,

In the transcription these sounds are not underlined and not capi-
talized. These sounds are quite similar to their English counterparts t,
d and n, the point of contact between tongue and roof of mouth being on
the alveolar ridge for both languages. (That's why they're called "alve-
olar.")
But whereas the tongue is quite pointed for the English sounds, it
is more flattened for the Malayalam sounds and more of the tongue's
upper side has contact with the roof of the mouth. Compare Diagrams 12
and 13 with 4 and 5.

DRILL 1: PRONUNCIATION

Listen carefully to the following rhyming words containing dental, alveo-

lar and retroflex sounds. See if you can hear the difference. Don't
worry about learning the meaning of the words. Meanings are included
to demonstrate that the differences between dental, alveolar and retro-
flex sounds are really important.

patty ten
pattu grain of cooked rice
paTTu silk

patti hood of cobra

patti about
paTTi dog

kaAa shock of grain

kaTTa mud brick

108
 109

manam mind
maNam odor; smell

waanam sky
waaNam fireworks

kaananam forest
kaaNaNam should see

panni pig
pani fever
paNi job; work

You may notice that the vowel /a/ on either side of an alveolar
sound, sounds slightly different than the /a/ on either side of a dental
or retroflex sound.
As with the difference in /a/ on either side of /r/ and /F/ (/kari/
vs. /kaFi/) this difference is not usually heard or noticed by the Mal-
ayali. It is simply a "side effect" of the way the alveolar sounu is
made. Guard against over-exaggerating this difference in your own
pronunciationbut remember it as a helpful way to distinguish between
alveolar and dental or retroflex sounds.
Listen again as your teacher says the words in Drill 1. Then re-
peat after him.

DRILL 2: PRONUNCIATION

The following are some words you have learned having alveolar sounds.
Notice the alveolar /d/ occurs only after an /n/. (/ende/ "my"; /avande/
"his " ; /addeehattinde/ " hi s " )
 110

DIAGRAM 12

Malayalam It; d/
 111

DIAGRAM 13

Malayalam /4/
 112

tiaa©, e eOikkyu
ava0, ava avaOu
addeehattie, addeehattiOu
mii0)
6emmii©
graamofoc©

ma0assil aayi
paO'saafa
siOama
a0ju
biskeeu
sigare©u

Grammar Note: Positive and Negative Imperatives 1-u; -eclidu/

An imperative is a ccmrnand, but there are many degrees of com-
mand. In Enalish the positive imperative runs the gammet from "You do
this today, or else" to "Would you mind doing this today." Even "Why
don't you do it today" is an imperative, though a very mild one.
On the negative side, we see a full range, too, from "Don't you
dare do that here," down to "I think it's probably better if you don't do
it here." Though some of the milder imperatives can be called sugges-
tions tf we look only at their words, the situations where they occur
will make it plain that this is only a very polite way of saying "don't."
Malayalam also has a full range of both positive and negative im-
peratives, but wL) have picked out one medium strength positive and one
negative which you can safely use in most situations. Luckily, they are
completely regular and very simple. Adding /-u/ to the verb ste:i gives
us a moderately polite positive, and /-e?uil makes a courteous but
firm no.gative.
 113

Examples: 1. paaDu "Please sing."

paaDerudu "Please don't song."

2. irikkyu "Please sit down."

ilkkkyerudu "Please don't sit down."

If you say /onnu/ in front of the positive imperative it adds a tone

of suggestiveness to the command.
onnu paaDu "Would you please sing."
onn' ifikkyu "Would you please sit down."

DRILL 3: REPETITION BUILD-UP

1. jenal window
turakku please open; open
jenal turakku. Please open the window.

(Note: the In/ of /jenal/ is alveolar.)

2. vaadil door
vaadil turakku. Please open the door.

3. turakkerudu please don't open

vaadil turakkerudu. Please don't open the door.
jenal turakkerudu. Please don't open the window.

4. onnu would you please

jenal onn' turakku. Would you please open the
window.
vaadil onn' turakku. Would you please open the
door.

5. aDekkerudli please don't close

vaadil aDekkyerudu Please don't close the door.
jenal aDekkyerudu. Please don't close the window.
 114

6. aDekkyu please close

jenal aDekkyu. Please close the window.
vaadil aDekkyu. Please close the door.
pustagarn aDekkyu. Please close your books.
7. jenal onn' aDekkyu. Would you please close the
window.
vaadil onn' aDekkyu. Would you please cloie the
door.
pustagam onn' a Dekkyu. Would you please close your
book.

Note: AnntVis used only with positive commands, i.e. turakku,

aDekkyunot with negative commands, like turakkeFudu or aDekkyefudu.

DRILL 4: CONVERSATION ("Discomforts of a Summer Training

Program 19

,k11111DtV "heat, hot"

Teacher: il muriyil vaLafe CuuD' It's terribly hot in this room.
uNDu. aa jenal onn' Would you please open
turakku. that window.
Student: (getting up to open it)
turakaam. I'll open it.
/purattu/ "outside"
/valiya/ "'great; big"
/oaaa/ "noise"
Teacher: (after some time) purattu It's very noisy outside. Please
valiya oCoeyaa(Nu). aa close the window.
jenal onn' aDekkyu.
(a student shuts the window)
/ifikkyaan/ "to sit"
Another
Student: (short time later) saare, Sir. It's very hot in the room.
muriyil vaLafe auuD1 It's hard (difficult) to sit
uNDu. ir-ikkyaan (here).
prayaasam aa(Nu).
 115

/ennaal/ "then, if so"

Teacher: ennaal aa vaadil turakku. In that case, open the door.
Student, geri saaru. Yes sir.
/haaL/ "hall"
/keeLkaan "to hear"
Another
Student: (after a while) haaLil valiya It's awfully noisy in the hall.
oe-oeyuNDu. keeLkaan It's difficult to hear.
prayaasam aa(Nu).
Teacher: ennaal vaadil aDekkyu. Then close the door.
/pattunnilla/ "impossible"
Another
Student: (a few minutes later) saaru, Sir. It's very hot. It's im-
valiya 6uuD' uNDu. possible to sit.
iiikkyaan pattunnilla.
Teacher: (puzzled and distressed)
ennaal In that case ...
(the bell rings and the
teacher says with re-
lief)... oo! vaadil
turakku. ... Oh! Open the door.
/saare/ is the vocative case of /saaru/. It is used when calling out
to /saaru/ to get his attention.
Get up and do the actions called for in this and all conversations.
You will find the words mean much more if you react to them physically.

DRILL 5: REPETITION BU1LD-UP

1. pustagam book
nookk- verb rootto look; to look
at; to look after (children)
nookkefudu don't look at
pustaga' nookkeFudu Don't look at the book.
 116

2. nookku look
pustaga' nookku Look at the book.
iviDe nookku Look here.
aviDe nookku Look over there.

3. koNDH val'u bring; please bring

one
oh' kaappi koNDu van. Bring a coffee.
(NS) orti kaappi 'oNDu \Jai-Lt.

4. koNDu var-audu don't bring

aaaya koNDu vafendu. Don't bring tea.
5. vaykkyu set; put; place
aviDe vaykkyu. Set (it) there.
aaay' aviDe vaykkyu. Set the tea there.
6. vaykkyeTudu don't set; place; pui
aviDe vaykkyerudu. Don't set it there.
aaay' aviDe vaykkyeffudu. Don't set the tea there.
pleyT' aviDe vaykkyaudu. Don't set the plate there.
aa glaass iviDe vaykkyaudu. Don't set that glass there.

DRILL 6: CONVERSATION ("Don't Look at the Book")

Teacher: dikku, parayu"ii kaappiyended' aa(Nu)."

Dick: . (looking at book) ii kaappiyended' aa(Nu).
Teacher: eeya, pustaga' nookkaudu.
 117

DRILL 7: CONVERSATION ("Bring Some Coffee")

John: eeyu, sally, au kaappi koNDu van.

Sally: idaa kaappi.
John: meegappurattu vaykkyaudu. iviDe vaykkyu.

pudiya vaakkugaL

idaa here; here it is (a contrac-

tion of idu plus aaNu)
purattu on; on top of (also "outside")
meega table
meegappurattu on the table

Note: In rapid speech /kaappi toNDuvai=u/. Notice also that the /a/ of
/koNDuva'ru/ is affected by the following /1/. See Pronunciation Note,
page 91.

DRILL 8: REPETITION

padinonnu eleven
pandr.aNDu twelve
padimuunnu thirteen
padinnaalu fourteen
padinanju fifteen
padinaaru sixteen
padineeRu seventeen
padineTTu eighteen
pattombadu nineteen
inpadu twenty

Pronunciation Note: Make good dental sounds!

 118

DRILL 9: CHAIN

Count from eleven to twenty; from one to twenty.

DRILL 10: REPETITION BUILD-UP

1. iDu please put

kappu cup
ende kappil pan'saareyiDu. Please put sugar in my cup.
2. veLLam water
naaraoya lemon
naaraoya veLLam lemonade
pan'saareyiDu Please put sugar (in).
naaraoya veLLattil Please put sugar in the
pan' saafeyiDu. lemonade.

3. upp: iDu. Please put salt (on).

erae"eikky' upp' iDu. Please put salt on the meat.

4. iDerudu please don't put

eranikky' upp' iDerudu. Please don't put salt on the
meat.

5. pan'saafeyiDerudu Please don't put sugar (in).

ende kappil pan'saareyiDerudu. Don't put sugar in my cup,
please.

Note: Notice that with some words "location" is indicated by the lo-
cative case (/kappil, veLLattil/) and with others by the dative case
(/eraFaikkyu/).
 119

DRILL 11: REPETITION t

(Past tense of verbs; positive and negative forms)

kaNDu saw
kaNDilla didn't see
kaRf66u ate and/or drank
kaRie-eilla didn't eat/drink
pooyi went
poo'iyilla didn't go

paDiau studied
paDfailla didn't study

paaDi sang
paaDiyilla didn't sing
vaayie"eu played (instrument); read
vaayfailla didn't play (instrument); read

keeTTu heard
keeTTilla dir'n't hear

DRILL 12: TRANSFORMATION

Change positive past forms to negative pasts and vice versa. Translate.

Example: Teacher: keeTTu

Student: keeTTilla didn't hear
Teacher: paaDi
Student: paaDiyilla didn't sing

paaDi .

paDfailla
 120

kuDiMilla
kaRiMu
kaNDu
keeTTilla
vaayie"ou
pooiyilla
nookki
frikkyilla

DRILL 13: CONVERSATION ("A Horrible BreakfastPart Two')

1st Trainee: ni Faavile kaappi 'uDiMo?
2nd Trainee: kuDi6Ci11a. 6aaeyaa(Nu) kuDie-eadu.
1st Trainee: kaappi aiitt' aayifunn' alle!
2nd Trainee: ade ade.
1st Trainee: aa roTTi kaRfe6o?
2nd Trainee: kaRiMilla. vaLaFe paReyadi aayifunnu.

Note: Notice again that to say "No" you repeat the negative form of
the verb.

DRILL 14: REVIEW

Review. pp. 101-102, "A Horrible Breakfast" (Drill 4).

 tt,

121

pudiya vaakkugaL

Nouns
jenal window
vaadil door
6uuDu heat, hot
purattu outside; on top of
on'a noise
haaL hall
pleyTTu plate
glaass glass
meega table
kappu cup
naarava lime
naarauyaveLLam lemonade
iviDe here; this place
aviDe there; that place

Adjectives
valiya big, great

Verbs
turakk- (turannu) to open; opened
aDekky- (aDiau) to close; closed
keeLkk (keeTTu) to hear; heard
nookk- (nookki) to look; looked
koNDuvaf- (koNDuvannu) to bring; brought
vaykky- (ve66u) to set; set
iD- (iTTu) to put, turn on; put, turned
on
 122

Grammar Words
-e (added to names) vocative
case ending
-u (added to verbs) positive
command
- erudu (added to verbs) negative
command

Expressions
onnu (before positive command)
would you please
4

ennaal then; if so; in that case

irikkyaan pattunnilla it's impoE. sible to sit.

Cardinal Numbers
padinonnu eleven
pandfaNDu twelve
thirteen
_
padimuunnu
padinnaalu
padinanju
fourteen
fifteen
padinaaru sixteen
padineeRu seventeen
padineTTu eighteen
pattombadu nineteen
ifupadu twenty
 iuNiT faNDH

paaDam naalu

DRILL 1: REPETITION

Some useful expressions:

layTT' iDu. Turn on (put on) the light.

layTT' iDeFudu. Don't turn on the light.

layTT' off 6eyyu. Turn off the light.

(NS) layTT' off 'eyyu.
layTT' off 'oeyyer-udu. Don't turn off the light.
(NS) layTT' off 'eyyeikidu.

fan iDu. Turn on the fan, please.

fan iDefudu. Don't turn on the fan.
fan off 6eyyu. Turn off the fan please.
fan off 6eyyeTudu. Please don't turn off the fan.

(NS) fan off 'eyyu.

(NS) fan off 1eyyerudu.

Pronunciation Note: Note that the initial /6/ of toeyyu/ and /6eyyeruch:V
often drops at normal speed.

DRILL 2: REPETITION

More useful expressions:

niuoaL ippooL paDiMad' What were you studying just

end' aa? now?

nivaL paraIad manassil I didn't understand what you

said.

123

'+':41:41q*K4i
 124

kuraMu kuuDe paDukke Will you speak a little more

parayaamo. slowly, please.
(NS) koraM"uuDe paDukke
parayaamo.

Pronunciation Note: The initial /k/ of /kuuDe/ drops at normal speed

similar to the dropping of /k/ in /kaappi 'uDikkyaam/.

DRILL 3: CONVERSATION ("Which Movie Did You See?'9

1st Trainee: Kau' innaLeyoru sinamaykkyu pooyi.

2nd Trainee: eedu sinarnayaa(Nu) kaNDadu?
1st Trainee: aemmiin.
or aemmiin aa(Nu) kaNDadu.

pudiya vaakkugaL

eedu which

Note: /eedu/ is often pronounced /yeethil.

Grammar Note: "I Wanna" /-aNam/

In the conversation "What a Nice Sari" (p. 85) you learned the verb
form /vaanaNam/ meaning "want to buy" (/enikky' au niila saafi
vaauaNam/ "I want to buy a blue sari"). /vaaDuaNam/ is actually a
combination of the verb root /vaaDrj-/ plus beeNam/ (contracted to
/-aNam/).
/-aNam/ can be added to any verb stem and gives either the mean-
ing "want to " or "should," "ought to," depending on whether
the subject is in the dative or nominative case. When the subject is
 125

in the dative case the phrase means "(I) want to" (i.e. the subject him-
self wants to) whereas when the subject is nominative it means "(I)
should," "(I) ought to" or "(I) have to" (i.e. there is some outside pres-
sure).

aaarlikkyu paaTTu paaDaNam. Charlie wants to sing a song.

ippooL aaarli au paaTTu Now Charlie has to (ought to)
paaDaNam. sing a song.

Very often the subject (whether dative or nominative) is unexpressed.

For instance a mother might say to her balky child /ippooL kaRikkyaNam/
"You have to eat now." The subject, tho unexpressed, is clearly to be
in the nominative case (/ni/) showing that some outside force is being
exerted on the child. On the other hand, the child might come in de-
manding food before mealtime, using the same words his mother used
/ippooL kaRikkyaNam/. But in this situation the unexpressed subject
is in the dative case, /enikkyu/, and the meaning is "I want to eat now."
When your teacher says /pustagarn aDekkyaNam/, is the unexpressed
subject /niuijaL/ or /niuDaLkkuP
You needn't waste time deciding what case the unexpressed sub-
ject of all such sentences would be in, so long as you get the meaning
of what is said. Usually the situation will make this clearand that's
exactly why the subject can be left out without anybody missing i.t.
When other forms of /veeNam/ (like /veeN'o, veeNDa, veeNDe/)
are added to the verb stem, the resultant fcrms are as follows.

kaRikkyaN'o? Do (you) want to eat?

kaRikkyeNDa. (He) doesn't want to 'eat.
kaRikkyeNDe? Doesn't (he) want to eat?
 126

DRILL 4: REPETITION BUILD-UP

1. vaayikkyaNam have to read; ought to read;

want to read
patram vaayikkyaNarn. (I, etc.) have to read che news-
paper; ought to read the
newspaper; want to read
the newspaper.
enikkyu patram vaayikkyaNam. I want to read the paper.
(riaan) patram vaayikkyaNam. I have to read the paper; I
ought to read the paper.
2. kuD.kkyaNam (You/I/They, etc.) must drink;
ought to drink; want to drink.
paalu kuDikkyaNam. (You/I/They, etc.) must drink
milk; ought to drink milk;
want to drink milk.
ni paalu kuDikkyaNam. You drink (your) milk; You must
drink the milk (a mother to
her child).
kuTTigaLkku paalti kuDikkyaNam. The children want to drink milk.
3. paarru paaDaNam (Charlie/I/We, etc.) want to
sing a song; ought to sing
a song; must sing a song.
ippooL 6aarli oru paaTTu Now Charlie has to sing a
paaDaNam. song (i.e. now it's Charlie's
turn).
baarlikkyu paaTTu paaDaNam. Charlie wants to sing a song.
poog aNa m (Raaman/We, etc.) want to go;
have to go.
uDane immediately; right away
uDane poogaNam. (I) have to go right away;
want to go right away.
namakk' uDane poogaNam. We want to go right away.
 127

DRILL 5: CONVERSATION ("Which Showing ShoWd We Go To?')

1st: Ziernrniin kaNDo?

2nd: kaNDilla. ninaL kaNDo?
1st: haanum kaNDilla. nania'kk' innu faatr kaaNaan poogaam.
2nd: (y)eedu gookkyu poogaNam2
1st: laasTTu gookkyu poogaarn.
2nd: gefi.

pudiya vaakkugaL

-urn also, too

riaanum kaNDilla I didn't see it either.
innu today
faatri night
innu Faatri
_ tonight
narnmaLkku .. . kaaNaan Let's go see it tonight.
poogaam
laasTTu last

The above conversation is subject to the following assimilations

and contractions at normal speed.

1st: Cemmii0 gaNDo?

2nd: kaNDilla. niDDA 'aNDo?
1st: riaanup gaNDilla. narna'kk' innu Faatri kaaNaa' poogaarn.
2nd: yeedu gookkyu poo'aNarn?
1st: laasTTu gookkyu poogaam.
2nd: 5efi.

DRILL 6: REVIEW

Review Drill 3, pages 62-63.

 128

DRILL 7: TRANSLATION

Turn off the light.

Put some sugar in my cup please.
Don't put salt in the coffee.
Put some sugar in the lemonade.
Don't look at the book.

DRILL 8: REVIEW. PRONUNCIATION ALVEOLARS

Review Drills 1 and 2, pages 108-109; 112.

DRILL 9: REVIEWPRONUNCIATION---/r/ and /i/

Review Drills 3 and 4, pages 91 and 94.

DRILL 10: REPETITION

irupattonnu twenty-one
irupattufaNDu twenty-two
irupattumuunnu twenty-three
Ifupattunaalu twenty-four
trupattanju twenty-five
irupattaaru twenty-six
.i7upatteeRu twenty-seven
ir-upatteTTu twenty-eight
it'upattombadu twenty-nine
muppadu thirty

Rernember/-tt-/ is dental. Pronounce it that way.

DRILL 11: CHAIN

Count from twenty-one to thirty; from one to thirty.

DRILL 12: REPETITION BUILD-UP

1. vayas su age
etra vayassu? how old?
etra vayass' aayi? How old*are (you)?
nimaLkk' elra vayass' aayi? How old are you?

2. ifupattunaalu Twenty-four.
frupattunaalu vayass' aayi. (I'm) twenty-four years old.
enikky' ilupattunaalu vayass' I'm twenty-four years old.
aayi.

DRILL 13: CHAIN

Student one finds out the age of student twostudent two of student
three, etc.

DRILL 14: RESPONSE

Students should ask one another about the age of a third person (using
the name plus dative case ending.)

Example: juuDikky' etra vayass' aayi?

juuDikkyu pattombadu vayass' aayi.
 130

pudiya vaakkugaL

Nouns
layTTu light
innu today; this day
Faatri night
innu aatri tonight
vayassu age

Adjectives
laasTTu last
Verb Roots
off 6eyy- turn off

Adverbs
kuraMu kuuDe akorae"6"uuDep a little more
paDukke slowly; softly
uDane immediately, right away

Question Words
(y)eedu? which?

Grammar Words
dative .../-aNam/ want to
nominative ... /-aNam/ should ; ought to
have to

Cardinal Numbers
irupattonnu twenty-one
ifupattufaNDu twenty-two
inpattumuunnu twenty-thr ee
ifupattunaalu twenty-four
ir-upattanju twenty-five
inpattaaru twenty-six
 131

Cardinal Numbers (cont.)

ifupatteeRu twenty-seven
i7upatteTTH twenty-eight
17upattombadu twenty-nine
muppadu thirty
 iuNiT raNDu

paaDam anju

DRILL 1: FIELD EXERCISE

/tai---/ and /koDukk-/ (past tenses are /tannu/ and /koDuttu/) both
mean "to give" (gave). Examine the sentences below and figure out
when Malayalam uses /taf-/ and when /koDukk-/. Note that the re-
cipient is in the dative case; the giver (when expressed) in the nomina-
tive case.
enikky' adu taill. Give that to me.
EauaLkk' adu taru. Give that to us.
nivaLkk' ii pustagam tannu. (I/He) gave that to you.
ninakk' ii pustagam tannu. (I/He) gave that to you.

(/ninakku/ is the dative of /ni/)

ayaaL nivaLkk' ii pustagam He gave this book to you.
_tannu.
_
ayaaL enikky' au sigarettu He gave me a cigarette.
tannu.

avaLkk' adu koDukku. Give that to her.

avan' adu koDukku. Give that to him.
>

addeehattin' adu koDukku. Give that to him.

Eaan ayaaLkk' oFu sigarettu I gave him a cigarette.
koDuttu.
ayaaL avarkku pudiya saari He gave her a new sari.
koDuttu.
avanu paysa koDukkendu. Don't give him money.
riaan ayaaLkk' oi% sigarettu I gave him a cigarette.
koDuttu.
ayaaL enikky' au sigarettu He gave me a cigarette.
tannu.

132
 133

'Man niuDaLkk' ii pustagam I gave you this book.

tannu.

niuDaL enikky' ii pustagam You gave me this book.

tannu.

avar ayaaLkku paysa koDuttu. She (They) gave him money.

ayaaL avarkku paysa koDuttu. He gave her (them) money.

The answer will be found following this lesson's pudiya vaakkugaL.

DRILL 2: REPETITION

koDukku
koDukkerudu
koDuttu
koDuttilla

taTu
tafaudu
_tannu
tannilla

Pronunciation Note: Notice that the /a/ of /tar-/ is affected by the

following AV. Be sure you're making good dental sounds. Don't be afraid
to stick your tongue out!

DRILL 3: REPETITION
Repeat the sentences of Drill 1, pp. 132-133, after your teacher.
 134

DRILL 4: ADDITIVE

Add either /tak-u/ or /koDukku/ depending on who the recipient is.

Then repeat the entire sentence.

Example: Teacher: avarkk' erae"ei...

Student: koDukku; avarkk' eraFei koDukku.

avarkku saa?i...
enikkyu eraMi ...
fiamaLkku muTTa ...
ayaaLkku sigarettu...
enikkyu ?aNDu muTTa ...

DRILL 5: ADDITIVE

Add either /tannilla/ or /koDuttilla/. Then repeat the entire sentence.

avant' paysa . .

riaan niuDaLkku paysa ...

aa pie-eakkaannu paysa ...
enikkyu paysa ...
addeehattinu paysa ...

DRILL 6: CONVERSATION ("Buying a Light bulb")

.Shopkeeper: endu veeNam?

Customer: or-u baLbu veeNam.
Shopkeeper: veLLa baLbu madiyo?
Customer: veeNDa. niila baLbu. veeNam.
Shopkeeper: ippoo' tanam. (giiinc the packet) idaa baLbu.
Customer: end' aa' vila?
 135

Shopkeeper: raNDia ruuba.

Customer: (giving the money) '6eri.

pudiya vaakkugaL

veLLa baLbla madiyo?

_ Is a white bulb O.K.?
ippooL taraam I will give it (to you) right now.
(or in "Indian English," I am
just now giving.)
vila price
ruuba rupee (7 1/2 rupees to one
dollar)

Pronunciation Note: Notice that /Nina/ sounds [vela] when spoken at

normal speedfollowing the old rule that A/ becomes [e] when followed
by a single consonam and /a/.

Grammar Ncte: Infinitive Ending /-aan/

In the conversation, "Discomforts of a Summer Training Program,"
you learned several sentences containing verbs with the infinitive end-
ing /-aan/.
ifikkyaan prayaasam aaNu. It's difficult to sit.
keeLkkaan prayaasam aaNti. It's hard to hear.
ifikkyaan pattunnilla. It's impossible to sit.

To form the Malayalam infinitive you simply add /-aan/ to any

verb stem. There are no irregularities in its formation.
But once it is formed, many people are still not sure what an "in-
finitive" is! In English the infinitive is "to" followed by any verb,
and there must be another verb in the sentence that indicates tense,
i.e. when something happened or is going to happen.
 136

I like to swim.
That was not the time to laugh.
There won't be anything left to eat.

The main verb of these sentences shows tense ("like" present;

"was" past; "won't be" future) but from "to swim," "to laugh," etc.,
we can tell nothing about time. They are "infinite"hence the name
"infinitive." This is only intended to explain the mystery of a strange
term to the curious. Remember that the important thing is to be able
to use the forms, not to be able to name them.
The Malayalam infinitive ending /-aan/ does not show time either
and there must be another verb in the sentence that does show tense.
Some verbs and phrases that often combine with an infinitive are:

prayaasam aaNu it's difficult; hard

eLuppam aaNu it's easy
pattunnilla (I) can't; it's impossible
kaRaiiiilla wasn't able
neram aayi it's time
ariyaam know how

tuDami started; begun

-ikam aaNu like; likes

DRILL 7: REPETITION BUILD-UP

1. ariyaam know; know how

S.. -

"giTTaar vaayikkyaan to play the guitar

giTTaar vaayikkyaan ariyaam. (He) knows how to olay the
guitar.
avaLkku She
-

avaLkku giTTaar vaayikkyaan She knows how to play the

ariyaam. guitar.
 137

2. ariyaamo? know how?

giTTaar vaayikkyaan ariyaamo? Do (you) know how to play the
guitar?
jerikkyu giTTaar vaayikkyaan Does Jerry know how to play
ariyaamo? the guitar?

3. samsaafikkyaan to talk
samsaa?ikkyaan ariyaamo? Does (he, she) know how to
talk?
avanu he (datiVe)
avanu samsaarikkyaan Does he know how to talk?
ariyaamo?

4. kunu baby
kuriliinu baby (dative)
kuninu samsaaikkyaan Does the baby know how to
ariyaamo? talk?

5. kaRiiiriu was able; could

kaRiFiñilla wasn't able; couldn't
vafaan to come
vanan (I/He) wasn't able to come.
enikkya vaaan kaRthñilia. I wasn't able to come.
innale enikkyu varaan Yesterday I wasn't able to
come.

tuDaDiji started, begun

naDakkaan to walk
riaDakkaan tuDaui. (He/They) has started to walk.
kuisalu naDakkaan tuDaui. The baby's begun to walk.

7. tuDauiyo? started?; begun?

naDakkaan tuDauiyo? Has (he) started *to walk?
naDakkaan tuDaDuiyo? Has the baby started to Walk?

Grammar Note: Notice that the subject is in the dative case with all
-verbs except /tuDaDDi/.
 138

DRILL 8: ADDITIVE TRANSLATION

Add /nama' kkia/ to the sentences and translate.

Teacher: keeLkkaan prayaasam aa(Nu).

Student: nama'kku keeLkkaan prayaasam aaNu.
It's hard for us to hear.
innale vaTaan kaRiMlla,
irikkyaan prayaasam aaNu.
idu kuDikkyaan pattunnilla.
naDakkaan prayaasam aaNu.

DRILL 9: CONVERSATION ("Boy or Girl?')

A P.C.V. strikes up a conversation with a Malayali mother.

P.C.V.: aallo peNo?

Mother: aaN.
P.C.V.: kuririin' etra vayass' aayi?
Mother: onnan vayass aayi.
P.C.V.: naDakkaan tuDauDiyo?
Mother: tuDaDui.
P.C.V.: samsaafikkyaan ariyaamo?
Mother: illa.
P.C.V.: (pinching child's cheek) miDukkan.

Cultural Note: /miDukkan/ means literally "clever boy" and seems to

be the only widely acceptable complement for children. Many people
(especially lower-class non-English speakers) believe that such say-
ings as "What a big boy" or "Pretty little girl" bring bad luck. If the
child were /peN/ one would say /miDukki/.
 139

aallo peNo?

DRILL 10: TRANSLATION

1. It's terribly hot in this room.

2. It's very noisy in the hall.
3. Close the doors and windows.
4. Don't set the tea there.
 140

5. Don't set the tea on the table.

6. I have to go right away.
7. What were you reading just now?
8. What were you doing just now?
9. Do you want fish curry or meat curry?
10. Malayalam is a very difficult language.
 141

pudiya vaakkugaL

Nouns
paysa money
baLbu light bulb
vila price
Yuuba rupee
kulifitt baby; little one
miDukkan clever boy
miDukki clever girl

Adjectives
veLLa white

Verb Roots
tar-- tannu give (to 1st or 2nd person)
kolDukk- koDuttu give (to 3rd person)
samsaafikky- samsaafiMu to speak
vat"- vannu to come
tuDaDD- tuDaDDi to begin; to start
naDakk- naDannu to walk

Other Verbs
ariyaam know how
kaRiiThilla couldn't; wasn't able to

Grammar Words
-aan infinitive ending

Grammar Note: /tar-/ and /koDukk-/

/tai---/ is the verb used when the recipient is first or second person,
/enikkyu, ilauaLkku, niDoLkku, ninakku/ (i.e. "me, us" or "you").
/koDukk-/ is the verb used when the recipient is third person,
/avaLkku, avarkku, avanu, ayaaLkku, addeehattinu, avarkkli/ (i.e.
"her, him," or "them").