Language/Telugu/Grammar/Gender

Telugu Grammar - Gender

Hi Telugu learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will explore Telugu grammar in regards to gender. Knowing the gender of Telugu nouns is important to correctly use adjectives and pronouns.

Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: Vowel Signs & Conjunctions.

Overview

Like many languages, Telugu has gender in its grammar system. However, unlike some languages, Telugu only distinguishes between two genders: masculine and feminine. Telugu gender is somewhat similar to the gender in English but it also has some unique features that make it important to understand.

In Telugu, the gender of a noun is not necessarily related to its physical attributes. It’s based on a semantic feature that assigns gender to nouns arbitrarily. Practicing and memorizing the genders of nouns is critical for learners to speak Telugu fluently and accurately.

Masculine Gender

The masculine gender in Telugu usually ends with a short “u” or a “consonant + aa” sound. Here are a few examples:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
చీటు (cheetu)	tʃi:tu	leopard
ఆకాశం (aakasam)	ɑ:kɑʃɑm	sky
ఊరు (ooru)	u:ru	village
అందులో (andulo)	ɑnduːloː	inside

Let's practice with a dialogue:

• Person 1: మా చీటు బాలుడు ఉంటాడు (maa cheetu baaludu untaadu) (Our leopard is a boy)
• Person 2: ఓ అద్దెండి చీటు ఇంకా పెద్దగా అవుతుంది (o addendi cheetu ink a peddagaa avutundi) (Oh that cub leopard will grow bigger)

From this conversation, we can see how to identify the gender of a noun and conjugate verbs based on the gender.

Feminine Gender

The feminine gender in Telugu usually ends with a short “i” or a “consonant + ee” sound, but there are also exceptions. Here are some examples of feminine nouns:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
సింహిక (sinhika)	sinhi:kə	lioness
అమ్మాయి (ammaayi)	ʌmma::yi	girl
ఇంటి (iNTi)	inti	house

Let's practice with another dialouge:

• Person 1: నేను చెట్టు బాగుంది మగవారిలో ఒకటి (neenu chettu bagundhi magavaariloo okati) (I liked one tree in their garden)
• Person 2: అది చిన్నవాదితోనే ఎక్కడో ఉంటుంది (adi chinnavaadithonae ekkadoo untundhi) (that one is with that boy)

From this dialogue, we can learn how feminine nouns are used with possessives and other modifying words.

Neuter Gender

Unlike some languages, Telugu does not have a neuter gender.

Exceptions

As with any language, there are some exceptions to Telugu gender rules. Some words are used to the opposite gender of their ending. Here are some examples:

Telugu	Pronunciation	English
వేలు (velu)	ve:lu	lamb
వంకాయ (vankaaya)	vanka:ya	brinjal
పులి (puli)	puli	tiger

Conclusion

Knowing the gender of Telugu nouns is essential for building meaningful sentences that sound natural. Telugu learners can practice by creating noun lists and memorizing them with the appropriate gender.

To improve your Telugu Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions.

Sources

• Telugu grammar - Wikipedia
• Does Telugu have grammatical gender? - Quora
• Telugu language - Wikipedia

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Noun Gender and Number & Question Formation.

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Future Tense
• Plurals
• Adverbs
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• How to Use Have
• Give your Opinion
• Questions