Language/Malayalam/Grammar/Questions

Malayalam Grammar - Questions

Hi Malayalam learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about questions in Malayalam grammar. Learning how to ask questions is essential in any language, as it allows us to communicate effectively and gather information. Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate learner, this lesson will help you improve your Malayalam language skills. Let's get started!

Basics

In Malayalam grammar, a question is called "prashnam". Questions typically start with an interrogative word, such as "enna" (what), "aaru" (who), "ethra" (how much), or "elle" (which). The word order in a question is different from that of a statement. In a statement, the subject typically comes before the verb, but in a question, the subject may come after the verb or in between the verb and the object.

For example, let's look at the simple sentence "I am eating rice".

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഞാൻ അന്നം ചോറ് കഴിച്ചു	I am eating rice

To turn this into a question, we can say "Chōṟ kacicceṇṇe?" (Are you eating rice?). Notice that the subject ("you") comes in between the verb and the object.

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ചോറ് കഴിച്ചുണ്ടോ?	Are you eating rice?

Now, let's learn about different types of questions.

Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions in Malayalam are formed by adding the question particle "a" or "aa" (depending on the final sound of the verb) at the end of a statement. The pitch of the last syllable is usually raised to indicate a question.

For example:

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഞാൻ അന്നം ചോറ് കഴിച്ചു.	I ate rice.

To turn this into a yes/no question, we add "a" to the end and raise the pitch in the last syllable:

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഞാൻ അന്നം ചോറ് കഴിച്ചുണ്ടോ?	Did I eat rice?

Similarly, here is another example:

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഞാൻ കൊറോണ അനുഭവപ്പെടുന്നു.	I am experiencing a cold.

To turn this into a yes/no question, we add "aa" to the end and raise the pitch in the last syllable:

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഞാൻ കൊറോണ അനുഭവപ്പെടുന്നായിരുന്നുണ്ടോ?	Was I experiencing a cold?

WH-Questions

In Malayalam grammar, WH-questions are formed by using interrogative words such as "enna" (what), "aaru" (who), "ethra" (how much), or "elle" (which). The word order of WH-questions in Malayalam is usually subject-verb-object (SVO).

Here are some examples:

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
എന്താണ് നിങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ട് പോകുന്നത്?	What are you carrying?
ആര് വന്നു?	Who came?
എത്ര കഴിച്ചു കൊണ്ടുവന്നു?	How much did he eat?
എന്താണ് നിന്റെ പേര്?	What is your name?

Question Words

Here is a list of commonly used question words in Malayalam:

Malayalam	English
എങ്ങനെ	How
എത്ര	How much
എന്താണ്	What
എന്ത്	What
ആര്‍	Who
എങ്ങും	Where
ഇവിടെ	Here
എങ്ങനെയായാലും	Any way
എങ്ങിനെ	How
എങ്ങോട്ടായാലും	any where

Dialogue

To help you better understand how to ask questions in Malayalam, here's a brief dialogue:

• Person 1: നിങ്ങൾ ആരുടെ പെട്ടിയാണ്? (ninnguḷ āru-ṭe peṭṭiyāṇ? | Whose bag is that?)
• Person 2: എനിക്ക് അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നിങ്ങളുടെയാണ്. (enikk allenkil ninnguḷaṭe-āṇ-ū? | It's either mine or yours.)

Practice Exercises

Here are some practice exercises to help you master questions in Malayalam:

1. How do you say "What is your name?" in Malayalam? 2. Change the following statement to a yes-no question: ഞാൻ കൊറോണ അനുഭവപ്പെടുന്നു. (nyāṇ koṟōṇa anubhavappetu-nnu | I am experiencing a cold.) 3. Fill in the blank: എന്താണ് നിങ്ങൾ ---------- കഴിച്ചു? (entāṇ ninnguḷ ---------- kacicc-u? | What did you eat?)

Further Resources

If you want to learn more about questions in Malayalam grammar, check out these resources:

• Malayalam: The Wiki page for Malayalam
• Find native speakers and ask them any questions via Polyglot Club.
• Grammar section on the Malayalam language.

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