Language/Malayalam/Grammar/Pronouns

Malayalam Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Malayalam learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be discussing pronouns in Malayalam. Pronouns are words that replace nouns within a sentence. For example, instead of saying "John went to the store to buy John's groceries," we can say "John went to the store to buy his groceries." By using the pronoun "his," we avoid repeating the noun "John" twice.

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Malayalam Grammar → Basic Sentence Structure → Present Tense ..., Future Tense, Negation & Basic Letters.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to refer to persons or things.

In Malayalam, there are five kinds of personal pronouns. Here are the pronouns for the first and second persons.

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഞാന്‍	nyān	I/me
നീ	nī	You
അവന്‍	avan	He/him
അവള്‍	aval	She/her
അവര്‍	avar	They/them

Below is a dialogue with personal pronouns.

• Person 1: ഞാന്‍ എന്റെ പേര് സന്തോഷ്. (I am Santosh.)
• Person 2: നീ അന്തോണിയെ അറിയുന്നുണ്ടോ? (Do you know Antony?)
• Person 1: അവന്‍ എന്റെ സഹോദരനാണ്. (He is my brother.)
• Person 2: അവന്‍ എവിടെയാണ്? (Where is he?)
• Person 1: അവന്‍ വീട്ടിലാണ്. (He is at home.)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to identify or point to things. In Malayalam, there are two types of demonstrative pronouns: ഇത് (ithu) means "this" while അത് (athu) means "that."

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ഇത്	ithu	This
അത്	athu	That

Here's an example dialogue using demonstrative pronouns.

• Person 1: ഇത് പുസ്തകം ആണ്. (This is a book.)
• Person 2: അത് പുസ്തകം അല്ല. അത് പുസ്തകശാലയിലാണ്. (That's not a book. That's a library.)

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. In Malayalam, the most common interrogative pronouns are ആര്‍ (ār) for people and എന്ത് (enthu) for things.

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
ആര്‍	ār	Who
എന്ത്	enthu	What

Examples:

• ആരാണ് നിങ്ങള്‍? (Who are you?)
• എന്ത് വെള്ളം ആണ്? (What is water?)

Relative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns are used to connect relative clauses to the main clause. A relative clause is a part of a sentence that adds extra information to a noun. In Malayalam, the most common relative pronoun is "യാതൊരു" (yāthoru) which means "who/whose/which."

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
യാതൊരു	yāthoru	Who/Whose/Which

Here's an example:

• ഇന്ന് എന്റെ സന്താനത്തിന്റെ പരീക്ഷയില്‍ പൊളിച്ചുകോടികൾ എത്തിയതായിരുന്നു, യാതൊരു രൂപത്തിലും സംഘടിപ്പിക്കാനായി. (Today, fireworks were exploded in any form to organise my child's examination, which was a surprising thing.)

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when the object of the sentence is the same as the subject. In Malayalam, there is only one reflexive pronoun: തന്നെ (thanne).

Malayalam	Pronunciation	English
തന്നെ	thanne	Himself/herself/itself/themselves

Examples:

• ജൂൺ തന്നെ പഠിക്കുന്നു. (John himself is studying.)
• മലയാളികൾ തന്നെ എല്ലാവരും പരീക്ഷക്കായ് സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചു. (The Malayalis themselves organised the event for the exam.)

Conclusion

This concludes the lesson on pronouns in Malayalam grammar. To improve your Malayalam grammar, you can also refer to the Grammar section on the Polyglot Club website. You can find native speakers and ask them any questions

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Sources

• 5 Types Of Malayalam Pronouns – Amazing Grammar Guide - Ling ...
• Malayalam grammar - Wikipedia
• Learn Malayalam: Malayalam Pronouns with Some Practical Advice

Other Lessons

• How to Use Have
• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Future Tense
• Nouns
• Give your Opinion
• Adjectives
• Conditional Mood
• Plurals