Modal Verbs
മാതൃകാ ക്രിയകൾ
Modal verbs — can, must, should, want — are the one corner of English that behaves a little like Malayalam: they never change form for who's doing the action.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Modals never take -s, even for he/she/it
he can (never 'he cans'), she must (never 'she musts')
അവന് കഴിയും — no person-marking on the ability word either
Unlike ordinary verbs, which add -s for he/she/it (lesson 9), English modal verbs stay fixed no matter the subject — can, must, and should never change shape. This is one of the few places English's verb system behaves like Malayalam's, where the corresponding words for ability and necessity never mark person at all.
Modal + bare verb, no 'to'
I can go (not 'I can to go'), I must eat (not 'I must to eat')
എനിക്ക് പോകാൻ കഴിയും (to-go is-possible-to-me) — the ability word attaches to a marked verb form instead
English modals are followed directly by the plain form of the next verb, with no 'to' in between — a rule that trips up learners used to inserting a linking word. Malayalam builds the same meaning differently: the main verb takes an infinitive-like ending (-aan) before the ability/necessity word, so there's no equivalent linking word to compare it to directly — just note that English drops 'to' here.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കഴിയുംkazhiyum
- Malayalam (previous course)
- വേണംvenam
- Malayalam (previous course)
- വേണംvenam
- Malayalam (previous course)
- വേണംvenam
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ആവശ്യമുണ്ട്aavashyamundu
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ആകാംaakaam
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ചെയ്യുംcheyyum
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ചെയ്യുമായിരുന്നുcheyyumaayirunnu
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കഴിയുമായിരുന്നുkazhiyumaayirunnu
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ആയേക്കാംaayekkaam