Possessive Adjectives
ഉടമസ്ഥാവകാശ വിശേഷണങ്ങൾ
Malayalam builds most possessives by adding one predictable ending to a pronoun you already know. English mostly asks you to memorize a brand-new word instead.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
A memorized set, not a derived one
I → my, we → our, they → their — not obviously related to 'I', 'we', 'they'
നീ → നിന്റെ, ഞങ്ങൾ → ഞങ്ങളുടെ — the possessive is the pronoun plus a suffix
Malayalam mostly builds a possessive by adding an ending (roughly -ude or -inte) directly onto the pronoun you already know — if you know നീ (you), നിന്റെ (your) is a short, predictable step away. English possessive pronouns don't work this way: my, our, and their look like separate words with no visible connection to I, we, and they, so each one has to be memorized on its own.
'His' and 'her' still track gender, just like Malayalam
his book (owner is male) / her book (owner is female)
അവന്റെ പുസ്തകം (his) / അവളുടെ പുസ്തകം (her) — same gender split
Here the two languages actually line up: English marks the owner's gender in the third-person singular (his vs. her), and Malayalam does exactly the same with അവന്റെ vs. അവളുടെ. This part of the possessive system, at least, transfers directly — it's only the rest of the set (my, our, their) that has to be learned separately.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- Malayalam (previous course)
- എന്റെente
- Malayalam (previous course)
- നിന്റെninte
- Malayalam (previous course)
- അവന്റെavante
- Malayalam (previous course)
- അവളുടെavalude
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ഞങ്ങളുടെnjangalude
- Malayalam (previous course)
- അവരുടെavarude
- Malayalam (previous course)
- നിങ്ങളുടെningalude
- Malayalam (previous course)
- അതിന്റെathinte
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ആരുടെaarude
- Malayalam (previous course)
- എന്റേത്enteth