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Lesson 9A1

Present Tense Verbs

വർത്തമാനകാല ക്രിയകൾ

Malayalam verbs stay exactly the same no matter who's doing the action. English mostly agrees — except for one single, easy-to-forget exception.

Grammar Comparison

വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം

The '-s' exception: only for he/she/it

English

I speak, you speak, we speak, they speak — but he speaks, she speaks

Malayalam

ഞാൻ സംസാരിക്കുന്നു, അവൻ സംസാരിക്കുന്നു — the verb never changes

English present-tense verbs are identical for every subject except third-person singular (he/she/it), which alone takes an added -s. Malayalam has nothing like this: സംസാരിക്കുന്നു (speaks) stays exactly the same whether the subject is I, you, he, she, we, or they. The '-s' rule is the one place English breaks its own pattern — worth remembering precisely because it's the only exception.

Even the '-s' form has its own irregular spellings

English

go → goes, do → does — an added syllable or vowel change, not just '-s'

Malayalam

no equivalent — every Malayalam verb takes the same present-tense ending, without exception

Some English verbs don't just add -s for he/she/it — go becomes goes (extra syllable) and do becomes does (the vowel itself changes). Malayalam's present-tense suffix -unnu attaches identically to every verb root, with no irregular spelling changes to watch for.

Vocabulary

വാക്കുകൾ

speakspeek
Malayalam
സംസാരിക്കുകsamsaarikkuka
speaksspeeks
Malayalam
സംസാരിക്കുന്നുsamsaarikkunnu
eateet
Malayalam
കഴിക്കുകkazhikkuka
eatseets
Malayalam
കഴിക്കുന്നുkazhikkunnu
gogoh
Malayalam
പോകുകpokuka
goesgohz
Malayalam
പോകുന്നുpokunnu
dodoo
Malayalam
ചെയ്യുകcheyyuka
doesduhz
Malayalam
ചെയ്യുന്നുcheyyunnu
workwurk
Malayalam
ജോലി ചെയ്യുകjoli cheyyuka
workswurks
Malayalam
ജോലി ചെയ്യുന്നുjoli cheyyunnu