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Lesson 8A1

Plural Nouns

ബഹുവചനം

Malayalam's plural suffix is always audible. French's usual plural marker is a letter you almost never actually hear.

Grammar Comparison

വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം

A plural you see but don't hear

French

le livre / les livres — spoken aloud, the noun sounds identical; only the article changes

Malayalam

പുസ്തകം / പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ — the plural suffix -കൾ is always pronounced clearly

French usually pluralizes by adding a silent -s, so the noun itself sounds the same whether it's one or many — you have to listen to the article (le vs. les) to catch the difference. Malayalam's plural suffix -കൾ is always spoken aloud on the noun itself, so the noun alone tells you the number without needing to check anything else in the sentence.

A small irregular class, with no Malayalam equivalent

French

le journal → les journaux, l'œil → les yeux — the noun changes internally, not just with -s

Malayalam

-കൾ attaches the same way to every noun, without exception

A handful of French nouns pluralize irregularly, changing their ending or even the whole word (journal/journaux, œil/yeux). Malayalam's -കൾ suffix has no such irregular class — it attaches identically whether the noun is common or rare.

Vocabulary

വാക്കുകൾ

livreLEE-vruh
Malayalam
പുസ്തകംpusthakam
English
book
livresLEE-vruh
Malayalam
പുസ്തകങ്ങൾpusthakangal
English
books
tableTAH-bluh
Malayalam
മേശmesha
English
table
tablesTAH-bluh
Malayalam
മേശകൾmeshakal
English
tables
journalzhoor-NAHL
Malayalam
പത്രംpatram
English
newspaper
journauxzhoor-NOH
Malayalam
പത്രങ്ങൾpatrangal
English
newspapers
œiluhy
Malayalam
കണ്ണ്kannu
English
eye
yeuxyuh
Malayalam
കണ്ണുകൾkannukal
English
eyes
enfantahn-FAHN
Malayalam
കുട്ടിkutti
English
child
enfantsahn-FAHN
Malayalam
കുട്ടികൾkuttikal
English
children