MozhiLingo
via
Learning
← All lessons
Lesson 15A1

Possessive Adjectives

ഉടമസ്ഥാവകാശ വിശേഷണങ്ങൾ

French possessives agree with the gender of the thing owned, not the owner. Malayalam's possessives only ever care about the owner — and never change beyond that.

Grammar Comparison

വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം

'My' changes with what's owned, not who owns it

French

mon livre (masc. thing owned) / ma maison (fem. thing owned) — same owner, different word

Malayalam

എന്റെ പുസ്തകം / എന്റെ വീട് — എന്റെ (my) never changes, regardless of what's owned

This is the genuinely tricky part: French chooses mon, ma, or mes based on the gender and number of the thing being owned, not based on who owns it — so 'my house' and 'my book' can use different possessive words even though the owner (you) hasn't changed. Malayalam's എന്റെ stays fixed no matter what's being owned, so there's no equivalent agreement to draw on here — this has to be learned as a new rule.

Plural adds a third form, still tied to the noun

French

mes livres, mes maisons — mes covers plural regardless of gender

Malayalam

എന്റെ പുസ്തകങ്ങൾ — എന്റെ still doesn't change

French adds a third possessive form, mes, for plural nouns of either gender — one more form to track, still keyed to the noun being owned rather than the owner. Malayalam's എന്റെ remains the same word here too, so this entire agreement system has no Malayalam counterpart to lean on.

Vocabulary

വാക്കുകൾ

monmohn
Malayalam
എന്റെente
English
my (masc. singular)
mamah
Malayalam
എന്റെente
English
my (fem. singular)
mesmay
Malayalam
എന്റെente
English
my (plural)
sonsohn
Malayalam
അവന്റെavante
English
his/her (masc. thing owned)
sasah
Malayalam
അവളുടെavalude
English
his/her (fem. thing owned)
sessay
Malayalam
അവന്റെ / അവളുടെavante / avalude
English
his/her (plural)
notreNOH-truh
Malayalam
ഞങ്ങളുടെnjangalude
English
our (singular)
nosnoh
Malayalam
ഞങ്ങളുടെnjangalude
English
our (plural)
votreVOH-truh
Malayalam
നിങ്ങളുടെningalude
English
your
leurluhr
Malayalam
അവരുടെavarude
English
their