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Lesson 10A1

Present Tense Verbs

വർത്തമാനകാല ക്രിയകൾ

French verbs shift shape for nearly every subject, sorted into families by their ending. Malayalam verbs use one unchanging present-tense form no matter who's acting.

Grammar Comparison

വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം

One verb, several spoken and written forms

French

parler: je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent

Malayalam

സംസാരിക്കുന്നു — used unchanged for every subject: ഞാൻ, നീ, അവൻ, ഞങ്ങൾ, അവർ

A single French verb like parler takes up to several distinct forms depending on the subject — some sound alike, but nous and vous forms are clearly different in speech too. Malayalam's സംസാരിക്കുന്നു (speaks) never changes at all, regardless of who's doing the speaking — the subject pronoun alone carries that information.

Verb families: -er, -ir, -re each conjugate differently

French

parler (-er), finir (-ir), vendre (-re) — three different conjugation patterns, told apart by the infinitive's ending

Malayalam

no equivalent verb classes — every verb takes the same present-tense suffix regardless of its root

French verbs fall into families based on their infinitive ending, and each family conjugates by its own pattern — knowing a verb is an -er verb tells you which endings to expect. Malayalam has no equivalent classification: every verb, no matter what its root looks like, takes the same -unnu-type present-tense ending.

Vocabulary

വാക്കുകൾ

parlerpar-LAY
Malayalam
സംസാരിക്കുകsamsaarikkuka
English
to speak
je parlezhuh parl
Malayalam
ഞാൻ സംസാരിക്കുന്നുnjan samsaarikkunnu
English
I speak
nous parlonsnoo par-LOHN
Malayalam
ഞങ്ങൾ സംസാരിക്കുന്നുnjangal samsaarikkunnu
English
we speak
finirfee-NEER
Malayalam
തീർക്കുകtheerkkuka
English
to finish
je finiszhuh fee-NEE
Malayalam
ഞാൻ തീർക്കുന്നുnjan theerkkunnu
English
I finish
vendreVAHN-druh
Malayalam
വിൽക്കുകvilkkuka
English
to sell
je vendszhuh vahn
Malayalam
ഞാൻ വിൽക്കുന്നുnjan vilkkunnu
English
I sell
mangermahn-ZHAY
Malayalam
കഴിക്കുകkazhikkuka
English
to eat
je mangezhuh mahnzh
Malayalam
ഞാൻ കഴിക്കുന്നുnjan kazhikkunnu
English
I eat
ils parlenteel parl
Malayalam
അവർ സംസാരിക്കുന്നുavar samsaarikkunnu
English
they speak