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Lesson 22A2

Subordinate Clauses: parce que, que, quand

കീഴ്വാക്യങ്ങൾ: parce que, que, quand

French links clauses together with a connector word sitting right at the seam, and the word order inside each clause stays fixed — quite different from Malayalam, which usually tucks the subordinate idea into a suffix on the verb itself, before the main clause even begins.

Grammar Comparison

വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം

parce que: because

French

Je reste à la maison parce qu'il pleut. (I'm staying home because it's raining.)

Malayalam

മഴ പെയ്യുന്നതുകൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ വീട്ടിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്നു.

parce que introduces a reason, and the clause after it keeps normal subject-verb-object order (il pleut) — no reordering of the verb. Malayalam instead builds the reason into the earlier clause with the suffix -കൊണ്ട് ('because of') attached to the verb, so the logical connector sits at the end of the reason clause rather than at its start.

que: introducing what someone thinks, says, or knows

French

Je pense que tu as raison. (I think that you're right.)

Malayalam

നീ പറഞ്ഞത് ശരിയാണെന്ന് ഞാൻ വിചാരിക്കുന്നു.

After verbs like penser, dire, savoir, croire, espérer, French uses que to introduce the reported content, and que can never be dropped, no matter how casual the sentence is. Malayalam marks the same idea with -എന്ന് ('that/so') attached to the end of the quoted clause instead of a separate word at the start.

quand: when, for both questions and clauses

French

Quand tu arrives, appelle-moi. (When you arrive, call me.)

Malayalam

നീ വരുമ്പോൾ, എന്നെ വിളിക്കൂ.

quand introduces a time clause the same way it introduces a question. Note that French uses the present tense in both halves of a quand-clause about the future (Quand tu arrives, appelle-moi), where Malayalam attaches the suffix -മ്പോൾ ('at the time of') directly to the verb stem — a tidy structural match with French, just built with a separate word instead of a suffix.

Vocabulary

വാക്കുകൾ

parce quepar-suh KUH
Malayalam
കാരണംkaaranam
English
because
quekuh
Malayalam
എന്ന്ennu
English
that (introducing a clause)
quandkahn
Malayalam
എപ്പോൾeppol
English
when
puisquepweesk
Malayalam
ആയതുകൊണ്ട്aayathukondu
English
since / as (giving a reason)
commekum
Malayalam
ആയതിനാൽ (വാക്യത്തിന്റെ തുടക്കത്തിൽ)aayathinaal (vaakyathinte thudakkathil)
English
as / since (used at the start of a sentence)
pendant quepahn-dahn KUH
Malayalam
-മ്പോൾ (ഒരേ സമയത്ത്)-mbol (ore samayathu)
English
while
je pense quezhuh pahns KUH
Malayalam
എന്നു ഞാൻ വിചാരിക്കുന്നുennu njaan vichaarikkunnu
English
I think that
je sais quezhuh say KUH
Malayalam
എന്നു എനിക്കറിയാംennu enikkariyaam
English
I know that