Tulu Lesson 1: Nouns

Namaskara! Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our first Tulu lesson. I am not a grammarian, but I feel it‟s better if I started with few
grammatical terms rather than giving a bunch of sentences to you. Before we start, please visit the
page "How to Pronounce" to know how to pronounce Tulu words in Roman script. Today we are
going to learn some of the nouns in Tulu.

Nouns identify people, places, things, and ideas.

Eg: appae - Mother, amme - Father, ill - house, Uru –village, sudae - river, mara – tree, bolpu –
light, kaDal – sea, porthu – time, sAlae – school, bElae – work etc.

Nouns in Tulu have three genders; masculine, feminine and neuter and two numbers; singular and
plural

 Masculine nouns: All the male names and nouns of relationship eg: rAme - Rama, karNe -
Karna, amme – Father, AN – boy, palaye – elder brother, megye – younger brother, mage – son
etc.

 Feminine nouns: All the female names and nouns of relationship. Eg: Seetha, Kaveri, appae
– Mother, poNNu – girl, pali or palidi – elder sister, megdi – younger sister, magal - doughter etc.

 Neuter nouns: All other nouns like names of animals, birds trees, fruits, places, things etc.
Eg: bAlae – child, ill - house, Uru – village, sudae - river, nIr - water, mara - tree, kAD - forest, jana
- people, nAyi - dog, puchchae - cat, pili - tiger, eru - bull, petta - cow, pakki – bird, pU – flower,
etc

All the above words are in singular. To make it plural, we have to add one of the suffixes lu, kulu, er
or allu.

 lu and kulu – used for making plural nouns eg: ANulu – boys, poNNulu – girls, erukulu –
bulls, pettalu – cows, illulu – houses, Urulu – villages, sudekulu – rivers, kADulu – forests, nAyilu
– dogs, puchchelu – cats, pakkilu – birds, janokulu – people, marokulu – trees, pilikulu – tigers,
pUkulu – flowers, bAlelu or jOkulu - children.

 er – used for giving respect to someone. Eg: dEver – god, ammer – Father, apper – mother,
rAjer – king, rAmer - Rama etc. This type of words can be pluralized again by adding „lu‟ suffix. Eg:
dEverlu – gods, rAjerlu – kings etc. Apart from this, 'er' also used to make plural adjectives. Eg:
Tuluver - Tuluvas, buddhivanter - wisemen, kalver - thieves etc.
 allu (originally aDlu, but in present Tulu it is pronounced as allu) – used to make the nouns
of relationship to plural. Eg: appaellu – mothers, ammallu – fathers, palayallu – elder brothers,
megyallu – younger brothers, paliyallu – elder sisters, megdiyallu – younger sisters, magallu sons,
magalallu – daughters etc.

Noun Declension:

Tulu has 8 cases Nominative, Accusative, Ablative or Instrumental, Dative Genitive, Locative,
Communicative and Vocative.

Cases Singular Affixes Plural Affixes

Nominative e, o or nothing er, lu, kulu, allu
Accusative n, nu ren, len
Ablative or Instrumental Dd, Ddu reDd, leDd
Dative k, g, ku, gu reg, leg
Genitive a, na, ta, da re, rena, le, lena
Locative D, T, Du, Tu reD, leD
Communicative Da, Ta reDa, leDa
Vocative A, O rae, lae

Eg1: mara (Neuter) - tree

Cases Singular Plural
Nominative mara or maro (a tree) maroklu (trees)
Accusative maran, maronu (a tree) maroklen (trees)
Ablative or Instrumental maraDd, maroDdu (from, by or through a marokleDd (from, by
tree) or through trees)
Dative marak, maroku (to tree) marokleg (to trees)
Genitive marata, marota (of a tree) marokle, maroklena
(of trees)
Locative maraT, maroTu (in a tree) marokleD (in trees)
Communicative maraTa, maroTa (to a tree) marokleDa (to trees)
Vocative (O!) marA, marO (O tree) maroklae (O trees)

Eg2: nayi (Neuter) - dog

Cases Singular Plural
Nominative nAyi nAyilu
Accusative nAyin nAyilen
Ablative or Instrumental nAyiDd nAyileDd
Dative nAyig nAyileg
Genitive nAyida nAyile, nayilena
Locative nAyiD nAyileD
Communicative nAyiDa nAyileDa
Vocative (O!) nAyI nAyilae

Eg3: rAma (Masculine) – Rama

Cases Singular Plural (to give respect)
Nominative rAme rAmer
Accusative rAmen rAmeren
Ablative or Instrumental rAmeDd rAmereDd
Dative rAmeg rAmereg
Genitive rAmena rAmerena
Locative rAmeD rAmereD
Communicative rAmeDa rAmerDa
Vocative O! rAmA rAmerae

Eg4: sIta (Feminine) – Seetha

Cases Singular Plural (to give respect)
Nominative sIta sIter
Accusative sItan sIteren
Ablative or Instrumental sItaDd sItereDd
Dative sItag sItereg
Genitive sItana sIterena
Locative sItaD sItereD
Communicative sItaDa sIterDa
Vocative O! sItA sIterae

Eg5: appae (Feminine) – Mother

Cases Singular Plural Plural (to give

respect)
Nominative appae appaellu apper
Accusative appen appaellen apperen
Ablative or Instrumental appeDd appaelleDd appereDd
Dative appeg appaelleg appereg
Genitive appena appaellena apperena
Locative appeD appaelleD appereD
Communicative appeDa appaelleDa appereDa
Vocative O! appae appaellae! apperae!

Tulu Lesson 2: Subjective Pronouns

Hello Everyone. Welcome back!

Last week we learned some subjective nouns and their declension in Tulu. I hope you had no problems with
them. Today we are going to learn subjective pronouns in Tulu. Hopefully you know them in English. These
are the subjective pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they. Now, let‟s see their equivalents in Tulu.
 Person. Singular. Plural. Plural. (to give respect)

enkulu-We (the
person to whom
First Person. yAn-I spoken is not included) n/a
nama – We (the
person to whom
spoken also included)

Secon Person. I - you nikulu - you Ir – you

Gender Proximate. Remote. Proximate. Remote. Proximate. Remote.

Masc. imbe-He Aye-He

Third mokulu- akulu- mEr/imber- Ar-They

Person. They They They
Fem. mOlu/imbal- Al-she
she

Neut. undu/indu- au-it undekulu- aikulu- n/a n/a

this They They

yAn - I

Cases Singular Plural

Nominative yAn - I nama enkulu

Accusative enan - me naman enklen

Ablative or Instrumental enaDd – from/by me namaDd enkleDd

Dative enk - to me nank, namak enkleg

Genitive enna - my namana, namma enklena

 Locative enaD – in me namaD enkleD

Communicative eNDa – to/with me namaDa enkleDa

I - You

Cases Singular Plural

Nominative I nikulu Ir

Accusative ninan niklen iren

Ablative or Instrumental ninaDd nikleDd ireDd

Dative nikk nikleg ireg

Genitive ninna niklena irena

Locative ninaD nikleD ireD

Communicative niNDa nikleDa ireDa

imbe & mOlu – He & She (Proximate)

Cases Singular Plural

Masc. Fem.

Nominative imbe mOlu mokulu mEr

Accusative imben molen moklen meren

Ablative or Instrumental imbeDd moleDd mokleDd mereDd

Dative imbeg moleg mokleg mereg

Genitive imbena molena moklena merena

Locative imbeD moleD mokleD mereD

Communicative imbeDa moleDa mokleDa mereDa

Aye & Al – He & She (Remote)

Cases Singular Plural

Masc. Fem.

Nominative Aye Al akulu Ar

Accusative Ayen alen aklen aren

Ablative or Instrumental AyeDd aleDd akleDd areDd

Dative Ayeg aleg akleg areg

 Genitive Ayena alena aklena arena

Locative AyeD aleDd akleD areD

Communicative AyeDa aleDa akleDa areDa

undu and au – This and That/It

Cases Singular Plural

Proximate. Remote. Proximate. Remote.

Nominative undu au undekulu aikulu

Accusative unden/nEn aven/ain undeklen aiklen

Ablative or Instrumental undeDd/nEDd aiDd undekleDd aikleDd

Dative undek/nekk aik undekleg aikleg

Genitive undeta/netta aita undeklena aiklena

Locative undeT/neTT aiT undekleD aikleD

Communicative undeTa/neTTa aiTa undekleDa aikleDa

Now we have learnt some subjective nouns and pronouns in Tulu. Let me explain each case briefly for you.

Nominative case: (suffix: „e‟ or „o‟ or nothing)

Nominative generally marks the subject of a sentence.

rAme batte – Rama came. (Kannada: rAma banda)

mara bUr‟ND - A tree fell down. (Kannada: mara bittu)

appae lettal – Mother called. (Kannada: tAyi karedaLu)

akulu pOyer – They went. (Kannada: avaru hOdaru)

Apart from this, it also marks things equal to the subject.

Aye ori buddhivante – He is a clever man. (Kannada: avanu obba buddhivanta)

I ori kalve – You are a thief. (Kannada: nInu obba kaLLa)

undu mara – this is a tree (Kannada: idu mara)

Ar dEver – He is a god. (Kannada: avaru dEvaru)

The suffix „e‟ is added only to masculine singular nouns ending with „a‟ vowel. Eg: „rAma‟ becomes „rAme‟ in
nominative case. If nouns ending with other vowel or consonant sounds, then there is no suffix added.
Most of the modern masculine names end with consonant sound, but they actually had final „a‟. Eg. Karthik,
Harish etc. In this case, it is optional to add suffix. Eg. harIshe/harIsh onas malthe – Harish had
lunch/dinner.

The suffix „o‟ is added only to neuter singular nouns ending with „a‟ vowel. Eg. „mara‟ becomes „maro‟ in
nominative case. But it depends on dialect. In common Tulu, there is no suffix added to neuter nouns. So
both „mara‟ and „maro‟ should be correct. Also, there is no suffix added to feminine nouns. rAdha battal –
Radha came.

Accusative: (suffix: 'n')

Accusative used to mark the direct object of a verb.

rAme rAvaNen keriye – Rama killed Ravana. (Kannada: rAma rAvaNanannu konda)

amma enan letter – Mom called me. (Kannada: amma nannannu karedaru)

akulu suden kaDater – They crossed the river (Kannada: avaru nadiyannu dATidaru)

If the preceding vowel is „u‟ or „o‟, then „nu‟ is added instead of „n‟ to make it easier to pronounce. Eg. guru –
gurunu, maro – maronu.

Aye maronu kaDte – He cut down the tree. (Kannada: avanu maravannu kaDida)

Sometimes noun in its basic form (without any suffix) is used instead of accusative case.

Aye satya paNDe – He said the truth. (Kannada: avanu satya hELida)

yAn onas maltae – I had lunch/dinner (Kannada: nAnu UTa mADide)

poppa nIr pariyer – Dad drank water (Kannada: appa nIru kuDidaru)

Ablative or Instrumental: (suffix: 'Dd')

Ablative case used generally to express motion away from something.

sAleDd battae – I came from school (Kannada: shAleyinda bande)

maroDdu tArai bUr‟ND – coconut fell from the tree. (Kannada: maradinda tenginakAyi bittu)

Instrumental case used to express the cause or instrument of an action.

nama kaiDd bElae malpuva – We work with our hands. (Kannada: nAvu kaiyinda kelasa mADuttEve)

To express passive voice.

yAn AyeDd mOsa pOyae – I was deceived by him. (Kannada: nAnu avaninda mOsa hOde)

To show comparison.

rAme bhImeDd malla - Rama is older (bigger) than Bhima. (Kannada: rAma bhImaniginta doDDava)

Dative case: (suffix: 'k/g')

Dative case generally used to indicate the noun to which something is given or the motion to a place.

daikleg nIr pADla – water the plants (Kannada: giDagaLige nIru hAku)

Ayeg korla – give to him. (Kannada: avanige koDu)

Aye Urugu pOye – He went to his village. (Kannada: avanu Urige hOda)

To express the feelings.

enk bEjar ApuNDu – I feel sad. (Kannada: nanage bEjar Aguttade)

Ayeg bAjel ApuNDu – He feels thirsty. (Kannada: avanige bAyArike Aguttade)

enk au ishTa – I like it (nanage adu ishTa)

To show possession.

Ayeg buddhi ijji – He doesn‟t have knowledge. (Kannada: avanige buddhi illa)

areg ori mage ulle – He has a son. (Kannada: avarige obba maga iddAne)
To signify needs.

Ayeg kAs bODu – He needs money (Kannada: avanige duDDu bEku)

enk I bODu – I need (want) you (Kannada: nanage nInu bEku)

To denote intention or purpose.

Al pEr‟g pOyal – She went for milk. (Kannada: avaLu hAlige hOdaLu)

onas‟g portAND – It‟s time for lunch (Kannada: UTakke hottAyitu)

To denote measure and price.

dinoku raDD sarti – 2 times per day (Kannada: dinakke eraDu sala)

patt rupAyig aven mAriyae – I sold it for 10 Rupees. (Kannada: hattu rupAyige adannu mAride)

To denote time.

mUji gaNTeg bala – come at 3 O‟clock. (Kannada: mUru gaNTege bA)

bayyag po – go in the evening (Kannada: sanje hOgu)

Genitive case: (suffix: 'na', 'ta/da', 'a')

Genitive case marks a noun as being the possessor of another noun.

ninna pudar enchina? – What is your name? (Kannada: ninna hesaru Enu?)

enna ill – my house (Kannada: nanna mane)

puchcheda kinni – kitten (Kannada: bekkina mari)

kukkuda mara – mango tree (Kannada: mAvina mara)

niklena Uru – your village (nimma Uru)

The suffix „ta/da‟ used for singular neuter nouns. Eg: marata – tree‟s, eruta – bull‟s, pettada – cow‟s,
Uruda – village‟s.

The suffix „na‟ is used for masculine and feminine nouns. Eg: rAmena – Rama‟s, ninna - your, Aayena - his,
alena – her, akkana – elder sisters, aNNena – elder brothers aklena – their etc. It also used for plural neuter
nouns. Eg: aiklena – their, eruklena – of bulls etc.
Sometimes suffixes „ta/da‟ and „na‟ are omitted.

tuluverena – tuluvere – of Tuluvas

niklena Uru – nikle Uru – your village

After removing suffixes „ta/da‟ and „na‟, if the word ends with a consonant sound then the vowel „a‟ is added.

tulunAD‟da - tulunADa – of Tulu Nadu

ill‟da piravu – illa piravu – back side of house.

Locative case: (suffix: 'D/T')

Locative case indicates a location.

Aye shAleD ulle – He is in the school. (Kannada: avanu shAleyalli iddAne)

UruDu onji dEvastAna uNDu – There is a temple in the village. (Kannada: Uralli ondu dEvastAna ide)

Also it used to express superlative degree of adjectives.

mAta poNNuleD mOlu shOku – she is the prettiest of all girls. (ellA huDugiyaralli ivaLu chanda)

A patt janoTu imbe ori eDDentinAye - among those 10 people he is the best person. (A hattu janaralli ivanu
obba oLLeyava)

This case is never used with singular masculine and feminine nouns. Eg: rAmeD, sItaD or aleD, AyeD are
not used. But it is used with singular neuter nouns and all plural nouns. Eg: aiT – in that, aikleD –
in/among them (Neut.), akleD - in/among them (Masc. or Fem.) ANuleD – in/among boys etc.

Communicative case: (suffix: 'Da/Ta')

Communicative case generally used with verbs related to communication.

AyeDa paNDae – I told him (Kannada: avanige hELide)

areDa kENDae – I asked him (Kannada: avaralli kELide)

rAmeDa ellae pAtervae – I will speak to Rama tomorrow. (Kannada: rAmanondige nALe mAtannADuve)

To show possession of property.

AyeDa onji kOTi rupAyi uNDu – He has 1 crore Rupees. (Kannada: avanalli ondu kOTi rupAyi ide)

akleDa onji petta uNDu – They have a cow. (Kannada: avaralli ondu dana ide)

Vocative case:

Vocative case used to address a person (animal, object, etc.) being spoken to.

Eg: rAmA! iDe bala – Rama! Come hither. (Kannada: rAmA! illi bA)

dEverae! yAn dAda malpoDu? – O God! What should I do? (Kannada: dEverE! nAnu Enu mADali?
Tulu Lesson 3: Simple Present Tense
Hello everyone, welcome back!

Today we are going to learn simple present tense. Simple present tense used to remark habits, general
realities, repeated actions or unchanging situations. In Tulu it‟s also used for future tense.

As far as I know, there is no such a well-defined rule in the Tulu grammar books or there are very few
scholars who wrote about Tulu grammar. As a native speaker, I have observed how the verbs in Tulu are
conjugated. There are two conjugations. Look at the following verbs:

Root verbs:
pO – To go
bare – To write
mAr – To sell
kaDapu – To cross

Aye pOpe – He goes.

Aye barepe – He writes
Aye mAruve – He sells.
Aye kaDapuve – He crosses.

Can you see the difference? Yes, first two verbs are conjugated by adding extra „p‟ sound and other two
verbs are conjugated by adding „uv‟ sound. So what is the difference between these verbs? If you studied
„chandas‟ in Sanskrit or in any other Indian languages, it is simple! If a root verb takes 2 or less than 2
„matras‟ (meters) to pronounce, then the sound „p‟ is added and if a root verb takes more than 2 „matras‟ to
pronounce, then it is conjugated by adding „uv‟ sound. Please note that in Tulu, words which end with
consonant sound has final „half-u‟ sound as I explained in How to Pronounce. So, while calculating „matras‟,
make sure to consider „half-u‟ as equal to a vowel.

For those who don‟t know about „chandas‟, let me explain in different way. To add „p‟ sound to verb
conjugation in Simple Present tense, a root verb must be in one of the following cases:

1. Root verb has only one syllable.

2. Root verb should not have more than 2 syllables. If root verb has 2 syllables, then any of the syllables
should not have a long vowel or more than one consonant.

Otherwise, it is conjugated by adding „uv‟ sound.

Syllable is a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants. The
number of times that you hear the sound of a vowel is the number of syllables in a word.

Eg: „rAjA‟ has 2 syllables rA and jA.

„satya‟ has 2 syllables sat and ya

Now take the verb „pO‟. It has only one syllable. So it can be conjugated as pO + p + personal ending.

The verb „bare‟ has two syllables „ba‟ and „re‟ and each has one short vowel and single consonant. So it can
be conjugated as bare + p + personal ending.

The verb „mAr‟ has two syllables (including final „half-u‟ sound i.e mA and rŭ) and the first syllable has a
long vowel. So it is conjugated as mAr + uv + personal ending.

The verb „kaDapu‟ has three syllables „ka‟, „Da‟ and „pu‟. So it is conjugated as kaDapu + uv + personal
ending.

Let us take one more verb „malpu‟. It has two syllables „mal‟ and „pu‟. First syllable has two consonant
sounds. So it is conjugated as malpu + uv + personal ending. Got it?

You do not have to worry about it. I will make two groups for your reference; Class A and Class B.

Class A is for the verbs like „pO‟ (Infinitive: pOpini) and „bare‟ (Infinitive: barepini) - To make infinitive
form, add „pini‟ to root verb. Eg: pO+pini=pOpini

Class B is for the verbs like „mAr‟ (mAruni) and „kaDapu‟ (kaDapuni) - To make infinitive form, add „uni‟ to
root verb. Eg: mAr+uni=mAruni

Before proceeding further, let us look at all of the personal endings:

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ae pOpae nama/enkulu a pOpa

Second Person I a pOpa nikulu/Ir ar pOpar

Masc. Aye/imbe e pOpe

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr er pOper
Fem. Al/mOlu al pOpal
Person
Neut. au/undu uNDu pOpuNDu aikulu/undekulu a pOpa
yAn pOpae – I go

I pOpa – You go

Aye/imbe pOpe – He goes

Al/mOlu pOpal – She goes

au/undu pOpuNDu – It goes

nama/enkulu pOpa – We go

Ir/nikulu pOpar – You go

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOper – They go

undekulu/aikulu pOpa – They go

yAn malpuvae – I do

I malpuva – You do

Aye/imbe malpuve – He does

Al/mOlu malpuval – She does

au/undu malpuNDu – It does (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal ending starts from „u‟ sound.
Personal ending „uNDu‟ directly added to root verb)

nama/enkulu malpuva – We do

Ir/nikulu malpuvar – You do

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malpuver – They do

undekulu/aikulu malpuva – They do

Some of the verbs used in daily conversation:

Class A verbs:

A (Apini) – To become

pO (pOpini) – To go

tU (tUpini) – To see

dI (dIpini) – To place

mI (mIpini) – To bathe

rA (rApini) – To fly

sai (saipini) – To die

bar (barpini) – To come

kaDe (kaDepini) – To grind

paDe (paDepini) – To obtain

tiN (tiNpini) – To eat

uN – (uNpini) To eat (rice or lunch/dinner)

paN (paNpini) – To say/tell

ben (benpini) – To work

ker (kerpini) – To kill

ner (nerpini) – To scold

par (parpini) – To drink

kor (korpini) – To give

bare (barepini) – To write

buDu (buDpini) - To leave

Class B verbs:

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be

kEN (kENuni) – To hear/ listen /ask

bUr (bUruni) – To fall

jAr (jAruni) – To slip

mAr (mAruni) – To sell

pAr (pAruni) – To run

pAter (pAteruni) – To speak

nInd (nInduni) – To swim

dakk (dakkuni) – To throw

dekk (dekkuni) – To wash

tikk (tikkuni) – To get/meet

untu (untuni) – To stand

kullu (kulluni) – To sit

lakk (lakkuni) – To get up

kalk (kalkuni) – To shout

bad‟k (bad‟kuni) – To live

murku (murkuni) – To sink/drown

telipu (telipuni) – To smile/laugh

naDapu (naDapuni) – To walk

balipu (balipuni) – To run

bulipu (bulipuni) – To weep/cry

nalipu (nalipuni) – To dance

malpu (malpuni) – To do

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

kApu (kApuni) – To wait

paripu (paripuni) – To tear

parapu (parapuni) – To flow/crawl

maDipu (maDipuni) – To fold

oripu (oripuni) – To save

mugipu (mugipuni) – To finish

menpu (menpuni) – To wake someone up

jeppu (jeppuni) – To sleep

jappu (jappuni) – To get down

leppu (leppuni) – To call

lappu (lappuni) – To measure

kaDpu (kaDpuni) – To cut

kaDapu (kaDapuni) – To cross

torpu (torpuni) – To kick

uripu (uripuni) – To blow

sOpu (sOpuni) – To lose

aDipu (aDipuni) – To sweep

deppu (deppuni) – To remove/take out or to open ( the door)

derpu (derpuni) - To lift

madapu (madapuni) – To forget

korepu (korepuni) – To bark

gobbu (gobbuni) – To play

deng (denguni) – To hide

gend (genduni) – To win

muchchu (muchchuni) – To close

Odu (Oduni) – To read

lAg (lAguni) – To jump

pAD (pADuni) – To put/wear

nUku (nUkuni) – To push/shove

ottu (ottuni) – To press

galas (galasuni) – To use

balas (balasuni) – To serve food

patt (pattuni) – To hold/catch

muTTu (muTTuni) – To touch/reach

kaTT (kaTTuni) – To build/tie

paTT (paTTuni) – To share/distribute

naTT (naTTuni) – To beg

boTTu (boTTuni) – To knock

puTTu (puTTuni) – To born

Ak (Akuni) – To hit/beat

Whenever I come across new verbs, I will keep updating it in Vocabulary page.

Let us make some short sentences in simple present tense. To begin with, we need to know the structure of
a sentence. In Tulu, we have subjects at the beginning and verbs at the end of the sentences. All other items
such as objects come between these two. Sometimes objects may come at the beginning and subjects in the
middle.

yAn sAleg pOpe – I go to school. (Kannada: nAnu shAlege hOguttEne)

I sAleg pOpa – You go to school. (Kannada: nInu shAlege hOguttIya)

Aye sAleg pOpe – He goes to school (Kannada: avanu shAlege hOguttAne)

mOlu sAleg pOpal – She goes to school (Kannada: ivaLu shAlege hOguttALe)

enkulu dinola pEpar Oduva – We read news paper daily. (Kannada: nAvu dinA pEpar OduttEve)

Ir vArogu onji katae barepar – You write one story every week. (Kannada: nIvu vArakke ondu kathe
bareyuttIri)

akulu tingolgu ora illaDe barper – They come home once a month (Kannada: avaru tingaLige omme
manege baruttAre)

nAyi dinola rAtrae korepuNDu – Dog barks at night daily. (Kannada: nAyi dinA rAtri bogaLuttade)

nAyilu dinola rAtrae korepuva - Dogs bark at night daily. (Kannada: nAyigaLu dinA rAtri bogaLuttave)

yAn enna baik‟n pratI aitAra dekkuvae – I wash my bike every Sunday. (Kannada: nAnu nanna baikannu
pratI bhAnuvAra toLeyuttEne)

nama dinola kANDae mIpa – We take bath every morning. (Kannada: nAvu dinA beLigge snAna
mADuttEve)

Aye dinola bayyag gobbuve – He plays every evening. (Kannada: avanu dinA sanje ADuttAne)

sUrya mUDaiD puTTuNdu, paDDaiD murkuNDu – Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. (sUrya
pUrvadalli huTTuttade, pashchimadalli muLuguttade)

petta pEr korpuNDu – Cow gives milk. (Kannada: dana hAlu koDuttade)

AkAshoDu pakkilu rApa – Birds fly in the sky.(Kannada: AkAshadalli hakkigaLu hAruttave)

akulu dinola kaNDoDu benper – They work in the field daily. (Kannada: avaru dinA gaddeyalli
duDiyuttAre)

Al Epola satya pAterval – She always speaks truth. (Kannada: avaLu yAvAgalU satya mAtADuttALe)

I dinola kANDae chA parpa – You drink tea every morning. (Kannada: nInu dinA beLigge chahA
kuDiyuttIya)

enkulu dinoku raDD portu uNpa – We eat (rice) two times a day. (Kannada: nAvu dinakke eraDu sala UTa
mADuttEve)
„uN‟ verb only used to indicate eating rice. From „uN‟ we have the word „oNas‟ which means lunch or dinner.
In South India, normally everyone eat rice for lunch and dinner.

„tiN‟ verb used for other eatables. From „tiN‟ we have the word „teNas‟ which means eatable.

In Tulu, Simple Present Tense also used for future tense to talk about prior plans, strong intentions, fixed
arrangements and to make promises or threats.

yAn ellae illaDe pOpae – I will go home tomorrow. (Kannada: nAnu nALe manege hOguttEne)

yAn aitAra nikk tikkuvae – I will meet you on Sunday. (Kannada: nAnu bhAnuvAra ninage siguttEne)

rAjEsh raDD gaNTeD pira barpe – Rajesh will return in two hours. (Kannada: rAjEsh eraDu gaNTeyalli
hinde baruttAne)

yAn bayya ain gaNTeg nigaNT barpae – I will definitely come at 5 o‟clock in the evening. (Kannada: nAnu
sanje aidu gaNTege khaNDita baruttEne)

mAtala sama ApuNDu. – Everything will be fine.(Kannada: ellavU sari Aguttade)

yAn nikk kApuvae – I will wait for you. (Kannada: nAnu ninage kAyuttEne)

I enan madapuva – you will forget me. (Kannada: nInu nannannu mareyuttIya)

New words used in today‟s lesson:

dina/dino – day

dinola – daily

onji – one

katae – story

vAra/vAro – week

tingolu – month

ora – once

ill – house

sAlae – school

nAyi – dog

rAtrae – night

aitAra – Sunday
pratI – every

kANDae – morning

bayya – evening

mUDai – east

paDDai - west

chA – tea

raDD – two

portu – time

petta – cow

pEr – milk

AkAsha/AkAsho – sky

pakki – bird

kaNDa/kaNDo – field

Epola – always

satya – truth

ellae – tomorrow

gaNTe – hour

mAtha – all

mAthala – everything

sama/sari – correct

Please try to make sentences using other verbs listed above. If you need help, feel free to comment. See you
next week!

Solmelu! (Thanks!
Tulu Lesson 4: Negative and Interrogative in Simple
Present Tense
Hello everyone! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn negative and interrogative form of sentences in Simple Present tense. Before we
start, let me tell you how to conjugate auxiliary verb „ippu/uppu‟ (Infinitive: ippuni/uppuni – To be). There
are two forms of this verb exist in the Simple Present tense: „uppu/ippu‟ and „ul‟.

1st form: „uppu‟

yAn uppuvae – I am

I uppuva – You are

Aye/imbe uppuve – He is

Al/mOlu uppuval – She is

au/undu uppuNDu – It is

nama/enkulu uppuva – We are

Ir/nikulu uppuvar – You are

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uppuver – They are

undekulu/aikulu uppuva – They are

This form is used in simple present tense and future tense.

Example:

Tulu: yAn Epola mUlu uppuvae

English: I am always here.
Kannada: nAnu yAvAgalU illi irtEne

Tulu: Aye ellae aulu uppuve

English: He will be there tomorrow.
Kannada: avanu nALe alli irtAne

2nd form: „ul‟

yAn ullae – I am

I ulla – You are

Aye/imbe ulle – He is

Al/mOlu ullal – She is

au/undu uNDu – It is

nama/enkulu ulla – We are

Ir/nikulu ullar – You are

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uller – They are

undekulu/aikulu ulla – They are

This form mainly used to tell about existence.

Tulu: yAn ullae

English: I am there (I am present)
Kannada: nAnu iddEne

Tulu: dEver uller –

English: God is there (God exists)
Kannada: dEvaru iddAre

Tulu: yAn mUlu ullae, I Olu ulla? –

English: I am here, Where are you?
Kannada: nAnu illi iddEne, nInu elli iddIya

tulu: maroTu manga uNDu

English: There is a monkey on the tree.
Kannada: maradalli kOti ide

Tulu: niNDa mast kAs uNDu

English: You have a lot of money
Kannada: ninnalli tumbA duDDu ide

Tulu: aklena illaD raDD nAyilu ulla

English: They have 2 dogs at there house.
Kannada: avara maneyalli eraDu nAyigaLu ive

Tulu: encha ulla?

English: How are you? (Informal)
Kannada: hEge iddIya?

Tulu: encha ullar?

English: How are you? (Formal)
Kannada: hEge iddIra?

Tulu: yAn ushAr ullae

English: I am fine.
Kannada: nAnu chennAgiddEne

So „uNDu‟ means „it is‟ and its opposite is „ijji‟ which means „it is not‟ or just „no‟.

yAn ijjae – I am not

I ijja – You are not

Aye/imbe ijje – He is not

Al/mOlu ijjal – She is not

au/undu ijji – It is not

nama/enkulu ijja – We are not

Ir/nikulu ijjar – You are not

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr ijjer – They are not

undekulu/aikulu ijja – They are not

This form mainly used to tell about non-existence.

Tulu: Aye ijje

English: He is not there. (He is absent)
Kannada: avanu illa

Tulu: dEver ijjer

English: God is not there (God does not exist)
Kannada: dEvaru illa

Tulu: eNDa kAs ijji

English: I don‟t have money.
Kannada: nannalli duDDilla

Tulu: yAn UruDu ijjae

English: I am out of town.
Kannada: nAnu Uralli illa

Tulu: au sAdya ijji

English: It is not possible.
Kannada: adu sAdya illa

Now let us look at the personal endings for negative form of sentences in Simple Present tense.

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ujae pOpujae nama/enkulu uja pOpuja

Second Person I uja pOpuja nikulu/Ir ujar pOpujar

Masc. Aye/imbe uje pOpuje

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr ujer pOpujer
Fem. Al/mOlu ujal pOpujal
Person
Neut. au/undu uji pOpuji aikulu/undekulu uja pOpuja
Note: You may see some people use „uji‟ ending for first person singular, „yAn pOpuji‟ instead of „yAn
pOpujae‟ though grammatically it is wrong.

For Class A verbs the rules are same as explained in the previous lesson to conjugate the verbs in Simple
Present tense, but all you need to change the personal endings to make it negative.

Root verb + p+ personal ending

pO + p + ujae = pOpujae – I don‟t go

bar+ p + ujae = barpujae – I don‟t come

For Class B verbs, we don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal ending starts from „u‟ sound. We have to
add personal endings directly to root verb.

Root verb + personal ending

mAr + ujae = mArujae – I don‟t sell.

malpu + ujae = malpujae – I don‟t do

Examples:

Tulu: yAn sAleg pOpujae.

English: I don‟t go to school.
Kannada: nAnu shAlege hOgalla

Tulu: Aye rAtreD jeppuje

English: He doesn‟t sleep at night.
Kannada: avanu rAtri malaguvudilla

Tulu: Al EreDala pAterujal

English: She doesn‟t speak with anyone.
Kannada: avaLu yArallU mAtADuvudilla

Tulu: akulu chA parpujer

English: They don‟t drink tea.
Kannada: avaru chahA kuDiyalla

Tulu: petta pEr korpuji

English: Cow doesn‟t give milk
Kannada: dana hAlu koDuvudilla

Tulu: I dAyae barpuja?

English: Why don‟t you come?
Kannada: nInu Eke baralla?

Tulu: yAn ellae barpujae

English: I will not come tomorrow
Kannada: nAnu nALe baralla

Tulu: yAn ninan madapujae

English: I will not forget you
Kannada: nAnu ninnannu mareyalla

Tulu: nama nana Epogla tikkuja

English: We will never meet again.
Kannada: nAvu innu yAvattigU sigalla

To make the interrogative form of sentences, we need to add „a‟ or „na‟ at the end. If a word or sentence ends
in vowel „a‟, „e‟, 'ae' or „o‟, then add „na‟. If a word or sentence ends in a consonant (half-u), „i‟ or „u‟, then add
„a‟. But what is important here is the way we pronounce the sentence to make it a question.

yAn barpae – I come

yAn barpena? – Do I come? (Here „ae‟ becomes „e‟ since „ae‟ sound is used only at the end of a word)

I barpa – You come

I barpana? – Do you come?

Aye barpe – He comes

Aye barpena? – Does he come?

Al barpal – She comes

Al barpala? – Does she come?

au barpuNDu – It comes
au barpuNDa? – Does it come?

nama barpa – we come

nama barpana? Do we come?

nikulu barpar – You come

nikulu barpara? – Do you come?

akulu barper – They come

akulu barpera? – Do they come?

aikulu barpa – They come

aikulu barpana? – Do they come?

Examples:

Tulu: I sAleg pOpana?

English: Do you go to school?
Kannada: nInu shAlege hOgtIya?

Tulu: and, yAn sAleg pOpae

English: Yes, I go to school.
Kannada: houdu, nAnu shAlege hOgtEne

Tulu: ijji, yAn sAleg pOpujae

English: No, I don‟t go to school.
Kannada: illa, nAnu shAlege hOgalla

Instead of saying the entire sentence, we can simply say the verb to answer such questions.

Tulu: Aye ellae barpena?

English: Will he come tomorrow?
Kannada: avanu nALe bartAna?

Tulu: and, barpe

English: Yes, he will come.
Kannada: houdu, bartAne

Tulu: ijji, barpuje

English: No, he will not come.
Kannada: illa baralla
Tulu: ushAr ullana?
English: Are you fine?
Kannada: chennAgiddIya?

Tulu: ellae barpana?

English: Will you come tomorrow?
Kannada: nALe bartIya?

Tulu: akulu barpujera?

English: Will they not come?
Kannada: avaru baralva?

Tulu: chA parpara?

English: Will you drink tea?
Kannada: chahA kuDitIra?

Tulu: onas malpuvara?

English: Will you have lunch?
Kannada: UTa mADtIra?

Tulu: dAla tinpujara?

English: Will you not eat anything?
Kannada: EnU tinnalva?

Tulu: illaDe barpujana?

English: Don‟t you come home?
Kannada: manege baralva?

Tulu: illaD mAta ushAr ullera?

English: Is everyone fine at home?
Kannada: maneyalli ellAru chennagiddAra?

Tulu: niNDa kAs uNDa?

English: Do you have money?
Kannada: ninnalli duDDideya?

Tulu: nama patt gaNTeg ettuvana?

English: Will we reach at 10 O‟clock?
Kannada: nAvu hattu gaNTege taluptEva?

Tulu: Al kANDae bEga lakkuvala?

English: Will she get up early in the morning?
Kannada: avaLu beLagge bEga ELtALa?

„and‟ means Yes or correct. „ijji‟ means No or „it is not‟ or „does not exist‟. We have another word in Tulu „att‟
which means No.

„att‟ is used for negating an idea or quality while „ijji‟ is for actions. To make it clear, look at the examples
below:

I kiraNa? – Are you Kiran?

att, yAn kArtik. – No, I am Karthik.

I pOpana? – Will you go?

ijji – No

undu satyana? – Is this true?

att – No

I Oduvana? – Will you read?

ijji - No

Words used in today‟s lesson:

mUlu/mulpa – here

aulu/alpa – there

Olu/olpa – Where

mara/maro – tree

manga – monkey

mast – a lot/very much

kAs – money

nAyilu - dogs

encha - how

ushAr – Clever/Intelligent

Uru - Village

sAdya - possible

rAtrae - night

EreDa – to/with whom (communicative case)

EreDala – to/with anyone

Er – Who

Erla - anyone

dAyae - why

nana – again/henceforth

nanala – still/yet
Epogla - forever

dAla – anything

mAta – all

patt - ten

bEga – early/soon

Click here to know more verbs.

All right! If you have any questions, feel free to comment. See you next week!

Solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 5: More Interrogative Sentences in Simple
Present Tense, Numbers from 1 to 20
namaskAra! encha ullar?

If anyone asked you how are you in Tulu, you can reply them „ushAr ullae‟ or just „soukhya‟. Both mean the
same „I am fine‟.

Also, instead of „encha ullar?‟ you can ask „soukhyana?‟ or „ushAr ullara?‟.

You know Tulu has different subjective pronouns to speak with elders or strangers with respect. Ir - you, Ar
(remote) – He/She, mEr (proximate) – He/She. But there is no separate verb conjugation for these
pronouns. Verbs are conjugated like if it was plural.

nikulu gobbuvar – you play (plural)

Ir gobbuvar – you play (giving respect)

akulu/mokulu gobbuver (plural)

Ar/mEr gobbuver (giving respect)

But in interrogative form of sentences when you speaking to elders/strangers with respect, you can
optionally add „e‟ or „ne‟ instead of „a‟ or „na‟ at the end.

nikulu gobbuvara? – Do you play? (plural)

Ir gobbuvare? – Do you play? (giving respect)

It‟s not compulsory; you can also say „Ir gobbuvara?‟, but adding „e‟ sound at the end makes it more polite
and many prefer it while speaking to elders.
Aye gobbujena? – Doesn‟t he play?

Aye gobbujene? - Doesn‟t he play? (when you speak with elders/strangers with respect)

soukhyana? – Are you fine?

soukhyane? Are you fine? (with respect)

Now look at the following sentence.

He is a nice man, right?

He is a nice man, isn‟t he?

This kind of questions can be asked in Tulu using „ata‟.

att – No/It is not

ata? – Isn‟t it/right?

Aye eDDae naramAni, ata? - He is a nice man, right?

Aye eDDae naramAni, ate? - He is a nice man, right? (giving respect to the listener)

The answer can be and/att – Yes/No

Aye ellae barpe, ata? – He will come tomorrow, right?

Aye ellae barpe, ate? - He will come tomorrow, right? (giving respect to the listener)

The answer can be and/ijji – Yes/No

Now look at the following sentence:

Whether he will come or not?

This kind for questions can be asked in Tulu using „ijja‟.

ijji - No/It is not

ijja? – isn‟t it?/or not?

Aye barpe – He will come

Aye barpena? – Will he come?

Aye barpene? - Will he come? (giving respect to the listener)

Aye barpena, ijja? - Whether he will come or not?

Aye barpene, ijje? - Whether he will come or not? (giving respect to the listener)

All right! We are done with interrogative form of sentences in Simple Present tense. Now let us look at all
type of sentences we have learnt so far:

yAn tulu pAtervae – I speak Tulu.

yAn tulu kalpuvae – I will learn Tulu

enk tulu barpuNDu – I know Tulu

enk tulu gottuNDu (gottu + uNDu) – I know Tulu

yAn tulu pAterujae – I don‟t speak Tulu

yAn tulu kalpujae – I will not learn Tulu

enk tulu barpuji – I don‟t know Tulu

enk tulu gottuji – I don‟t know Tulu

I tulu kalpuvana? Will you learn Tulu?

Ir tulu kalpuvare? Will you learn Tulu?

nikk tulu barpuNDa? Do you know Tulu?

ireg tulu barpuNDe? Do you know Tulu?

nikk tulu gottuja? Don‟t you know Tulu?

ireg tulu gottuje? Don‟t you know Tulu?

nikk tulu gottuNData? (gottuNDu + ata) – You know Tulu, right?

ireg tulu gottuNDate? - You know Tulu, right?

nikk tulu barpujata? (barpuji + ata) – You don‟t know Tulu, right?

ireg tulu barpujate? – You don‟t know Tulu, right?

nikk tulu gottuNDa, ijja? - Whether you know Tulu or not?

ireg tulu barpunDe, ijje? - Whether you know Tulu or not?

yAn ellae kuDlag pOpae, Irla ennoTTugu barpare? – I will go to Mangalore tomorrow, will you too come
along with me?

Avu, yAnla barpae – OK, I will come too.

ijji, enk Apuji – No, I can‟t

Avu – OK

ApuNDu – It becomes/It will become

Apuji – It does not become/It will not become

yAn Doctor Apae – I will become a Doctor.

yAn Doctor Apujae – I will not become a Doctor.

But when used with Dative or Ablative case, it gives the meaning of „not possible‟ or „can‟t‟

enk Apuji – I can‟t. (It‟s not possible for me)

enaDd Apuji – I can‟t (It‟s not possible by me)

Tulu: ninaDd dAla bElae Apuji

English: You can‟t do any work. Kannada: ninninda EnU kelasa Agalla

Also, this verb is used to express feelings.

Tulu: enk khushi ApuNDu

English: I feel happy
Kannada: nanage khushi Agtade

Tulu: enk bEjAr ApuNDu

English: I feel sad
Kannada: nanage bEjar Agtade
Tulu: enk bEnae Apuji
English: I don‟t feel pain.
Kannada: nanage nOvu Agalla

Tulu: enk badApuNDu (baDav + ApuNDu)

English: I feel hungry
Kannada: nanage hasivAgtade

Tulu: enk bAjel ApuNDu

English: I feel thirsty
Kannada: nanage bAyArike Agtade

Tulu: Ayeg tarae bEnae ApuNDu

English: He has head ache.
Kannada: avanige tale nOvu Agtade

More sentences in Simple Present/Future tense:

Tulu: Aye dinola kANDae daikleg nIr pADuve

English: He waters the plants every morning.
Kannada: avanu dinA beLagge giDagaLige nIru hAktAne

Tulu: Ar rAtrae benper, pagel‟D jeppuver

English: He works at night and sleeps during the day.
Kannada: avaru rAtri duDitAre, hagalu malagtAre

Tulu: ninna jOkulu sAleg pOpera?

English: Do your children go to school?
Kannada: ninna makkaLu shAlege hOgtAra?

Tulu: irena jOkulu sAleg pOpere?

English: Do your children go to school? (with respect)
Kannada: nimma makkaLu shAlege hOgtAra?

Tulu: yAn bEga jeppuvena?

English: Do I sleep early?
Kannada: nAnu bEga malagtEna?

Tulu: yAn bEga jeppuvene?

English: Do I sleep early? (with respect)
Kannada: nAnu bEga malagtEna?

Tulu: akulu enan ini leppujer

English: They will not call me today
Kannada: avaru nannannu ivattu kareyalla

Tulu: Ar enan madapujer

English: He/She will not forget me
Kannada: avaru nannannu mareyalla

Tulu: yAn aleDa paNpae

English: I will tell her.
Kannada: nAnu avaLalli hELtEne

Tulu: Aye ninan kerpe

English: He will kill you
Kannada: avanu ninnannu koltAne

Tulu: yAn enna dOstina illaDe pOpae

English: I will go to my friend‟s house
Kannada: nAnu nanna geLeyana manege hOgtEne

Tulu: enna amma enna bAlen tUper

English: My mom will look after my child
Kannada: nanna amma nanna maguvannu nODtAre

Tulu: I jOkulu bareper

English: These children will write.
Kannada: I makkaLu bareyuttAre

„I‟ and „A‟ are demonstrative adjectives.

undu – This

I bAlae – This child

I jOkulu – These children

au – That

A bAlae – That child

A jOkulu – Those children

Numbers in Tulu:

If we learn numbers from one to twenty correctly we will have no problems with the rest of the numbers. So,
please try to learn the first twenty numbers and you‟ll have no more problems!

onji – One

raDD – Two

mUji – Three

nAl – Four

ain – Five
Aji – Six

El – Seven

enma – Eight

orumba – Nine

patt – Ten

pattonji – Eleven

padiraDD – Twelve

padimUji – Thirteen

padinAl – Fourteen

padinain – Fifteen

padinAji – Sixteen

padinEl – Seventeen

padinenma – Eighteen

padinorumba – Nineteen

irva – Twenty

Words used in today‟s lesson:

eDDae – good

naramAni – man

gottu – knowledge/understanding

kuDla – Mangalore

Irla – you too

ennoTTugu (enna + oTTugu) - with me

khushi – happy

bEjAr – sad

bEnae – pain

baDav – Hunger

bAjel – thirst

tarae – head

dai – plant

daikulu – plants
nIr – water

rAtrae – night

pagel – day time

bAlae – child

jOkulu – children

ini – today

dOsti – friend

Click here to know verbs meaning.

All right! If you have any questions, feel free to comment. See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 6: Numbers, Ordinal Numbers, Telling the
Time
namaskAra! encha ullar?

Hopefully you are enjoying the lessons. Please let me know if you have any questions that you think I can
answer!

Last week we learnt numbers from 1 to 20 in Tulu. Today we are going to learn more numbers, ordinal
numbers and how to tell the time.

onji – 1

raDD – 2

mUji – 3

nAl – 4

ain – 5

Aji – 6

El – 7

enma – 8

orumba – 9

patt – 10

pattonji – 11

padiraDD – 12

padimUji – 13

padinAl – 14

padinain – 15

padinAji – 16

padinEl – 17

padinenma – 18

padinorumba – 19

irva – 20

irvattonji - 21

irvatraDD - 22
irvatmUji - 23

irvatnAl - 24

irvattain - 25

irvattAji - 26

irvattEl - 27

iravattenma - 28

irvattorumba - 29

muppa - 30

muppattonji - 31

muppatraDD - 32

…………
muppattorumba - 39

nalpa - 40

nalpattonji - 41

nalpatraDD - 42

………..

nalpattorumba - 49

aiva - 50

aivattonji - 51

aivatraDD - 52

…………..

aivattorumba - 59

ajipa - 60

ajipattonji - 61

ajipatraDD - 62

………….

ajipattorumba - 69

elpa - 70

elpattonji - 71

elpatraDD - 72

………….

elpattorumba - 79
enpa - 80

enpattonji - 81

enpatraDD - 82

……………

enpattorumba - 89

sonpa - 90

sonpattonji - 91

sonpatraDD - 92

…………..

sonpattorumba - 99

nUdu - 100

nUta onji - 101

nUta raDD - 102

nUta patt - 110

nUta sonpa - 190

irnUdu - 200

irnUta onji - 201

irnUta sonpa - 290

munnUdu - 300

nAlnUdu - 400

ainUdu - 500

AjinUdu - 600

ElnUdu - 700

enmanUdu - 800

orumbanUdu - 900

sAra – 1000

sArattonji - 1001

patt sAra – 10,000

laksha – 1,00,000

patt laksha - 10,00,000

kOTi – 1,00,00,000
These are the cardinal numbers in Tulu. We use cardinal numbers for counting or to tell „how many‟ of
something or to tell the quantity.

Examples:

Tulu: raDD kai

English: two hands
Kannada: eraDu kai

Tulu: Aye dinoku patt gaNTae benpe

English: He works 10 hour a day.
Kannada: avanu dinakke hattu gaNTe duDiyuttAne
duDiyuttAne

Tulu: Aye vArogu 5 dina benpe

English: He works 5 days a week.
Kannada: avanu vArakke 5 dina duDiyuttAne

Tulu: patt kilo ari

English: 10 KG rice
Kannada: hattu KG akki

Tulu: yAn raDD gaNTae kApuvae

English: I will wait for 2 hours.
Kannada: nAnu eraDu gaNTe kAyuttEne

Whenever we want to add numbers to a neuter noun, we can avoid adding plural suffix and put the number
before the noun.

Examples:

illulu – houses

nAl ill – Four houses

kaikulu – hands

raDD kai – two hands

enk raDD kai uNDu – I have two hands.

We never say „enk raDD kaikulu ulla‟ in Tulu.

Tulu: mEjida mitt raDD pustaka uNDu
English: There are two books on the table.
Kannada: mEjina mEle eraDu pustaka ide

Tulu: enkleDa patt tArae uNDu

English: We have ten coconut trees.
Kannada: nammalli hattu tengina mara ide

When speaking about human beings we have different forms in Tulu.

orye/ori – One (man) (Masc.)

orti – One (woman) (Fem.)

onji – One (thing) (Neu.)

irver – Two persons

mUver – Three persons

nAlver – Four persons

aiver – Five persons

Aji jana – Six persons

El jana – Seven persons

enma jana – Eight persons

orumba jana – Nine persons

patt jana – Ten persons.

From 5 upwards „jana‟ is added to the number. We can also say raDD jana, mUji jana, nAl jana and ain jana.
We also have „patter‟, but it does not mean exactly 10 persons. It means „honorable citizens‟ or „elders of the
village‟

Tulu: orye barpe, orye pOpe

English: One comes, one goes.
Kannada: obba bartAne, obba hOgtAne

Tulu: ori kalve

English: A thief
Kannada: obba kaLLa

Tulu: Aye ori sobage

English: He is a gentleman.
Kannada: avanu obba sabhyastha

Tulu: akulu oryeDori pAterujer

English: They don‟t speak with each other.
Kannada: avaru obbarallobbaru matADuvudilla

Tulu: I oryena?
English: Are you alone?
Kannada: nInu obbana/oNTiya?

Tulu: Al orti ponnu

English: She is a girl
Kannada: avaLu ondu heNNu

Tulu: onji puchchae

English: A cat
Kannada: ondu bekku

Tulu: onji ill

English: A house
Kannada: ondu mane

Tulu: akulu irver dEvastAnogu pOyer

English: They both went to the temple.
Kannada: avaru ibbaru dEvastAnakke hOdaru

Ordinal numbers:

Ordinal numbers tell the order of how things are set, they show the position or the rank of something. We
have to add suffix „ane‟ to make ordinal numbers.

onjane – First

raDDane – Second

mUjane – Third

nAlane – Fourth

ainane – Fifth

Ajane – Sixth

Elane – Seventh

enmane – Eighth
orumbane – Ninth

pattane – Tenth

pattonjane – 11th

irvane – 20th

Al onjane klAs‟D kalpuval – She is studying in first standard.

For „first‟, we have also these words in Tulu: „suru‟ and „kaDIr‟.

kaDIra mage – First son

suruta mage – First son

„suru‟ is most commonly used in daily conversation.

onjane stAna – First place/rank

onjane klAs – First standard

onjane nambar – First number

onjane mAligae – First floor

Tulu: suruta tingol

English: First month
Kannada: modala tngaLu

Tulu: suruttAye
English: The first one (Masculine)
Kannada: modalinava

Tulu: suruttAl
English: The first one (Feminine)
Kannada: modalinavaLu

Tulu: suruttau
English: The first one (Neuter)
Kannada: modalinadu

Tulu: suruta bAlae

English: First child
Kannada: modala magu

Tulu: mUjane klAs

English: Third standard
Kannada: mUrane klAsu

Tulu: mUjane mAligae

English: Third floor
Kannada: mUrane mahaDi

Tulu: mUjanettAye
English: The third one (Masculine)
Kannada: mUraneyava

Tulu: nAlanettAl
English: The fourth one (Feminine)
Kannada: nAlkaneyavaLu

Tulu: Ajanettau
English: The sixth one (Neuter)
Kannada: Araneyadu

Adverbial numerals:

ora – Once

raDD sarti – Twice

mUji sarti - Thrice

nAl sarti – Four times

patt sarti – Ten times

nUdu sarti – Hundred times.

To make adverbial numerals, we need to add „sarti‟ to the number.

Tulu: Aye vArogu ora barpe

English: He comes once a week
Kannada: avanu vArakke omme bartAne

Tulu: kuDora (kuDa + ora) paNpana?

English: Will you tell me once more?
Kannada: innomme hELtIya?
Tulu: raDD sarti Oduvae
English: I will read it twice.
Kannada: eraDu sala OdtEne

Reading sums of money:

25 paisa – irvattain paisae/nAlanae

50 paisa – aiva paisae/enmanae

Rs. 1 – onji rupAy

Rs. 1.25 – onje kAl rupAy

Rs. 1.50 – onjarae rupAy

Rs. 1.75 – onje mukkal rupAy

Rs. 100 – nUdu rupAy

Rs. 1500 – onjarae sAra rupAy

Rs. 2500 – raDDarae sAra rupAy

kAl – Quarter

arae/arda – half

mukkAl – Three forth

Telling the time:

gaNTae raDD AND – It‟s 2 o‟clock

raDD ain – 2:05

raDD patt – 2:10

raDDe kAl – 2:15

raDD irva – 2:20

raDD irvattain – 2:25

raDDarae – 2:30

raDD nalpa – 2:40

kAl kammi mUji – 2:45

mUjeg patt nimisha uNDu – 2:50

mUjeg ain nimisha uNDu – 2:55

mUji 0 3:00

patt irva – 10:20

kAl kammi padiraDD – 11:45

Tulu: gaNTae EtAND?

English: What time is it?
Kannada: gaNTe eshTAytu?

Tulu: nAl patt AND

English: It‟s four ten.
Kannada: nAlku hattu Aytu

Tulu: yAn raDD gaNTae muTa kApuvae

English: I will wait till 2 o‟clock.
Kannada: nAnu eraDu gaNTe varege kAyuttEne

Tulu: yAn raDD gaNTae kApuvae English: I will wait for 2 hours.
Kannada: nAnu eraDu gaNte kAyuttEne

Tulu: Aye onji gaNTeg barpe

English: He will come at 1 o‟clock.
Kannada: avanu ondu gaNTege baruttAne

Tulu: Aye onji gaNTeD barpe

English: He will come in an hour.
Kannada: avanu ondu gaNTeyalli baruttAne

Tulu: Aye onji gaNTedulai (gaNTeda + ulai) barpe

English: He will come within an hour.
Kannada: avanu ondu gaNTe oLage baruttAne
Tulu: yAn Epola kANDae El gaNTeg lakkuvae
English: I always wake up at 7 0‟clock in the morning.
Kannada: nAnu yAvAgalU beLagge ELu gaNTege ELuttEne

Tulu: enma gaNTeg sAleg pOpae

English: I go to school at 8 o‟clock.
Kannada: eNTu gaNTege shAlege hogtEne

New words:

kai - hand

ari - rice

mEji - Table

tArae - coconut tree

tArai - coconut

pustaka/bUku - book

kuDa - again

kuDora - once more/once again

kammi - less

muTa - till

ulai - inside

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

All right! With this we come to the end of lesson 6. See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 7: (Uncertain) Future Tense
mAteregla namaskAra! We have already learnt Simple Present Tense in Tulu. As I said earlier, in Tulu,
Simple Present Tense also used to talk about actions that will happen certainly in the future (prior plans,
strong intentions, fixed arrangements and to make promises or threats).

yAn Epola barpae – I always come

yAn ellae barpae – I will come tomorrow

In Tulu, Future Tense is mainly used to express probability or uncertainty. Look at the following sentences:

I may come tomorrow

I will probably come tomorrow.

Today we are going to learn these types of sentences in Tulu. Let us learn how to conjugate verbs in Future
Tense first.

In Simple Present Tense, we divided verbs into two groups; Class A and Class B. For Class A verbs, we
added „p‟ sound and for Class B, we added „uv‟ sound to root verbs and then added personal endings to
conjugate verbs in Simple Present Tense. Alright! To conjugate verbs in Future Tense, add „uv‟ sound to
Class A verbs and nothing to Class B verbs and then add personal endings!

Class A verbs: Root verb + uv + personal ending

Class B verbs: Root verb + personal ending

Personal endings in Future Tense are same as Simple Present Tense except third person neuter singular.
 Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ae pOvae nama/enkulu a pOva

Second Person I a pOva nikulu/Ir ar pOvar

Masc. Aye/imbe e pOve

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr er pOver
Fem. Al/mOlu al pOval
Person
Neut. au/undu u pOvu aikulu/undekulu a pOva

Now let us conjugate some verbs in Future Tense.

Class A: bar (barpini – to come)

bar + uv + ae = baruvae – I will probably come (I may come)

Class B: mAr (mAruni – to sell)

mAr + ae = mArae – I will probably sell (I may sell)

yAn baruvae – I will probably come

I baruva – You will probably come

Aye/imbe baruve – He will probably come

Al/mOlu baruval – She will probably come

au/undu baru – It will probably come (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal ending starts from „u‟
sound)

nama/enkulu baruva – We will probably come

Ir/nikulu baruvar – You will probably come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baruver – They will probably come

undekulu/aikulu baruva – They will probably come

yAn mArae – I will probably sell

I mAra – You will probably sell

Aye/imbe mAre – He will probably sell

Al/mOlu mAral – She will probably sell

au/undu mAru – It will probably sell

nama/enkulu mAra – We will probably sell

Ir/nikulu mArar – You will probably sell

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr mArer – They will probably sell

undekulu/aikulu mAra – They will probably sell

Class A: pO (pOpini – to go)

pO + uv + ae = pOvae

Class B: malpu (malpuni – to do)

malpu + ae = malpae (if root verb has final „u‟, then „u‟ is dropped before adding personal ending)

yAn pOvae – I will probably go

I pOva – You will probably go

Aye/imbe pOve – He will probably go

Al/mOlu pOval – She will probably go

au/undu pOvu – It will probably go

nama/enkulu pOva – We will probably go

Ir/nikulu pOvar – You will probably go

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOver – They will probably go

undekulu/aikulu pOva – They will probably go

yAn malpae – I will probably do

I malpa – You will probably do

Aye/imbe malpe – He will probably do

Al/mOlu malpal – She will probably do

au/undu malpu – It will probably do

nama/enkulu malpa – We will probably do

Ir/nikulu malpar – You will probably do

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malper – They will probably do

undekulu/aikulu malpa – They will probably do

Class A: A (Apini - to become/happen)

A + uv + ae = Avae

yAn Avae – I will probably become

I Ava – You will probably become

Aye/imbe Ave – He will probably become

Al/mOlu Aval – She will probably become

au/undu Avu – It will probably become (It may happen)

nama/enkulu Ava – We will probably become

Ir/nikulu Avar – You will probably become

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Aver – They will probably become

undekulu/aikulu Ava – They will probably become

In Tulu „Avu‟ is also used to express consent like „okay‟ in English.

Class B: uppu (uppuni – to be)

uppu + ae = uppae

yAn uppae – I will probably be

I uppa – You will probably be

Aye/imbe uppe – He will probably be

Al/mOlu uppal – She will probably be

au/undu uppu – It will probably be

nama/enkulu uppa – We will probably be

Ir/nikulu uppar – You will probably be

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr upper – They will probably be

undekulu/aikulu uppa – They will probably be

Verb conjugation in Future Tense might be confusing for beginners. But if you learnt verb conjugation in
Simple Present Tense correctly, you will have no problems with Future Tense. Look at the following verbs:

baruvae – I will probably come (Future Tense)

mAruvae – I sell/I will sell (Simple Present Tense)

These two verbs conjugated in similar way, but the former is in Future Tense and the latter is in Simple
Present Tense. The root verbs are „bar‟ and „mAr‟. At first, let us conjugate them in Simple Present Tense.

„bar‟ is a Class A verb. So it‟s conjugated in Simple Present Tense as:

bar + p + personal ending = barpae – I come

„mAr‟ is a Class B verb. So it‟s conjugated in Simple Present Tense as:

mAr + uv + personal ending = mAruvae – I sell

To make Future Tense verb conjugation from Simple Present Tense, if you find „uv‟ sound preceding
personal endings, then just remove it and if you find „p‟ sound preceding personal endings, change it to „uv‟.

mAruvae - Simple Present Tense

mArae – Future Tense (removed „uv‟ sound)

barpae - Simple Present Tense

baruvae - Future Tense (changed „p‟ to „uv‟)

Some short sentences in Future Tense:

Tulu: Aye satya paNuve

English: He will probably tell the truth / He may tell the truth.
Kannada: avanu satya hELiyAnu/hELabahudu

Tulu: jAgratae! bUra

English: Be careful! You may fall down.
Kannada: jOke! biddIya

Tulu: akulu ellae pOver

English: They will probably go tomorrow.
Kannada: avaru nALe hodAru

Tulu: Al illaD uppal

English: She may be at home
Kannada: avaLu maneyalli irabahudu
Tulu: yAn ini bEga pOvae
English: I may go soon today
Kannada: nAnu ivattu bEga hOdEnu

Tulu: portAvu (portu + Avu)

English: It will probably be late
Kannada: hottAdItu

Tulu: ini barsa baru

English: It will probably rain today
Kannada: ivattu maLe bandItu

Tulu: Ayeg bEjAr Avu

English: He may feel bad.
Kannada: avanige bEjAr AdItu

Tulu: aleg kushi Avu

English: She may feel happy
Kannada: avaLige kushi AdItu

Tulu: enk banga Avu

English: It may be difficult for me
Kannada: nanage kashTa AdItu

Tulu: akleg kOpa baru

English: They may get angry
Kannada: avarige kOpa bandItu

Tulu: onjattonji (onji att onji) dina Aye pira baruve

English: One day he may come back
Kannada: ondallondu dina avanu hindirugi bandAnu

Tulu: nama ellae saiva

English: We may die tomorrow
Kannada: nAvu nALe sattEvu

Tulu: pEr‟n puchchae paru

English: Cat may drink the milk.
Kannada: hAlannu bekku kuDidItu

Tulu: Aye ninan keruve

English: He may kill you
Kannada: avanu ninnannu kondAnu

Tulu: Aye niNDa kEne

English: He may ask with you
Kannada: avanu ninnalli kELiyAnu

Tulu: yAn onji gaNTedulai (gaNTeda + ulai) ettae

English: I will probably reach within an hour. Kannada: nAnu ondu gaNTe oLage talupiyEnu

Tulu: nama genda

English: We will probably win
Kannada: nAvu geddEvu

Tulu: akulu sOper

English: They will probably loose.
Kannada: avaru sotAru

Tulu: dEver naman mApu malper

English: God may forgive us Kannada: dEvaru nammannu kshamisiyAru

New words:

jAgratae – Carefulness/Caution

portu – Time/Late

ini – Today

barsa – Rain

banga – Trouble/Difficulty

kOpa -Anger

onji att onji – one or one

pEr – milk

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment. See you next week!

Solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 8: Negative and Interrogative in Future
Tense
Hello everyone! Welcome back!

Last week we have learnt how to conjugate verbs in Future tense. I hope you had no problem with that.
Today we are going to learn negative and interrogative form of sentences in Future Tense.

To make negative form of personal endings in Future tense, we have to add „ay‟ sound. Third person neuter
singular is irregular.

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: bar Pronoun Ending Example: bar

First Person yAn ayae barayae nama/enkulu aya baraya

Second Person I aya baraya nikulu/Ir ayar barayar

Masc. Aye/imbe aye baraye

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr ayer barayer
Fem. Al/mOlu ayal barayal
Person
Neut. au/undu and barand aikulu/undekulu aya baraya

To conjugate verbs, we have to just add personal endings directly to root verbs without using any additional
sounds in between. This is applicable for both Class A and Class B verbs. However, verbs ending with long
vowels (like pO, dI, mI, A, tU, rA, sai) are exceptions. These verbs can be conjugated by adding additional „v‟
sound in between root verb and personal ending.

Class A verb: bar (barpini) – To come

bar + ayae = barayae

yAn barayae – I will probably not come

I baraya – You will probably not come

Aye/imbe baraye – He will probably not come

Al/mOlu barayal – She will probably not come

au/undu barand – It will probably not come

nama/enkulu baraya – We will probably not come

Ir/nikulu barayar – You will probably not come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr barayer – They will probably not come

undekulu/aikulu baraya – They will probably not come

Class A verb: pO (pOpini) – To go

pO + v + ayae = pOvayae

yAn pOvayae – I will probably not go

I pOvaya – You will probably not go

Aye/imbe pOvaye – He will probably not go

Al/mOlu pOvayal – She will probably not go

au/undu pOvand – It will probably not go

nama/enkulu pOvaya – We will probably not go

Ir/nikulu pOvayar – You will probably not go

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOvayer – They will probably not go

undekulu/aikulu pOvaya – They will probably not go

Class B verb: mAr (mAruni) – To sell

mAr + ayae = mArayae

yAn mArayae – I will probably not sell

I mAraya – You will probably not sell

Aye/imbe mAraye – He will probably not sell

Al/mOlu mArayal – She will probably not sell

au/undu mArand – It will probably not sell

nama/enkulu mAraya – We will probably not sell

Ir/nikulu mArayar – You will probably not sell

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr mArayer – They will probably not sell

undekulu/aikulu mAraya – They will probably not sell

Class B verb: malpu (malpuni) – To do

malpu + ayae = malpayae

yAn malpayae – I will probably not do

I malpaya – You will probably not do

Aye/imbe malpaye – He will probably not do

Al/mOlu malpayal – She will probably not do

au/undu malpand – It will probably not do

nama/enkulu malpaya – We will probably not do

Ir/nikulu malpayar – You will probably not do

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malpayer – They will probably not do

undekulu/aikulu malpaya – They will probably not do

Class A verb: A (Apini - to become/happen)

A + v + ayae = Avayae

yAn Avayae – I will probably not become

I Avaya – You will probably not become

Aye/imbe Avaye – He will probably not become

Al/mOlu Avayal – She will probably not become

au/undu Avand – It will probably not become (It may not happen)

nama/enkulu Avaya – We will probably not become

Ir/nikulu Avayar – You will probably not become

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Avayer – They will probably not become

undekulu/aikulu Avaya – They will probably not become

Class B: uppu (uppuni – to be)

uppu + ayae = uppayae

yAn uppayae – I will probably not be

I uppaya – You will probably not be

Aye/imbe uppaye – He will probably not be

Al/mOlu uppayal – She will probably not be

au/undu uppand – It will probably not be

nama/enkulu uppaya – We will probably not be

Ir/nikulu uppayar – You will probably not be

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uppayer – They will probably not be

undekulu/aikulu uppaya – They will probably not be

Examples:

Tulu: ini barsa barand

English: It may not rain today.
Kannada: ivattu maLe baradu

Tulu: Aye illaD uppaye

English: He may not be at home
Kannada: avanu maneyalli iranu

Tulu: I eNDa pAteraya

English: You will probably not speak with me.
Kannada: nInu nannalli mAtannADe

Tulu: Al Ayen madimae Avayal

English: She will probably not marry him
Kannada: avalu avanannu maduve AgaLu

Tulu: patteDd jAsti jana uppayer

English: There may not be more than 10 people.
Kannada: hattakkinta jAsti jana iraru

Tulu: Ar ninan mApu malpayer

English: He will probably not forgive you.
Kannada: avaru ninnannu kshamisaru

Tulu: akleg mUlu eDDae Avand

English: They may not feel comfortable here.
Kannada: avarige illi sari Agadu

Tulu: nikk kushi Avand

English: You may not feel happy.
Kannada: ninage kushi Agadu

The negative form of the Future Tense also used to express resolution or emphasis:
Examples:

Tulu: yAn Epola sullu paNayae

English: I will never lie
Kannada: nAnu yAvattU suLLu hELenu

Tulu: kuDora yAn barayae

English: I will never come again
Kannada: innomme nAnu barenu

Tulu: nana mitt yAn niNDa pAterayae

English: From now on, I will never speak to you.
Kannada: innu munde nAnu ninnalli mAtannADenu

Tulu: Aye ninan Epogla buDaye

English: He will never leave you.
Kannada: avanu ninnannu yAvattigU biDanu

Tulu: yAn ninan madapayae

English: I will never forget you
Kannada: nAnu ninnannu mareyenu

To make the interrogative form of sentences, we need to add „a‟ or „na‟ at the end. If a word or sentence ends
in vowel „a‟, „e‟, 'ae' or „o‟, then add „na‟. If a word or sentence ends in a consonant (half-u), „i‟ or „u‟, then add
„a‟. But what is important here is the way we pronounce the sentence to make it a question.

Aye barpe – He comes/He will come

Aye baruve – He will probably come

Aye barpena? – Does he come?/Will he come?

Aye baruvena? – Will he come? (Is there any possibility he will come?)

Aye barpujena? – Doesn‟t he come?/Won‟t he come?

Aye barayena? – Won‟t he come? (Is there any possibility he will not come?)

yAn baruvena? – Will I come? (Is there any possibility I will come?)

yAn barayena? – Won‟t I come? (Is there any possibility I will not come?)

I baruvana? – Will you come? (Is there any possibility you will come?)

I barayana? – Won‟t you come? (Is there any possibility you will not come?)
Al baruvala? – Will she come? (Is there any possibility she will come?)

Al barayala? - Won‟t she come? (Is there any possibility she will not come?)

au baruva? – Will it come? (Is there any possibility it will come?)

au baranda? – Won‟t it come? (Is there any possibility it will not come?)

nama baruvana? – Will we come? (Is there any possibility we will come?)

nama barayana? – Won‟t we come? (Is there any possibility we will not come?)

nikulu baruvara? – Will you come? (Is there any possibility you will come?)

nikulu barayara? – Won‟t you come? (Is there any possibility you will not come?)

akulu baruvera? – Will they come? (Is there any possibility they will come?)

akulu barayera? – Won‟t they come? (Is there any possibility they will not come?)

aikulu baruvana? – Will they come? (Is there any possibility they will come?)

aikulu barayana? – Won‟t they come? (Is there any possibility they will not come?)

Examples:

nama onji gaNTeD etta – We will probably reach in an hour.

nama onji gaNTeD ettaya – We will probably not reach in an hour.

nama onji gaNTeD ettana? – Is there any possibility we will reach in an hour?

nama onji gaNTeD ettayana? - Is there any possibility we will not reach in an hour?

Tulu: Aye ini pOvena?

English: Is there any possibility he will go today?
Kannada: avanu ivattu hOdAna?

Tulu: Aye ini pOvene? (giving respect to listener)

English: Is there any possibility he will go today?
Kannada: avanu ivattu hOdAna?

Tulu: and, pOve

English: Yes, he will probably go
Kannada: houdu, hOdAnu
Tulu: ijji, pOvaye
English: No, he will probably not go
Kannada: illa, hOganu

Tulu: Aye illaD uppena?

English: Is there any possibility he will be at home?
Kannada: avanu maneyalli irabahuda?

Tulu: Aye illaD uppene? (giving respect to listener)

English: Is there any possibility he will be at home?
Kannada: avanu maneyalli irabahuda?

Tulu: dAnna! enk gottuji

English: Perhaps so! I don‟t know
Kannada: EnO! nanage gottilla

dAne = What

dAnna (dAne + na) = something/maybe/perhaps/not certain/don‟t know (used when one does not wish to
be definite or assertive in the expression of an opinion.)

Tulu: Aye illaD uppena, dAnna!

English: Perhaps, he will be at home
Kannada: avanu maneyalli irabahudO, EnO!

Tulu: Aye ellae barayena, dAnna!

English: Maybe, he will not come tomorrow
Kannada: avanu nALe bAranO, EnO!

Aye Doctor Ape – He will become a Doctor.

Aye Doctor Ave – He will probably become a Doctor.

Aye Doctor Apena? - Will he become a Doctor?

Aye Doctor Avena? - Is there any possibility he will become a Doctor?

Aye Doctor Apuje – He will not become a Doctor.

Aye Doctor Avaye - He will probably not become a Doctor

Aye Doctor Apujena? – Won‟t he become a Doctor?

Aye Doctor Avayena? - Is there any possibility he will not become a Doctor?
Ayeg bEjAr Avu – He will probably feel bad.

Ayeg bEjAr Avand – He will probably not feel bad.

Ayeg bEjAr Ava? – Will he feel bad? (Is there any possibility he will feel bad?)

Ayeg bEjAr Avanda? – Won‟t he feel bad? (Is there any possibility he will not feel bad?)

In Tulu „Avu‟ is also used to express consent like „okay‟ in English.

Tulu: nikk ov Avu? chAna, kAphiya?

English: What do you prefer? Tea or Coffee? Literally “Which one is okay for you, Tea or Coffee”
Kannada: ninage yAvudu AdItu? chahAna, kAphIna?

Tulu: chA Ava, kAphi Ava?

English: Would you like to have tea or coffee?
Kannada: chahA AdIta, kAphi AdIta?

Tulu: chA Ave, kAphi Ave? (giving respect to listener)

English: Would you like to have tea or coffee?
Kannada: chahA AdIta, kAphi AdIta?

Tulu: enk chA Avu

English: I prefer Tea (Literally “Tea is okay for me”)
Kannada: nanage chahA AdItu

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

(Note: Tulu sentences used in this lesson are common in daily conversation. But, I don't think Kannada
translations in this lesson are used in daily conversation. You may only see them in historical movies or
plays, if I am not wrong. If I made any mistakes in Kannada translations, feel free to correct me)

All right! With this we come to the end of lesson 8. See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 9: Simple Past Tense, Compound Verbs
namaskAra! encha ullar?

So far, we have learned simple present and future tense in Tulu. Today we are going to learn Simple Past
Tense. Simple Past Tense is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The time of the
action can be in the recent past or the distant past. Before going to Simple Past, let us learn few compound
verbs.

Example: mOkae malpuni – To love

As you see in the above example, we have two words in Tulu for one English word. This is what we call
Compound verbs. Though second word is always a verb, the first word can be a noun, an adjective or a past
adverbial participle. To make verb conjugation, we can apply the same rule here. In all cases, we need
to change the second word, not the first one.

mOkae malpuvae – I love

mOkae malpae – I will probably love

Some of the compound verbs we use in daily conversation:

mApu malpuni (mApu malpu) – To forgive

kOpa malpuni (kOpa malpu) – To get angry

bElae malpuni (bElae malpu) – To work

upadra malpuni/upadra korpini – To disturb someone

kebi korpini (kebi koru) – To listen

nAD pattuni (nAD patt) – To find out/discover

beri pattuni (beri patt) – To chase

pagae kaTTuni – (pagae kaTT) – To seek revenge

kana kaTTuni (kana kaTT) – To dream

madimae Apini (madimae A) – To marry

peTT pADuni (peTT pAD) - To beat

dakk‟d pADuni (dakk‟d pAD) - To lose something

dakk‟d pOpini (dakk‟d pO) - To be lost

kondarpini (kondu + barpini) – To bring

kondOpini (kondu + pOpini) – To take away/ To take something to another place

„kondu‟ is the past adverbial participle of the auxiliary verb „koNu‟ (koNuni – To hold) which is used in
forming compound verbs and also in reflexive verbs.

In common dialect of Tulu, these verbs are modified as follows:

kondarpini (kondar) >>> kanapini (kana) – To bring

kondOpini (kondO) >>> konopini (kono) - To take away/ To take something to another place

The verb „kana‟/„kondar‟ is conjugated same as „bar‟ and the verb „kono‟/„kondO‟ is conjugated as „pO‟.

kondarpae or kanapae – I bring / I will bring

kondOpae or konopae – I take it away / I will take it away

kondaruvae or kanavae – I will probably bring

kondOvae or konovae – I will probably take it away

kondarpujae or kanapujae - I do not bring / I will not bring

kondOpujae or konopujae – I do not take it away / I will not take it away

kondarayae or kanayae – I will probably not bring

kondOvayae or konovayae – I will probably not take it away

Alright! Coming back to Simple Past. There are three conjugations in Simple Past. In Simple Present and
Future tense, we had different conjugations for Class A and Class B verbs. However, in Simple Past we have
three groups:

1. Verbs ending in „pu‟

2. Verbs ending in „N‟

3. All other verbs.

Personal endings in Simple Past Tense are same as Simple Present Tense. Third person neuter singular is
exception.

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ae pOyae nama/enkulu a pOya

Second Person I a pOya nikulu/Ir ar pOyar

Masc. Aye/imbe e pOye

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr er pOyer
Fem. Al/mOlu al pOyal
Person
Neut. au/undu ND pOND aikulu/undekulu a pOya

1. Verbs ending in „pu‟

To conjugate verbs ending in „pu‟ in Simple Past Tense, replace „pu‟ with „t‟ and then add personal ending.

Example: malpu (malpuni) – To do

malpu >>> malt + personal ending = maltae - I did

yAn maltae – I did

I malta – You did

Aye/imbe malte – He did

Al/mOlu maltal – She did

au/undu malt‟ND – It did

nama/enkulu malta – We did

Ir/nikulu maltar – You did

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malter – They did

undekulu/aikulu malta – They did

2. Verbs ending in „N‟

To conjugate verbs ending in „N‟ in Simple Past Tense, add „D‟ sound to root verb and then add personal
ending.

Root verb + D + personal ending

Example: paN (paNpini) – To tell/say

paN + D + personal ending = paNDae - I told / I said

yAn paNDae – I said

I paNDa – You said

Aye/imbe paNDe – He said

Al/mOlu paNDal – She said

au/undu paND – It said (Additional „D‟ sound is not added here, paN + ND = paN‟ND, but usually
pronounced as „paND‟)

nama/enkulu paNDa – We said

Ir/nikulu paNDar – You said

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr paNDer – They said

undekulu/aikulu paNDa – They said

This form is used in common Tulu. However, in some other dialects, verbs ending in „N‟ also conjugated
same as „All other verbs‟.

3. All other verbs.

To conjugate verbs in Simple Past Tense, add „i‟ sound to root verb and then add personal ending.

Root verb + i + personal ending

Example: kor (korpini) – To give

kor + i + personal ending = koriyae – I gave

yAn koriyae – I gave

I koriya – You gave

Aye/imbe koriye – He gave

Al/mOlu koriyal – She gave

au/undu kor‟ND – It gave ( „i‟ sound is not added here, kor + ND = kor‟ND)

nama/enkulu koriya – We gave

Ir/nikulu koriyar – You gave

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr koriyer – They gave

undekulu/aikulu koriya – They gave

The verbs „bar‟ (barpini – To come), „sai‟ (saipini – To die) and „bey‟ (beypini – To be
cooked/boiled) are irregular. These verbs are conjugated in Simple Past Tense by adding „t‟
sound to root verb.

bar + t + personal ending – battae = I came

sai + t + personal ending – saitae = I died

bey + t + personal ending – beyt‟ND = It is cooked / boiled

yAn battae – I came

I batta – You came

Aye/imbe batte – He came

Al/mOlu battal – She came

au/undu batt‟ND – It came

nama/enkulu batta – We came

Ir/nikulu battar – You came

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr batter – They came

undekulu/aikulu batta – They came

yAn saitae – I died

I saita – You died

Aye/imbe saite – He died

Al/mOlu saital – She died

au/undu sait‟ND – It died

nama/enkulu saita – We died

Ir/nikulu saitar – You died

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr saiter – They died

undekulu/aikulu saita – They died

Let us conjugate more verbs in Simple Tense.

kApu (kApuni) – To wait

yAn kAtae – I waited

I kAta – You waited

Aye/imbe kAte – He waited

Al/mOlu kAtal – She waited

au/undu kAt‟ND – It waited

nama/enkulu kAta – We waited

Ir/nikulu kAtar – You waited

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kAter – They waited

undekulu/aikulu kAta – They waited

leppu (leppuni) – To call/invite

yAn lettae – I called

I letta – You called

Aye/imbe lette – He called

Al/mOlu lettal – She called

au/undu lett‟ND – It called

nama/enkulu letta – We called

Ir/nikulu lettar – You called

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr letter – They called

undekulu/aikulu letta – They called

tU (tUpini) – To see

yAn tUyae – I saw

I tUya – You saw

Aye/imbe tUye – He saw

Al/mOlu tUyal – She saw

au/undu tUND – It saw

nama/enkulu tUya – We saw

Ir/nikulu tUyar – You saw

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUyer – They saw

undekulu/aikulu tUya – They saw

buDu (buDpini) – To leave

yAn buDiyae – I left

I buDiya – You left

Aye/imbe buDiye – He left

Al/mOlu buDiyal – She left

au/undu buD‟ND – It left

nama/enkulu buDiya – We left

Ir/nikulu buDiyar – You left

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr buDiyer – They left

undekulu/aikulu buDiya – They left

uN (uNpini) - To eat / To have lunch/dinner

yAn uNDae – I had lunch/dinner

I uNDa – You had lunch/dinner

Aye/imbe uNDe – He had lunch/dinner

Al/mOlu uNDal – She had lunch/dinner

au/undu uND – It had lunch/dinner (uN‟ND usually pronounced as uND)

nama/enkulu uNDa – We had lunch/dinner

Ir/nikulu uNDar – You had lunch/dinner

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uNDer – They had lunch/dinner

undekulu/aikulu uNDa – They had lunch/dinner

kEN (kENuni) To hear/listen/ask

yAn kENDae – I asked

I kENDa – You asked

Aye/imbe kENDe – He asked

Al/mOlu kENDal – She asked

au/undu kEND – It asked (kEN‟ND usually pronounced as kEND)

nama/enkulu kENDa – We asked

Ir/nikulu kENDar – You asked

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kENDer – They asked

undekulu/aikulu kENDa – They asked

A (Apini) – To become/happen

yAn Ayae – I became

I Aya – You became

Aye/imbe Aye – He became

Al/mOlu Ayal – She became

au/undu AND – It became/It happened/It‟s done/Finished

nama/enkulu Aya – We became

Ir/nikulu Ayar – You became

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Ayer – They became

undekulu/aikulu Aya – They became

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be

yAn ittae – I was

I itta – You were

Aye/imbe itte – He was

Al/mOlu ittal – She was

au/undu itt‟ND – It was

nama/enkulu itta – We were

Ir/nikulu ittar – You were

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr itter – They were

undekulu/aikulu itta – They were

kana (kanapini) – To bring

This verb is derived from compound verb „kondu bar‟. So, it is conjugated as „bar‟

yAn kanattae – I brought

I kanatta – You brought

Aye/imbe kanatte – He brought

Al/mOlu kanattal – She brought

au/undu kanatt‟ND – It brought

nama/enkulu kanatta – We brought

Ir/nikulu kanattar – You brought

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kanatter – They brought

undekulu/aikulu kanatta – They brought

kono (konopini) – To take away

This verb is derived from compound verb „kondu pO‟. So, it is conjugated as „pO‟

yAn konoyae – I took it away

I konoya – You took it away

Aye/imbe konoye – He took it away

Al/mOlu konoyal – She took it away

au/undu konoND – It took it away

nama/enkulu konoya – We took it away

Ir/nikulu konoyar – You took it away

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr konoyer – They took it away

undekulu/aikulu konoya – They took it away

Example sentences:

Tulu: jOkulu sAleg pOyer

English: Children went to school
Kannada: makkaLu shAlege hOdaru

Tulu: enklena illaDe binner batter

English: Guests came to our house.
Kannada: namma manege neNTru bandru

Tulu: yAn onji gaNTae kAtae

English: I waited for one hour.
Kannada: nAnu ondu gaNTe kAde

Tulu: yAn tulu kaltae

English: I learnt Tulu
Kannada: nAnu tuLu kalite

Tulu: enna onas AND / yAn uNDae

English: I had my lunch/dinner
Kannada: nanna UTa Aytu

Tulu: Aye illaD itte

English: He was at home
Kannada: avanu maneyalli idda

Tulu: I kukku tiNDa

English: You ate a mango.
Kannada: nInu mAvina haNNu tinde
Tulu: Ar enk kAkaji bareyer
English: He/She wrote a letter to me.
Kannada: avaru nanage kAgada baredaru

Tulu: enkulu posa ill kaTTiya

English: We build a new house
Kannada: nAvu hosa mane kaTTidevu

Tulu: alena ungila dakk‟d pOND

English: Her ring is lost
Kannada: avaLa ungura bisADi hOytu/kaLedu hoytu

Tulu: Al ungilan dakk‟d pADiyal

English: She lost the ring
Kannada: avaLu unguravannu bisADi hAkidaLu/kaLedu hAkidaLu

Tulu: I enan madata

English: You forgot me
Kannada: nInu nannannu marete

Tulu: enkulu suden kaData

English: We crossed the river
Kannada: nAvu nadiyannu dATidevu

Tulu: portu kant‟ND / sUrya kant‟ND

English: The sun has set
Kannada: sUrya muLugitu

Tulu: mullu kant‟ND

English: Thorn pricked
Kannada: muLLu chuchchitu

Tulu: Ar mIn kanatter

English: He/She brought fish
Kannada: avaru mInu tandaru

Tulu: Ar bAlen konoyer

English: He/She took the child away
Kannada: avaru maguvannu koNDu hOdaru

Tulu: yAn bAkil pADiyae

English: I closed the door
Kannada: nAnu bAgilu hAkide/muchchide

Tulu: yAn bAkil dettae

English: I opened the door
Kannada: nAnu bAgilu terede

Tulu: Aye Doctor Aye

English: He became a Doctor
Kannada: avanu Doctor Ada

Tulu: Ayeg bEjAr AND

English: He felt bad
Kannada: avanige bEjAr aytu

Tulu: nikk kushi AND

English: You felt happy
Kannada: ninage kushi Aytu

Tulu: enk kODae bElae itt‟ND

English: I had work yesterday
Kannada: nanage ninne kelasa ittu

Tulu: nuppu beyt‟ND

English: The rice is cooked
Kannada: anna benditu

New words:

binner – guests

kukku – mango

kAkaji – paper/a letter

posa – new

ungila – ring

portu – time

sUrya – sun

mullu - thorn

mIn – fish

bAkil – door

nuppu – rice (boiled)

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 10: Negative and Interrogative in Simple
Past Tense
namaskAra! mAterla encha ullar? soukhyana?

Today we are going to learn negative and interrogative form of sentences in Past Tense. You already know
verb conjugation in Simple Past tense. To make it negative just change the personal endings.

Personal endings for negative form of sentences in Simple Past tense:

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ijae pOyijae nama/enkulu ija pOyija

Second Person I ija pOyija nikulu/Ir ijar pOyijar

Masc. Aye/imbe ije pOyije

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr ijer pOyijer
Fem. Al/mOlu ijal pOyijal
Person
Neut. au/undu iji pOyiji aikulu/undekulu ija pOyija

Note: You may see some people use „iji‟ ending for first person singular, „yAn pOyiji‟ instead of „yAn pOyijae‟
though grammatically it is wrong.

1. Verbs ending in „pu‟

Example: jeppu (jeppuni) – To sleep (Kannada: malaguvudu)

jeppu >>> jett + personal ending = jettijae - I did not sleep (Kannada: nAnu malagalilla)

yAn jettijae – I did not sleep

I jettija – You did not sleep

Aye/imbe jettije – He did not sleep

Al/mOlu jettijal – She did not sleep

au/undu jettiji – It did not sleep

nama/enkulu jettija – We did not sleep

Ir/nikulu jettijar – You did not sleep

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr jettijer – They did not sleep

undekulu/aikulu jettija – They did not sleep

2. Verbs ending in „N‟

Example: tiN (tiNpini) – To eat (Kannada: tinnuvudu)

tiN + D + personal ending = tiNDijae - I did not eat (Kannada: nAnu tinnalilla)

yAn tiNDijae – I did not eat

I tiNDija – You did not eat

Aye/imbe tiNDije – He did not eat

Al/mOlu tiNDijal – She did not eat

au/undu tiNDiji – It did not eat

nama/enkulu tiNDija – We did not eat

Ir/nikulu tiNDijar – You did not eat

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tiNDijer – They did not eat

undekulu/aikulu tiNDija – They did not eat

3. All other verbs.

Example: Odu (Oduni) – To read (Kannada: Oduvudu)

Odu + i + personal ending = Odijae – I did not read (Kannada: nAnu Odalilla)

yAn Odijae – I did not read

I Odija – You did not read

Aye/imbe Odije – He did not read

Al/mOlu Odijal – She did not read

au/undu Odiji – It did not read

nama/enkulu Odija – We did not read

Ir/nikulu Odijar – You did not read

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Odijer – They did not read

undekulu/aikulu Odija – They did not read

The verbs „bar‟ (barpini – To come), „sai‟ (saipini – To die) and „bey‟ (beypini – To be cooked/boiled) are
irregular.

bar + t + personal ending – battijae = I did not come (Kannada: nAnu baralilla)

sai + t + personal ending – saitijae = I did not die (Kannada: nAnu sAyalilla)

bey + t + personal ending – beytiji = It is not cooked / boiled (Kannada: adu/idu bEyalilla)

A (Apini) – To become/happen (Kannada: Aguvudu)

A + i + personal ending = Ayijae- I did not become (Kannada: nAnu Agalilla)

yAn Ayijae – I did not become

I Ayija – You did not become

Aye/imbe Ayije – He did not become

Al/mOlu Ayijal – She did not become

au/undu Ayiji – It did not become /It did not happen/

nama/enkulu Ayija – We did not become

Ir/nikulu Ayijar – You did not become

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Ayijer – They did not become

undekulu/aikulu Ayija – They did not become

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be (Kannada: iruvudu)

ippu >>> itt + personal ending = ittijae – I was not (Kannada: nAnu iralilla)

yAn ittijae – I was not

I ittija – You were not

Aye/imbe ittije – He was not

Al/mOlu ittijal – She was not

au/undu ittiji – It was not

nama/enkulu ittija – We were not

Ir/nikulu ittijar – You were not

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr ittijer – They were not

undekulu/aikulu ittija – They were not

Example sentences:

Tulu: barsa battiji

English: It did not rain

Kannada: maLe baralilla

Tulu: yAn ninan tUyijae

English: It did not see you

Kannada: nAnu ninnannu nODalilla

Tulu: akulu eNDa pAterijer

English: They did not speak with me

Kannada: avaru nannalli mAtannADalilla

Tulu: enna dOsti enan lettije

English: My friend did not call me

Kannada: nanna geLeya nannannu kareyalilla

Tulu: jayante illaD ittije

English: Jayanth was not at home

Kannada: jayanta maneyalli iralilla

Tulu: Aye uNDije / Aye onas maltije

English: He did not have lunch/dinner

Kannada: avanu UTa mADalilla

Tulu: niNDa kAs ittiji

English: You did not have money

Kannada: ninnalli duDDu iralilla

Interrogative in Simple Past:

I hope you already know how to make interrogative form of sentences in Tulu.

Tulu: onas ANDa? / uNDara?

English: Had your lunch/dinner?

Kannada: UTa Ayta?

Tulu: AND, irena ANDe? (giving respect to the listener)

English: Yes, what about you?

Kannada: Aytu, nimdu Ayta?

Tulu: chA pariyare? (giving respect to the listener)

English: Had your tea?

Kannada: chahA kuDidra?

Tulu: jayante bEleg pOyena?

English: Did Jayanth go to work?

Kannada: jayanta kelasakke hOdana?

Tulu: I aleDa kENDana?

English: Did you ask her?

Kannada: nInu avalalli kELidiya?

Tulu: Aye ninna purse kaNDiyena?

English: Did he steal your purse?

Kannada: avanu ninna purse kaddana?

Tulu: I ninna dOstyallen madimeg lettana?

English: Did you call (invite) your friends for the wedding?

Kannada: nInu ninna geLeyarannu maduvege karediya?

Tulu: Ar nikk phone maltijera?

English: Didn‟t he/she call you?

Kannada: avaru ninge phone mADalilva?

Tulu: pEr kanattijana?

English: Didn‟t you bring milk?

Kannada: nInu hAlu taralilva?

Tulu: chAkk sakkarae pADijare?

English: Didn‟t you add sugar to tea?

Kannada: nIvu chahAge sakkare hAkalilva?

Tulu: nela aDtana?

English: Did you sweep the floor?

Kannada: nela guDisidya?

Tulu: nela ochchijana?

English: Didn‟t you wipe the floor?

Kannada: nInu nela oresalillava?

Tulu: kuNTu ardiyala?

English: Did she wash the clothes?

Kannada: baTTe ogedaLa?

Tulu: bAjana dekkijena?

English: Didn‟t he wash the dishes?

Kannada: avanu pAtre toLilillava?

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 11: Causative Verbs
namaskAra!

Hello everyone,

Today we are going to learn causative verbs. Causative verbs express the idea of somebody causing
something to happen or causing another person to do something. Let us learn how to make the causative
verbs.

To make causative forms for Class A verbs, add „pA‟ suffix and for Class B verbs, add „A‟ suffix to root verb.
This gives us a whole new set of verbs that are easy to memorize since they are made using the verbs we are
already familiar with.

Class A:

tiN (tiNpini) – To eat (Kannada: tinnuvudu)

tiNpA (tiNpAvuni) – cause to eat/ To make someone to eat (Kannada: tinnisuvudu)

bar (barpini) – To come (Kannada: baruvudu)

barpA (barpAvuni) – cause to come (Kannada: barisuvudu)

buDu (buDpini) – To leave (Kannada: biDuvudu)

buDpA (buDpAvuni) – cause to leave/To draw(a picture)/To dilate (Kannada: biDisu)

tU (tUpini) – To see (Kannada: nODuuvudu)

tUpA (tUpAvuni) – To show (Kannada: nODisuvudu/tOrisuvudu)

Class B:

malpu (malpuni) – To do/make (Kannada: mADuvudu)

malpA (malpAvuni) – cause to do/make (Kannada: mADisuvudu)

gend (genduni) – To win (Kannada: gelluvudu)

gendA (gendAvuni) – cause to win/make someone to win

kullu (kulluvunu) – To sit (Kannada: kuLitukoLLuvudu)

kullA (kullAvuni) – cause to sit (Kannada: kUrisuvudu)

tOju (tOjuni) – To be seen (Kannada: tOruvudu)

tOjA (tOjAvuni) – To show (Kannada: tOrisuvudu)

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn (Kannada: kaliyuvudu)

kalpA (kalpAvuni) – To teach (Kannada: kalisuvudu)

Sometimes „Du‟ or „DA‟ suffixes are used for some verbs. However, these verbs are very few.

leppu (leppuni) – To call (Kannada: kareyuvudu)

leppuDA (leppuDAvuni) – cause to call (Kannada: karesuvudu)

naDapu (naDapuni) – To walk (Kannada: naDeyuvudu)

naDapA (naDapAvuni) or naDapuDA (naDapuDAvuni) –cause to walk (Kannada: naDesuvudu)

jeppu (jeppuni) – To sleep (Kannada: malaguvudu)

jeppA (jeppAvuni) or jeppuDA (jeppuDAvuni) –cause to sleep (Kannada: malagisuvudu)

jappu (jappuni) – To get down/decend (Kannada: iLiyuvudu)

jappA (jappAvuni) or jappuDA (jappuDAvuni) –cause to get down (Kannada: iLisuvudu)

kaDapu (kaDapuni) – To cross (Kannada: dATuvudu)

kaDapA (kaDapAvuni) – cause to cross (Kannada: dATisuvudu)

kaDapuDu (kaDapuDuni) – To send (Kannada: kaLuhisuvudu)

kaDapuDA (kaDapuDAvuni) – To make someone to send (Kannada: kaLuhisuvante mADu)

Causative verbs can be conjugated in the same way like Class B verbs. However, these verbs does not have
uncertain future tense in positive form (except „kaDapuDu‟ – To send), but have it in negative form.

Simple Present/Future Positive:

Causative verb + uv + personal ending

yAn malpAvae – I make someone to do/I will make someone to do

I malpAva– You make someone to do/You will make someone to do

Aye/imbe malpAve – He makes someone to do/He will make someone to do

Al/mOlu malpAval– She makes someone to do/She will make someone to do

au/undu malpAvuNDu – It makes someone to do/It will make someone to do

nama/enkulu malpAva – We make someone to do/We will make someone to do

Ir/nikulu malpAvar– You make someone to do/You will make someone to do

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malpAver– They make someone to do/They will make someone to do

undekulu/aikulu malpAva – They make someone to do/They will make someone to do

Simple Present/Future Negative:

Causative verb + personal ending

yAn malpAvujae – I do not make someone to do/I will not make someone to do

I malpAvuja– You dp not make someone to do/You will not make someone to do

Aye/imbe malpAvuje – He does not make someone to do/He will not make someone to do

Al/mOlu malpAvujal– She does not make someone to do/She will not make someone to do

au/undu malpAvuji – It does not make someone to do/It will not make someone to do
nama/enkulu malpAvuja – We do not make someone to do/We will not make someone to do

Ir/nikulu malpAvujar– You do not make someone to do/You will not make someone to do

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malpAvujer– They do not make someone to do/They will not make someone to do

undekulu/aikulu malpAvuja – They do not make someone to do/They will not make someone to do

Uncertain Future Positive:

Causative verb + personal ending

yAn kaDapuDae – I will probably send

I kaDapuDa– You will probably send

Aye/imbe kaDapuDe – He will probably send

Al/mOlu kaDapuDal – She will probably send

au/undu kaDapuDu– It will probably send

nama/enkulu kaDapuDa – We make will probably send

Ir/nikulu kaDapuDar – You will probably send

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kaDapuDer – They will probably send

undekulu/aikulu kaDapuDa – They will probably send

Uncertain Future Negative:

Causative verb + personal ending

yAn tojapAvayae – I will probably not show

I tojapAvaya – You will probably not show

Aye/imbe tojapAvaye – He will probably not show

Al/mOlu tojapAvayal – She will probably not show

au/undu tojapAvand – It will probably not show

nama/enkulu tojapAvaya – We will probably not show

Ir/nikulu tojapAvayar – You will probably not show

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tojapAvayer – They will probably not show

undekulu/aikulu tojapAvaya – They will probably not show

Simple Past Positive:

Causative verb + i + personal ending

yAn tiNpAyae – I made someone to eat

I tiNpAya– You made someone to eat

Aye/imbe tiNpAye– He made someone to eat

Al/mOlu tiNpAyal– She made someone to eat

au/undu tiNpAND– It made someone to eat

nama/enkulu tiNpAya– We made someone to eat

Ir/nikulu tiNpAyar– You made someone to eat

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tiNpAyer– They made someone to eat

undekulu/aikulu tiNpAya – They made someone to eat

Simple Past Negative:

yAn leppuDAyijae – I didn‟t make someone to call

I leppuDAyija– You didn‟t make someone to call
Aye/imbe leppuDAyije – He didn‟t make someone to call
Al/mOlu leppuDAyijal – She didn‟t make someone to call
au/undu leppuDAyiji – It didn‟t make someone to call
nama/enkulu leppuDAyija – We didn‟t make someone to call
Ir/nikulu leppuDAyijar – You didn‟t make someone to call
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr leppuDAyijer – They didn‟t make someone to call
undekulu/aikulu leppuDAyija – They didn‟t make someone to call

Examples:

Tulu: appae bAlen jeppDAyal

English: Mother made the child to sleep.

Kannada: tAyi maguvannu malagisidaLu

Tulu: Aye mAterenla telipAve

English: He makes everyone to laugh

Kannada: avanu ellarannu nagistAne

Tulu: yAn nikk teripAve

English: I will let you know

Kannada: nAnu ninage tiListEne

Tulu: Ar bAlen bulipAyer

English: He/She made the child to cry.

Kannada: avaru maguvannu aLisidaru

Tulu: yAn nikleg tulu kalpAvae

English: I will teach you Tulu

Kannada: naNu nimage tulu kalisuttEne

Tulu: jOkulen sAleg kaDupuDiyae

English: I sent the children to the school

Kannada: makkaLannu shAlege kaLuhiside

Tulu: yAn AyeDd satya paNpAvae

English: I will make him to say the truth

Kannada: nAnu avaninda satya hElistEne

Some of the intransitive verbs can be changed to transitive verbs by adding „pu‟ suffix, and then it can be
changed to causative verb by adding „A‟ suffix. Intransitive verb is a verb that does not need a direct object
to complete its meaning. Transitive verb is a verb that needs a direct object to complete its meaning.

kAyi – (kAyuni) – To get heated (Kannada: kAyu)

kAypu (kAypuni) - To make hot/fry (Kannada: kAyisu)

poliy (poliyuni) – To get split/cut (Kannada: muriyu)

polipu (polipuni) – To split/cut (Kannada: muriyu)

uriy (uriyuni) – To burn (Kannada: uriyu)

uripu (uripuni) – To make it burn/To blow (Kannada: urisu/Udu)

oriy (oriyuni) – To remain (Kannada: uLiyu)

oripu (oripuni) – To save/cause to remain (Kannada: uLisu)

mugiy (mugiyuni) – To end/cease (Kannada: mugiyu)

mugipu (mugipuni) – To finish/complete (Kannada: mugisu)

maDiy (maDiyuni) – To get folded (Kannada: maDachikoLLu)

maDipu (maDipuni) – To fold (Kannada: maDachu)

pariy (pariyuni) – To get torn (Kannada: hariyu)

paripu (paripuni) – To tear (Kannada: hariyu)

dariy (dariyuni) – To be broken/burst (Kannada: oDeyu)

darpu (darpuni) – To break/burst (Kannada: oDeyu)

puDA (puDAvuni) – To be broken/be blasted (Kannada: oDeyu)

puDapu (puDapuni) – To break/blast (Kannada: oDeyu)

kaDiy (kaDiyuni) – To be cut/broken (Kannada: muriyu/tuNDAgu)

kaDpu (kaDpuni) – To cut/break (Kannada: kaDiyu/tuNDu mADu)

These verbs can be changed to causative form by adding „A‟ suffix.

kAypA - cause to hot/fry (Kannada: kAyisu)

polipA – cause to split/cut (Kannada: murisu)

uripA – cause to blow (Kannada: Udisu)

oripA – To make someone to save/cause to remain (Kannada: uLisu)

mugipA – cause to finish/complete (Kannada: mugisu)

maDipA– cause to fold (Kannada: maDachisu(?))

paripA – cause to tear (Kannada: harisu)

darpA – cause to break/burst (Kannada: oDesu)

puDapA – cause to break/blast (Kannada: oDesu)

kaDpA – cause to cut/break (Kannada: kaDisu/tuNDu mADisu)

The following examples will differentiate between 3 verb forms:

Intransitive:

Tulu: lEs mugiND

English: Ceremony ended

Kannada: samArambha mugiyitu

Tulu: picture bEga mugiyuNDu

English: The movie will be ended soon

Kannada: cinema bEga mugiyuttade

Tulu: ball kaDiND

English: The rope broke.

Kannada: hagga tuNDAyitu)

Tulu: puggae puDavu

English: The balloon may burst

Kannada: balloon oDedItu

Tulu: ayena kai poliND

English: His hand broke

Kannada: avana kai muriyitu)

Transitive:

Tulu: yAn enna bElen onji dinaT mugipuvae

English: I will finish my work in a day

Kannada: nAnu nanna kelasavannu ondu dinadalli mugisuttEne

Tulu: ninna kai polipuvae

English: I will break your hand

Kannada: ninna kai muriyuttEne

Tulu: Aye maronu kaDte

English: He cut down the tree.

Kannada: avanu maravannu kaDida

Tulu: bAlae puggen puDapu

English: The kid may burst the balloon

Kannada: magu balloon annu oDedItu

Causative verb

Tulu: yAn enna bElen EreDANDala pand mugipAve

English: I will make someone to finish my work

Kannada: nAnu nanna kelasavannu yArallAdarU hELi mugisuttEne

Tulu: ninna kai polipAvae

English: I will make someone to break your hand

Kannada: ninna kaiyannu murisuttEne

Tulu: Aye maronu kaDpAye

English: He made someone to cut the tree

Kannada: avanu maravannu kaDisida

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Tulu Lesson 12: Reflexive Verbs
namaskAra!

Hello everyone, welcome back!

Last week we have learned how to form causative verbs in Tulu. Today we are going to learn another verb
form. Reflexive verb is a verb whose direct object is the same as its subject. It indicates that a person is
performing the action for himself/herself.

Reflexive form is formed by adding the suffix „oNu‟ to the verb stem of Simple Past Tense. The suffix „oNu‟ is
derived from the auxiliary verb „koNu‟ (koNuni – To hold).

When you remove personal endings from verb conjugations, you will get the verb stem. Now let us take the
verb „malpu‟ (malpuni – to do/make). In Simple Past tense it is conjugated as „maltae‟, „malte‟, „maltal‟,
„malter‟ etc. If you remove personal endings, you will get the verb stem „malt‟.

malt + oNu = maltoNu – To do/make for oneself (Kannada: mADikoLLu)

As we learned before, there are three different forms of verb conjugation in Simple Past tense.

1. Verbs ending in „pu‟

To form verb stem of Simple Past Tense, replace „pu‟ with „t‟.

kalpu (kalpuni- To learn)

kalpu >>> kalt

kalt + oNu = kaltoNu – To learn for oneself (Kannada: kalituko)

deppu (deppuni - To remove/take out)

deppu >>> dett

dett + oNu = dettoNu – To take for oneself/accept (Kannada: tegeduko)

2. Verbs ending in „N‟

To form verb stem of Simple Past Tense, add „D‟ sound to root verb.

tiN (tiNpini – To eat)

tiN + D >>> tiND

tiND + oNu = tiNDoNu - To eat for oneself (Kannada: tinduko)

kEN (kENuni – To hear/ask)

kEN + D >>> kEND

kEND + oNu = kENDoNu – To ask/hear for oneself (Kannada: kELiko)

3. All other verbs.

To form verb stem of Simple Past Tense, add „i‟ sound to root verb.

par (parpini – To drink)

par + i >>> pari

However, when adding the suffix „oNu‟, the final vowel „i‟ is removed.

par(i) + oNu = paroNu – To drink for oneself (Kannada: kuDidukO)

tU (tUpini – To see)

tU(i) + oNu = tUvoNu – To take care/look after oneself (nODiko)

tAng (tAnguni – To tolerate)

tAng(i) + oNu = tAngoNu – To tolerate for oneself (Kannada: sahisiko)

patt (pattuni – To catch)

patt(i) + oNu = pattoNu – To hold

We can also form reflexive form of causative verbs.

malpA (malpAvuni – cause to do/make)

malpA(i) + oNu = malpAvonu – cause to do/make for oneself (Kannada: mADisiko)

Other than this the verb „koNu‟is also used in forming compound verbs.
Examples:

edur + koNu = edkoNu – To welcome (Kannada: svAgatisu/edurugoLLu)

(edur = front)

kai + koNu = kaikoNu – To undertake (Kannada: kaigoLLu)

(kai = hand)

The reflexive verbs usually used with reflexive pronouns „tAn‟ (himself/herself/itself) and „tankulu‟
(themselves). Declensions of these pronouns are same as „yAn‟ (I) and „enkulu‟ (We).

Reflexive verbs are conjugated in the same way like Class B verbs in Simple Present/Future Tense and like
verbs ending in „N‟ in Simple Past Tense.

Examples:

yAn detoNuvae – I take for myself/I will take for myself

au/undu detoNuNDu – It takes for itself/It will take for itself

I tAngoNuja– You don‟t tolerate/You will not tolerate

nama/enkulu tAngoNuja – We don‟t tolerate/We will not tolerate

Aye/imbe maltoNe – He will probably do for himself

au/undu maltoNu – It will probably do for itself

Al/imbal dettoNayal - She will probably not take for herself

au/undu dettoNand – It will probably not take for itself

nama/enkulu malpAvoNDa – We caused to make for ourselves

au/undu malpAvoND – It caused to make for itself

Ir/nikulu tUvoNDijar– You did not take care of yourselves

undekulu/aikulu tUvoNDija – They did not take care of theirselves

Tulu: rAme onji posa kAr dettoNuve

English: Rama will purchase a new car (for himself)

Kannada: rAma ondu hosa kAru takoLLuttAne

Tulu: Ar enDa nUdu rupAyi sAla dettoNDer

English: He/She borrowed Rs. 100 from me.

Kannada: avaru nanninda nUru rupAyi sAla takoNDru

Tulu: I bUkulen vontae pattoNuvara?

English: Can (will) you hold these books for a moment?

Kannada: I pustakagaLannu svalpa hiDidukoLLuttIra?

Tulu: akulu parbogu posa angi pollAvoNDer

English: They had a new dress sewed for festival (for themselves).

Kannada: avaru habbakke hosa angi holisikoNDru

Tulu: Aye tanna bElae tAn maltoNDe

English: He did his work (for himself)

Kannada: avanu tanna kelasa tAnu mADikoNDa)

Tulu: Ar dEverDa vara paDeyoNDer

English: He/She got a boon from God for himself/herself.

Kannada: avaru dEvarinda vara paDedukoNDaru

Tulu: akulu oryenori AkoNDer

English: They beat each other.

Kannada: avaru obbarannobbaru hoDedukoNDru

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

See you next week!

Tulu Lesson 13: Adjectives – Part 1
Hello everyone, welcome back!

So far we have learned Simple Present, Future Tense and Simple Past Tense in Tulu. The tenses we have
learned are good enough for us to take another step. Before going to other tenses, I am going to start a
different part of the Tulu language. Today, we are going to learn some simple adjectives. Adjectives are
words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. Generally it tells about quality, quantity, size, shape, age,
colour and material of nouns or pronouns used in the sentences.

Tulu Kannada English

eDDae oLLe Good

porlu/shOku chanda Beautiful

malla doDDa Big

elya saNNa / chikka Small

mast tumbA Very much, a lot

dinja/jAsti tumbA/jAsti Much, full

vantae/chUru svalpa A little, a bit

mAta / pUra ellA All/whole

iDi iDi Full, whole

ardha ardha Half

kelavu kelavu Some

pAka halavu Many

nirmala / sudda svachcha Clean

para haLe Old

posa hosa New

Click here to learn more adjectives in Tulu.

Click here to learn colours in Tulu.

Colours and numbers can also be used as adjectives.

Example sentences:

Tulu: Aye eDDae naramAni

English: He is a good man

Kannada: avanu oLLe manushya

Tulu: Aye mast eDDae narmAni

English: He is a very good man

Kannada: avanu tumbA oLLe manushya

Tulu: porluda poNNu / shOkuda poNNu

English: Beautiful girl

Kannada: chandada huDugi

Tulu: yAn onji malla illan tUyae

English: I saw a big house

Kannada: nAnu ondu doDDa maneyannu nODide

Tulu: parbogu mAterla posa kuNTu pADuver

Engish: Everyone wears new dress for the festival

Kannda: habbakke ellarU hosa baTTE uDuttAre

Tulu: Aye enna para dOsti

English: He is my old friend

Kannada: avanu nanna haLe geLeya

Tulu: Aye boldu angi pAduve

English: He will wear a white shirt

Kannada: avanu biLi baTTe hAktAne

Tulu: enna illaD El kONae uNDu

English: There are seven rooms in my house.

Kannada: nanna maneyalli ELu kONegaLu ive.

Tulu: pAka jana sEriyer

English: many people gathered

Kannada: halavu jana sEridaru.

Tulu: onji shOkuda elya ill

English: A beautiful small house

Kannada: ondu chandada saNNa mane

Tulu: kappu nAyi koret‟ND

English: The black dog barked

Kannada: kappu nAyi bogaLitu

Tulu: nUdu jana itter

English: There were hundred people

Kannada: nUru jana iddaru

Tulu: yAn bechcha nIr pariyae

English: I drank warm water

Kannada: nAnu bisi nIru kuDide

Tulu: Aye onji posa angi dettoNDe

English: He bought a new shirt

Kannada: avanu ondu hosa angi takoNDa

Adjectives can be formed from different words like nouns and verbs. But they are used in Genitive case
(suffix „da‟/‟ta‟ or „na‟).

Some of adjectives which are formed from nouns:

Tulu Kannada English

marata marada Wooden

dUrada dUrada Distant

kaitalda/muTTada hattirada Nearby

sukhata sukhada Happy

dukkhada dukkhada Sorrowful

bEneda nOvina Painful

kashTada / bangada kashTada Difficult

sulabada sulabada Easy

buddhida buddhiya Clever

koNDATada muddAda Lovely

Examples:
Tulu: marata ill

English: Wooden house

Kannada: marada mane

Tulu: dUrada Uru

English: Distant village

Kannada: dUrada Uru

Tulu: sukhata bad‟k

English: Happy life

Kannada: sukhavAda baduku

Tulu: sulabada bElae

English: Easy work

Kannada: sulabhavada kelasa

Tulu: koNDATada bAlae / mOkeda bAlae

English: Lovely kid

Kannada: muddAda magu

Tulu: shOkuda nAyida kinni

English: cute puppy

Kannada: chandada nAyi mari

Tulu: buddhida nAyi

English: buddhiya (jANa) nAyi

English: Clever dog

Tulu: bangArda ungila

English: Gold ring

Kannda: chinnada ungura

Tulu: kuppida kAjilu

English: Glass bangles

Kannada: gAjina baLegaLu

We will learn how to form adjectives from verbs in coming lessons.

Comparative Adjectives: There are no comparative adjectives in Tulu, but it can be expressed by using
ablative case.

Examples:

Tulu: rAme dUmeDd malla

English: Rama is bigger (older) than Duma.

Kannada: rAma dUmaniginta doDDava

Tulu: moleDd Al porlu

English: she is more beautiful than her

Kannada: ivaLiginta avaLu chanda

Tulu: kuDla uDupiDd muTTa

English: Mangalore is nearer than Udupi

Kannada: mangaLUru uDupiginta hattira

Tulu: imbe mAtereDd'la buddhivante

English: He is the cleverest of them all.

Kannada: ivanu ellarigintalU buddhivanta

Tulu: enaDd I udda

English: You are taller than me

Kannada: nanaginta nInu udda

Tulu: Aye ninaDd tOra

English: He is fatter than you

Kannada: avanu ninaginta dappagiddAne

Tulu: yAn ninaDd sapura

English: I am skinner than you

Kannada: nAnu ninaginta sapura

Some of the adjectives can be used with pronouns to indicate gender:

malla – big

malla + Aye = mallAye – Elder (M) (Kannada: doDDavanu)

malla + Al = mallAl - Elder (F) (Kannada: doDDavaLu)

malla + au = mallau – Elder / The one that is big (N) (Kannada: doDDadu)

malla + Ar = mallAr – Elder (M/F) (Kannada: doDDavaru)

malla + akulu = mallakulu – Elders (Kannada: doDDavaru)

tOra – Thick / Fat

tOradAye – He who is fat (Kannada: dappaginavanu)

tOradAl – She who is fat (Kannada: dappaginavaLu)

tOradau – The one which is fat (Kannada: dappaginadu)

tOradAr – He/She who is fat (Kannada: dappaginavaru)

tOradakulu – They who are fat (Kannada: dappaginavaru)

kaital – Near

kaitaldAye – He who is nearby/close (Kannada: hattiradavanu)

kaitaldAl – She who is nearby/close (Kannada: hattiradavaLu)

kaitaldau – The one which is nearby/close (Kannada: hattiraddu)

kaitaldAr - He/She who is nearby/close (Kannada: hattiradavaru)

kaitaldakulu - They who are nearby/close (Kannada: hattiradavaru)

porlu – Beauty
porludAye – He who is beautiful (Kannada: chandadavanu)

porludAl – She who is beautiful (Kannada: chandadavaLu)

porludau – The one which is beautiful (Kannada: chandaddu)

porludAr - He/She who is beautiful (Kannada: chandadavaru)

porludakulu - They who are beautiful (Kannada: chandadavaru)

kAs‟dAye – He who has money / Rich man (Kannada: duDDiruvava)

kAs‟dAl – She who has money / Rich woman (Kannada: duDDiruvavaLu)

kAs‟dAr - – He/She who has money (Kannada: duDDiruvavaru)

kAs‟dakulu – They who has money (Kannada: duDDiruvavaru)

There are some words which are created from adjectives and can be used as nouns:

posa – new (Kannada: hosa)

posatt – The one which is new (Kannada: hosattu)

posabe – He who is new (Kannada: hosaba)

posabedi – She who is new (Kannada: hosabaLu)

posaber – They who are new (Kannda: hosabaru)

para – old

paratt – The one which is old (Kannada: haLattu)

parabe – He who is old / old man (Kannada: haLaba / muduka)

parabedi /parabu – She who is old / old woman (Kannada: haLabaLu / muduki)

paraber – They who are old (Kannada: haLabaru / mudukaru)

buddhivante - He who is clever (Kannada: buddhivanta)

buddhivantedi - she who is clever (Kannada: buddhivante)

buddhivanter - They who are clever (Kannada: buddhivantaru)

javane - He who is young (Kannada: yuvaka)

javandi - she who is young (Kannada: yuvati)

javaner - those who are young (Kannada: yuvakaru)

tuluve – Tuluva (M) (Kannada: tuLuva)

tuluvedi – Tuluva (F) (Kannada: tuLuvaLu)

tuluver – Tuluvas (Kannada: tuLuvaru)

baDave – Poor man (Kannada: baDava)

baDavedi – Poor woman (Kannada: baDavaLu)

baDaver – Poor people (Kannada: baDavaru)

sirivante – Rich man (Kannada: sirivanta)

sirivantedi - Rich woman (Kannada: sirivante)

sirivanter – Rich people (Kannada: sirivanta)

That is all for today. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. See you next week!

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 14: Present Perfect Tense
Hello everyone, welcome back!

Today we are going to learn a new tense in Tulu. This tense is Present Perfect Tense.

Look at this sentence:

I saw him

We already know how to say this in Tulu: yAn Ayen tUyae

Today, we will learn this:

I have seen him.

Do you remember how we made a verb conjuation in simple past tense? In Present Perfect Tense we follow
the same rule with a bit difference.

We have to just add „d‟ sound („d‟ will be changed to „t‟, if it is a Class A verb) to the verb stem of simple past
tense to get the verb stem of Present Perfect Tense.

As we learned before, there are three different forms of verb conjugation in Simple Past tense.
1. Verbs ending in „pu‟

To form verb stem of Simple Past Tense, replace „pu‟ with „t‟.

malpu (malpuni) – To do/make

malpu >>> malt

Simple Past verb stem + d = Present Perfect verb stem

malt + d = malt‟d

Now add the personal endings to Present Perfect verb stem.

malt‟d + ae = malt‟dae – I have done (Kannada: mADiddEne)

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

kalpu >>> kalt

kalt + d + ae = kalt‟dae – I have learned (Kannada: kaltiddEne)

2. Verbs ending in „N‟

To form verb stem of Simple Past Tense, add „D‟ sound to root verb.

kEN (kENuni) - To hear/ask

kEN + D >>> kEND

Simple Past verb stem + d = Present Perfect verb stem

kEND + d = kEND‟d

Now add the personal endings to Present Perfect verb stem.

kEND‟d + ae = kEND‟dae (In common Tulu, it‟s pronounced „kEndae‟) – I have heard/asked (Kannada:
kELiddEne)

tiN (tiNpini) – To eat (Class A verb)

tiN + D >>> tiND

tiND + d + ae = tiND‟dae (In common Tulu, it‟s pronounced „tintae‟) - I have eaten (Kannada: tindiddEne)

3. All other verbs.

To form verb stem of Simple Past Tense, add „i‟ sound to root verb.

bUr (bUruni – To fall)

bUr + i >>> bUri

Simple Past verb stem + d = Present Perfect verb stem

When adding „d‟ sound, the final vowel „i‟ is removed. So we can add „d‟ sound to the root verb directly.

bUr(i) + d = bUrd

Now add the personal endings to Present Perfect verb stem.

bUrd + ae = bUrdae – I have fallen (Kannada: biddiddEne)

tU (tUpini) – To see (Class A verb)

Simple Past verb stem + d = Present Perfect verb stem

tU + d = tUd

Now add the personal endings to Present Perfect verb stem.

tUd + ae = tUtae („d‟ is pronounced as „t‟, if it is a Class A verb) – I have seen (Kannada: nODiddEne)

Personal endings in Present Perfect Tense are same as Simple Past Tense.

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ae pOtae nama/enkulu a pOta

Second Person I a pOta nikulu/Ir ar pOtar

Masc. Aye/imbe e pOte

akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr er pOter
Third
Fem. Al/mOlu al pOtal
Person
Neut. au/undu ND pOt‟ND aikulu/undekulu a pOta

The Present Perfect Tense may be confusing for new learners as it is pronounced differently from its
original form depending on the dialects.

There are two major changes in the pronounciatiuon:

1. batt‟dae >>> baidae

Look at the verb „bar‟ (barpini – To come). The simple past verb stem of „bar‟ is „batt‟ and so Present Perfect
verb stem is “batt‟d”

batt‟dae – I have come (Kannada: bandiddEne)

But in common Tulu it is pronounced as „baidae‟

Some of the verbs which are conjugated same as „baidae‟ in Present Perfect Tense are:

leppu (leppuni) – To call

leppu >>> lett >>> lett‟d

lett‟dae >>> leidae – I have called (Kannada: karediddEne)

jeppu (jeppuni) – To sleep

jeppu >>> jett >>> jett‟d

jett‟dae >>> jeidae – I have slept (Kannada: malagiddEne)

jappu (jappuni) – To get down/descend

jappu >>> jatt >>> jatt‟d

jatt‟dae >>> jaidae – I have descended (Kannada: iLididdEne)

deppu (deppuni) – To remove/open

deppu >>> dett >>> dett‟d

dett‟dae >>> deidae – I have removed (Kannada: tegediddEne)

sai (saipini) – To die

sai >>> sait >>> sait‟d

sait‟dae >>> saidae – I have died (Kannada: sattiddEne)

2. kEND‟dae >> kEndae

Look at the verb „kEN‟ (kENunu – To hear/ask). The simple past verb stem of „kEN‟ is „kEND‟ and so
Present Perfect verb stem is “kEND‟d”

kEND‟dae – I have heard/asked (Kannada: kELiddEne)

But in common Tulu it is pronounced as „kEndae‟

All the verbs ending in „N‟ sound, including Reflexive Verbs are conjugated same as „kEndae‟ in Present
Perfect Tense.

dettoNu (dettoNuni) - To take for oneself/To accept

dettoNu >>> dettoND >>> dettoND‟d

dettoND‟dae >>> dettondae – I have taken (Kannada: tegedukoNDiddEne)

paN (paNpini) – To tell/say

paN >>> paND >>> paND‟d

paND‟dae >>> pantae – I have told (Kannada: hELiddEne)

Here „d‟ sound changes to „t‟ since it is a Class A verb.

uN (uNpini) – To eat (meals/rice)

uN >>> uND >>> uND‟d

uND‟dae >>> untae – I have eaten (Kannada: uNDiddEne)

Alright! Now let us look at some more verbs:

tU (tUpini) – To see (Kannada: nODu)

yAn tUtae – I have seen

I tUta – You have seen

Aye/imbe tUte – He have seen

Al/mOlu tUtal – She have seen

au/undu tUt‟ND – It have seen

nama/enkulu tUta – We have seen

Ir/nikulu tUtar – You have seen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUter – They have seen

undekulu/aikulu tUta – They have seen

buDu (buDpini) – To leave (Kannada: biDu)

yAn buDtae – I have left

I buDta – You have left

Aye/imbe buDte – He has left

Al/mOlu buDtal – She has left

au/undu buDt‟ND – It has left

nama/enkulu buDta – We have left

Ir/nikulu buDtar – You have left

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr buDter – They have left

undekulu/aikulu buDta – They have left

kEN (kENuni) To hear/listen/ask

yAn kEndae – I have asked

I kEnda – You have asked

Aye/imbe kEnde – He has asked

Al/mOlu kEndal – She has asked

au/undu kEnd‟ND – It has asked

nama/enkulu kEnda – We have asked

Ir/nikulu kEndar – You have asked

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kEnder – They have asked

undekulu/aikulu kEnda – They have asked

A (Apini) – To become/happen

yAn Atae – I have become

I Ata – You have become

Aye/imbe Ate – He has become

Al/mOlu Atal – She has become

au/undu At‟ND – It has become /It has happened/It‟s been done

nama/enkulu Ata – We have become

Ir/nikulu Atar – You have become

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Ater – They have become

undekulu/aikulu Ata – They have become

bar (barpini) – To come

yAn baidae – I have come

I baida – You have come

Aye/imbe baide – He has come

Al/mOlu baidal – She has come

au/undu baid‟ND – It has come

nama/enkulu baida – We have come

Ir/nikulu baidar – You have come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baider – They have come

undekulu/aikulu baida – They have come

kana (kanapini) – To bring

This verb is derived from compound verb „kondu bar‟. So, it is conjugated as „bar‟

yAn kanaidae – I have brought

I kanaida – You have brought

Aye/imbe kanaide – He has brought

Al/mOlu kanaidal – She has brought

au/undu kanaid‟ND – It has brought

nama/enkulu kanaida – We have brought

Ir/nikulu kanaidar – You have brought

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kanaider – They have brought

undekulu/aikulu kanaida – They have brought

kono (konopini) – To take away

This verb is derived from compound verb „kondu pO‟. So, it is conjugated as „pO‟

yAn konotae – I have taken it away

I konota – You have taken it away

Aye/imbe konote – He has taken it away

Al/mOlu konotal – She has taken it away

au/undu konot‟ND – It has taken it away

nama/enkulu konota – We have taken it away

Ir/nikulu konotar – You have taken it away

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr konoter – They have taken it away

undekulu/aikulu konota – They have taken it away

kApu (kApuni) – To wait

yAn kAt‟dae – I have waited

I kAt‟da – You have waited

Aye/imbe kAt‟de – He has waited

Al/mOlu kAt‟dal – She has waited

au/undu kAt‟d‟ND – It has waited

nama/enkulu kAt‟da – We have waited

Ir/nikulu kAt‟dar – You have waited

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kAt‟der – They have waited

undekulu/aikulu kAt‟da – They have waited

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

yAn kalt‟dae – I have learned

I kalt‟da – You have learned

Aye/imbe kalt‟de – He has learned

Al/mOlu kalt‟dal – She has learned

au/undu kalt‟d‟ND – It has learned

nama/enkulu kalt‟da – We have learned

Ir/nikulu kalt‟dar – You have learned

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kalt‟der – They have learned

undekulu/aikulu kalt‟da – They have learned

Example sentences:

Tulu: yAn A bUkunu raDD sarti Odudae

English: I have read that book two times

Kannada: nAnu A pustakavannu eraDu sala OdiddEne

Tulu: bAlae jeid‟ND

English: The kid has slept

Kannada: magu malagide

Tulu: yAn A picture mUji sarti tUtae

English: I have seen that movie three times

Kannada: nAnu A cinema mUru sala nODiddEne

Tulu: I tOra Ata

English: you have become fat

Kannada: nInu dappagAgiddIya

Tulu: akulu illaDe pOter

English: They have gone home

Kannada: avaru manege hOgiddAre

Tulu: mara buled'ND

English: The tree has been grown

Kannada: mara beLedide

Tulu: kukku parnd'd'ND

English: mango has ripened

Kannada: mAvu haNNAgide

Tulu: pU arald'ND

English: The flower has bloomed

Kannada: hUvu araLide

Tulu: binner baider

English: guests have come

Kannada: neNTaru bandiddAre

Tulu: yAn untae / yAn oNas malt'dae

English: I have had lunch

Kannada: nAnu UTa mADiddene

Tulu: yAn tulu kalt'dae

English: I have learned Tulu

Kannada: nAnu tuLu kaltiddEne

Tulu: akulu onji posa car dettonder

English: they have bought a new car

Kannada: avaru ondu hosa car takoNDiddAre

Tulu: akulu mUji puchcheda kinni kanaider

English: They have brought three kittens

Kannada: avaru mUru bekkina mari tandiddAre

Tulu: yAn maisUr'g vora pOte

English: I have been to Mysore once

Kannada: nAnu maisUrige omme hOgiddEne

Tulu: enkulu illada eduru raDD tArae neDta

English: we have planted two coconut trees in front of the house

Kannada: nAvu mane eduru eraDu tengina mara neTTiddEve

Tulu: I enan madat'da

English: nInu nannannu maratiddIya

Kannada: you have forgotten me

Tulu: yAn nikk onji e-mail kaDapuD'dae

English: I have sent an e-mail to you

Kannada: nAnu ninage ondu e-mail kaLuhisiddEne

Tulu: Aye maronu kaDpAde

English: He has made someone cut the tree

Kannada: avanu maravannu kaDisiddAne

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment. See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 15: Negative and Interrogative in Present
Perfect Tense
Hello All! Welcome back!

How was the last lesson? I hope you had no problem with that. Please comment, if you need any help.
Today we are going to learn negative and interrogative form of sentences in Present Perfect Tense.

You already know to make verb stems in Present Perfect Tense. If not, please read the lesson 14 again. To
make it negative just change the personal endings.

Personal endings for negative form of sentences in Present Perfect Tense are same as Simple Past.

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Example: pO Pronoun Ending Example: pO

First Person yAn ijae pOtijae nama/enkulu ija pOtija

Second Person I ija pOtija nikulu/Ir ijar pOtijar

Masc. Aye/imbe ije pOtije

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr ijer pOtijer
Fem. Al/mOlu ijal pOtijal
Person
Neut. au/undu iji pOtiji aikulu/undekulu ija pOtija

Note: You may see some people use „iji‟ ending for first person singular, „yAn pOtiji‟ instead of „yAn pOtijae‟
though grammatically it is wrong.

Let us see some examples:

malpu (malpuni) – To do/make

Present Perfect verb stem + personal ending

malt‟d + ijae >>> malt‟dijae – I have not done (Kannada: nAnu mADilla)

yAn malt‟dijae – I have not done

I malt‟dija – You have not done

Aye/imbe malt‟dije – He has not done

Al/mOlu malt‟dijal – She has not done

au/undu malt‟diji – It has not done

nama/enkulu malt‟dija – We have not done

Ir/nikulu malt‟dijar – You have not done

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malt‟dijer – They have not done

undekulu/aikulu malt‟dija – They have not done

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

kalt‟d + ijae >>> kalt‟dijae – I have not leaned (Kannada: nAnu kalitilla)

yAn kalt‟dijae – I have not learned

I kalt‟dija – You have not learned

Aye/imbe kalt‟dije – He has not learned

Al/mOlu kalt‟dijal – She has not learned

au/undu kalt‟diji – It has not learned

nama/enkulu kalt‟dija – We have not learned

Ir/nikulu kalt‟dijar – You have not learned

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kalt‟dijer – They have not learned

undekulu/aikulu kalt‟dija – They have not learned

kEN (kENuni) - To hear/ask

kEND‟d >>> kEnd

kEnd + ijae >>> kEndijae – I have not heard/asked (Kannada: nAnu kELilla)

yAn kEndijae – I have not asked/heard

I kEndija – You have not asked/heard

Aye/imbe kEndije – He has not asked/heard

Al/mOlu kEndijal – She has not asked/heard

au/undu kEndiji – It has not asked/heard

nama/enkulu kEndija – We have not asked/heard

Ir/nikulu kEndijar – You have not asked/heard

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kEndijer – They have not asked/heard

undekulu/aikulu kEndija – They have not asked/heard

tiN (tiNpini) – To eat

tiND‟d >>> tind

tind + ijae >>> tintijae – I have not eaten (Kannada: nAnu tindilla)

yAn tintijae – I have not eaten

I tintija – You have not eaten

Aye/imbe tintije – He has not eaten

Al/mOlu tintijal – She has not eaten

au/undu tintiji – It has not eaten

nama/enkulu tintija – We have not eaten

Ir/nikulu tintijar – You have not eaten

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tintijer – They have not eaten

undekulu/aikulu tintija – They have not eaten

bUr (bUruni) – To fall

bUrd + ijae >>> bUrdijae – I have not fallen (Kannada: nAnu biddilla)

yAn bUrdijae – I have not fallen

I bUrdija – You have not fallen

Aye/imbe bUrdije – He has not fallen

Al/mOlu bUrdijal – She has not fallen

au/undu bUrdiji – It has not fallen

nama/enkulu bUrdija – We have not fallen

Ir/nikulu bUrdijar – You have not fallen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUrdijer – They have not fallen

undekulu/aikulu bUrdija – They have not fallen

tU (tUpini) – To see

tUd + ijae >>> tUtijae – I have not seen (Kannada: nAnu nODilla)

yAn tUtijae – I have not seen

I tUtija – You have not seen

Aye/imbe tUtije – He has not seen

Al/mOlu tUtijal – She has not seen

au/undu tUtiji – It has not seen

nama/enkulu tUtija – We have not seen

Ir/nikulu tUtijar – You have not seen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUtijer – They have not seen

undekulu/aikulu tUtija – They have not seen

bar (barpini) - To come

batt‟d + ijae >>> batt‟dijae >>> baidijae – I have not come (Kannada: nAnu bandilla)

yAn baidijae – I have not come

I baidija – You have not come

Aye/imbe baidije – He has not come

Al/mOlu baidijal – She has not come

au/undu baidiji – It has not come

nama/enkulu baidija – We have not come

Ir/nikulu baidijar – You have not come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baidijer – They have not come

undekulu/aikulu baidija – They have not come

leppu (leppuni) – To call

lett‟d + ijae >>> lett‟dijae >>> leidijae – I have not called (Kannada: nAnu karedilla)

yAn leidijae – I have not called

I leidija – You have not called

Aye/imbe leidije – He has not called

Al/mOlu leidijal – She has not called

au/undu leidiji – It has not called

nama/enkulu leidija – We have not called

Ir/nikulu leidijar – You have not called

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr leidijer – They have not called

undekulu/aikulu leidija – They have not called

deppu (deppuni) – To remove/open

dett‟d + ijae >>> dett‟dijae >>> deidijae – I have not removed/taken (Kannada: nAnu tegedilla)

yAn deidijae – I have not removed/taken

I deidija – You have not removed/taken

Aye/imbe deidije – He has not removed/taken

Al/mOlu deidijal – She has not removed/taken

au/undu deidiji – It has not removed/taken

nama/enkulu deidija – We have not removed/taken

Ir/nikulu deidijar – You have not removed/taken

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr deidijer – They have not removed/taken

undekulu/aikulu deidija – They have not removed/taken

dettoNu (dettoNuni) - To take for oneself/To accept

dettoND‟d >>> dettond

dettond + ijae >>> dettondijae – I have not taken for myself (Kannada: nAnu tegedukoNDilla)

yAn dettondijae – I have not taken (for myself)

I dettondija – You have not taken (for myself)

Aye/imbe dettondije – He has not taken (for myself)

Al/mOlu dettondijal – She has not taken (for myself)

au/undu dettondiji – It has not taken (for myself)

nama/enkulu dettondija – We have not taken (for myself)

Ir/nikulu dettondijar – You have not taken (for myself)

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr dettondijer – They have not taken (for myself)

undekulu/aikulu dettondija – They have not taken (for myself)

Example sentences:

Tulu: yAn orala bombaig pOtijae

English: I have never been to Mumbai

Kannada: nAnu ommeyU mumbaige hOgilla

Tulu: Aye nanala untije

English: He has not had lunch yet

Kannada: avanu innU UTa mADilla

Tulu: Al baidijal
English: She has not come

Kannada: avaLu bandilla

Tulu: I eNDa dAla pantija

English: You have not told me anything

Kannada: nInu nanalli EnU hELilla

Tulu: au Eregla dAla upadra malt'diji

English: It has not done any trouble to anyone

Kannada: adu yArigU EnU tondare koTTillla

Tulu: nama dAla tappu malt'dija

English: We have not done anything wrong

Kannada: nAvu EnU tappu mADilla

Tulu: nikulu enan leidijar

English: You have not called me

Kannada: nIvu nannannu karedilla

Tulu: akulu nanala tulu kalt'dijer

English: They have not learned Tulu yet

Kannada: avaru innU tuLu kalitilla

Tulu: I jOkulu ini sAleg pOtija

English: These children have not gone to school today

Kannada: I makkaLu ivattu shAlege hOgilla

We already know how to make the interrogative form of sentences. We have to add „a‟ or „na‟ at the end.
When speaking with elders/strangers with respect, you can add „e‟ or „ne‟ instead of „a‟ or „na‟ at the end.

Tulu: I untana?/ I onas malt'dana?

English: Have you had lunch/dinner yet?

Kannada: nInu UTa mADiddIya?

Tulu: Ir untare?/ Ir onas malt'dare? (giving respect to the listner)

English: Have you had lunch/dinner yet?

Kannada: nIvu UTa mADiddIra?

Tulu: nanala untijana?

English: Haven't you had lunch yet?

Kannada: nInu innU UTa mADilva?

Tulu: yAn niNDa suruve pantijena?

English: Haven't I told you before?

Kannada: nAnu ninage modale hELilva?

Tulu: Aye nikk tikk'dena?

English: Has he met you?

Kannada: avanu ninage sikkiddAna?

Tulu: Aye ireg tikk'dene? (giving respect to the listner)

English: Has he met you?

Kannada: avanu nimage sikkiddAna?

Tulu: Al padya pantala?

English: Has she sung a song?

Kannada: avaLu hADu hADiddALa?

Tulu: bas nanala baidija?

English: Has bus not come yet?

Kannada: bassu innU bandilva?

Tulu: nikulu parIkshae baretara?

English: Have you (pluaral) written exam?

Kannada: nIvu parIkshae barediddIra?

Tulu: akulu suden kaDat‟dera?

English: Have they crossed the river?

Kannada: avaru nadi dATiddAra?

Tulu: bAle jeid‟NDa?

English: Has the kid slept.

Kannada: magu malagideya?

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

That‟s all for the day! If you need more sentences translated to Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find
this lesson helpful, please share it with your friends who want to learn Tulu.

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 16: Present Continuous Tense

Hello All! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn one more tense in Tulu. This tense is Present Continuous Tense. Look at the
following example:

„I am going‟

As you see, we use „To be‟ plus the „ing‟ form of verbs to express Present Continuous in English. That is to
say, we have Subject + am/is/are + main verb + ing.

In Tulu, the sentence structure would be Subject + main verb + am/is/are

We already know the auxiliary verb „to be‟ in Tulu - „ippu/uppu‟ (Infinitive: ippuni/uppuni – To be). There
are two forms of this verb exist: „uppu/ippu‟ and „ul‟. Here we are using the second form „ul‟. We have
learned how to conjugate the verb „ul‟ in Simple Present Tense in the lesson 4. Let‟s try it again:

yAn ullae – I am

I ulla – You are

Aye/imbe ulle – He is

Al/mOlu ullal – She is

au/undu uNDu – It is

nama/enkulu ulla – We are

Ir/nikulu ullar – You are

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uller – They are

undekulu/aikulu ulla – They are

Now, let us see what we should do with the main verb (going). In English, we have added suffix „ing‟ to the
verb „go‟. In Tulu, we have to add suffix „ondu‟ to the root verb.

Go + ing >>> Going

pO + ondu >>> pOvondu

I am going >>> yAn pOvondu ullae (Kannada: nAnu hOgtA iddEne)

Easy, isn‟t it?

yAn pOvondullae – I am going

I pOvondulla – You are going

Aye/imbe pOvondulle – He is going

Al/mOlu pOvondullal – She is going

au/undu pOvonduNDu – It is going

nama/enkulu pOvondulla – We are going

Ir/nikulu pOvondullar – You are going

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOvonduller – They are going

undekulu/aikulu pOvondulla – They are going

One thing you have to remember that when adding the suffix „ondu‟ to root verbs ending in „pu‟, the „p‟
sound changes to „t‟.

Example:

malpu (malpuni) – To do

malpu + ondu >>> maltondu - doing

maltondu ullae – I am doing (Kannada: nAnu mADtA iddEne)

yAn maltondullae – I am doing

I maltondulla – You are doing

Aye/imbe maltondulle – He is doing

Al/mOlu maltondullal – She is doing

au/undu maltonduNDu – It is doing

nama/enkulu maltondulla – We are doing

Ir/nikulu maltondullar – You are doing

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr maltonduller – They are doing

undekulu/aikulu maltondulla – They are doing

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

kalpu + ondu >>> kaltondu – learning

kaltondu ullae – I am learning (Kannada: nAnu kalitA iddEne)

yAn kaltondullae – I am learning

I kaltondulla – You are learning

Aye/imbe kaltondulle – He is learning

Al/mOlu kaltondullal – She is learning

au/undu kaltonduNDu – It is learning

nama/enkulu kaltondulla – We are learning

Ir/nikulu kaltondullar – You are learning

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kaltonduller – They are learning

undekulu/aikulu kaltondulla – They are learning

Let‟s see more examples:

par (parpini) – To drink

par + ondu >>> parondu - drinking

yAn parondullae – I am drinking

I parondulla – You are drinking

Aye/imbe parondulle – He is drinking

Al/mOlu parondullal – She is drinking

au/undu paronduNDu – It is drinking

nama/enkulu parondulla – We are drinking

Ir/nikulu parondullar – You are drinking

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr paronduller – They are drinking

undekulu/aikulu parondulla – They are drinking

tin (tinpini) – To eat

tin + ondu >>> tinondu – eating

yAn tinondullae – I am eating

I tinondulla – You are eating

Aye/imbe tinondulle – He is eating

Al/mOlu tinondullal – She is eating

au/undu tinonduNDu – It is eating

nama/enkulu tinondulla – We are eating

Ir/nikulu tinondullar – You are eating

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tinonduller – They are eating

undekulu/aikulu tinondulla – They are eating

bar (barpini) – To come

bar + ondu >>> barondu – coming

yAn barondullae – I am coming

I barondulla – You are coming

Aye/imbe barondulle – He is coming

Al/mOlu barondullal – She is coming

au/undu baronduNDu – It is coming

nama/enkulu barondulla – We are coming

Ir/nikulu barondullar – You are coming

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baronduller – They are coming

undekulu/aikulu barondulla – They are coming

rA (rApini) – To fly

rA + ondu >>> rAvondu – flying

yAn rAvondullae – I am flying

I rAvondulla – You are flying

Aye/imbe rAvondulle – He is flying

Al/mOlu rAvondullal – She is flying

au/undu rAvonduNDu – It is flying

nama/enkulu rAvondulla – We are flying

Ir/nikulu rAvondullar – You are flying

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr rAvonduller – They are flying

undekulu/aikulu rAvondulla – They are flying

malpA (malpAvuni) – cause to do/have someone do

malpA + ondu >>> malpAvondu – having someone do

yAn malpAvondullae – I am having someone do

I malpAvondulla – You are having someone do

Aye/imbe malpAvondulle – He is having someone do

Al/mOlu malpAvondullal – She is having someone do

au/undu malpAvonduNDu – It is having someone do

nama/enkulu malpAvondulla – We are having someone do

Ir/nikulu malpAvondullar – You are having someone do

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malpAvonduller – They are having someone do

undekulu/aikulu malpAvondulla – They are having someone do

Example Sentences:

Tulu: yAn TV tUvondullae

English: I am watching TV

Kannada: nAnu TV nODtA iddEne

Tulu: Ir ittae tulu kaltondullar

English: You are learning Tulu now

Kannada: nIvu Iga tuLu kalitA iddIra

Tulu: I dAda maltondulla?

English: What are you doing?

Kannada: nInu Enu mADtiddIya?

Tulu: enk nidrae baronduNDu

English: I am feeling sleepy

Kannada: nanage nidde bartA ide

Tulu: enk tarae bEne AvonduNDu

English: I am having head ache

English: nanage tale nOvu AgtA ide

Tulu: Aye uNondulle

English: He is having lunch/dinner

Kannada: avanu UTa mADtA iddAne

Tulu: akulu kabaDDi gobbonduller

English: They are playing Kabaddi

Kannada: avaru kabaDDi ADtA iddAre

Tulu: enkulu kuNTu ardondulla

English: We are washing the clothes

Kannada: nAvu baTTe ogitA iddEve

Tulu: barsa baronduNDu

English: It is raning

Kannada: maLe bartA ide

In Tulu Present Continuous tense is also used for Present Perfect Continuous.

Examples:

Tulu: yAn mulpa mUji varsoDdinchi (varsoDd + inchi) bElae maltondullae

English: I have been working here for 3 years.

Kannada: nAnu illi mUru varshadinda kelasa mADtA iddEne

Tulu: Al kANDeDdinchi ninan kAtondullal

English: She has been waiting for you from the morning.

Kannada: avaLu beLiggeyinda ninnannu kAytA iddALe

Tulu: nAl dinaDdinchi barsa baronduNDu

English: It has been raining for 4 days

Kannada: nAlku dinadinda maLe bartA ide.

Tulu: I raDD tingoluDdinchi tulu kaltondulla

English: You have been learning Tulu for 2 months

Kannada: nInu eraDu tingaLinda tuLu kalitA iddIya

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

I hope you enjoyed the lesson! If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If
you find this lesson helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 17: Negative and Interrogative in Present
Continuous Tense

Hello All! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn negative and interrogative form of sentences in Present Continuous Tense.

We already know Present Continuous Tense in Tulu.

E.g: yAn bareyondullae (bareyondu + ullae) – I am writing

All we need to do is just replace the verb „ul‟ with „ijji‟ to make our sentences negative in present continuous
tense.

yAn ijjae – I am not

I ijja – You are not

Aye/imbe ijje – He is not

Al/mOlu ijjal – She is not

au/undu ijji – It is not

nama/enkulu ijja – We are not

Ir/nikulu ijjar – You are not

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr ijjer – They are not

undekulu/aikulu ijja – They are not

I am not writing >> yAn bareyondu ijjae (Kannada: nAnu bareyuttilla)

yAn bareyondijjae – I am not writing

I bareyondijja – You are not writing

Aye/imbe bareyondijje – He is not writing

Al/mOlu bareyondijjal – She is not writing

au/undu bareyondijji – It is not writing

nama/enkulu bareyondijja – We are not writing

Ir/nikulu bareyondijjar – You are not writing

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bareyondijjer – They are not writing

undekulu/aikulu bareyondijja – They are not writing

Let‟s see more examples:

pAter (pAteruni) – To speak/talk

yAn pAterondijjae – I am not speaking

I pAterondijja – You are not speaking

Aye/imbe pAterondijje – He is not speaking

Al/mOlu pAterondijjal – She is not speaking

au/undu pAterondijji – It is not speaking

nama/enkulu pAterondijja – We are not speaking

Ir/nikulu pAterondijjar – You are not speaking

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pAterondijjer – They are not speaking

undekulu/aikulu pAterondijja – They are not speaking

pO (pOpini) – To go

yAn pOvondijjae – I am not going

I pOvondijja – You are not going

Aye/imbe pOvondijje – He is not going

Al/mOlu pOvondijjal – She is not going

au/undu pOvondijji – It is not going

nama/enkulu pOvondijja – We are not going

Ir/nikulu pOvondijjar – You are not going

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOvondijjer – They are not going

undekulu/aikulu pOvondijja – They are not going

naDapu (naDapuni) – To walk

yAn naDatondijjae – I am not walking

I naDatondijja – You are not walking

Aye/imbe naDatondijje – He is not walking

Al/mOlu naDatondijjal – She is not walking

au/undu naDatondijji – It is not walking

nama/enkulu naDatondijja – We are not walking

Ir/nikulu naDatondijjar – You are not walking

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr naDatondijjer – They are not walking

undekulu/aikulu naDatondijja – They are not walking

tOju (tOjuni) - To be seen/be visible

yAn tOjondijjae – I am not visible

I tOjondijja – You are not visible

Aye/imbe tOjondijje – He is not visible

Al/mOlu tOjondijjal – She is not visible

au/undu tOjondijji – It is not visible

nama/enkulu tOjondijja – We are not visible

Ir/nikulu tOjondijjar – You are not visible

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tOjondijjer – They are not visible

undekulu/aikulu tOjondijja – They are not visible

Example Sentences:

Tulu: yAn illaDe pOvondijjae

English: I am not going home

Kannda: nAnu manege hOgtilla

Tulu: I satya paNondijja

Englis: You are not saying the truth

Kannada: nInu satya hELtilla

Tulu: Aye jettondijje

English: He is not sleeping

Kannada: avanu malagtilla

Tulu: Al tulu kaltondijjal

English: She is not learning Tulu

Kannada: avaLu tulu kalitilla

Tulu: barsa barondijji

English: It is not raining

Kannada: maLe bartilla

Tulu: jOkulu bultondijja

English: The babies are not crying

Kannada: makkaLu aLutilla

Tulu: AkAshoDu pakkilu rAvondijja

English: Birds are not flying in the sky.

Kannada: AkAshadalli hakkigaLu hArtilla

Tulu: enkulu iren kAtondijja

English: We are not waiting for you

Kannada: nAvu nimannu kAytilla

Tulu: nikulu bAkil dettondijjar

English: You are not opening the door

Kannada: nIvu bAgilu tereyuttilla

Tulu: ittae enk dAla tOjondijji

English: Now, I can‟t see anything

Kannada: Iga nanage EnU kANutilla

In Tulu Present Continuous tense is also used for Present Perfect Continuous.

Examples:

Tulu: Aye onji varshoDdinchi eNDa pAterondijje

English: He has not been speaking with me for one year.

Kannada: avanu ondu varshadinda nannondige mAtADtilla

Tulu: mUji dinaDdinchi barsa barondijji

English: It has not been raining for 3 days

Kannada: mUru dinadinda maLe bartilla.

Interrogative form of sentences in Present Continuous Tense:

We have to add „a‟ or „na‟ at the end to make interrogative form of sentences in Tulu. When speaking with
elders/strangers with respect, you can add „e‟ or „ne‟ instead of „a‟ or „na‟ at the end.

Tulu: yAn barondullena?

English: Am I coming?

Kannada: nAnu bartiddEna?

Tulu: nama sAleg pOvondullana?

English: Are we going to school?

Kannada: nAvu shAlege hOgtiddEva?

Tulu: I ittae Odondijjana?

English: Aren‟t you reading now?

Kannada: nInu Iga Oduttilva?

Tulu: Ir ittae uNondijjare?

English: Aren‟t you having lunch now?

Kannada: nIvu Iga UTa mADtilva?

Tulu: nikulu bElae maltondijjara?

English: Aren‟t you working?

Kannada: nIvu kelasa mADtilva?

Tulu: Aye niNDa dAla paNondullena?

English: Is he telling you anything?

Kannada: avanu ninnalli EnAdarU hELtiddAna?

Tulu: Al teltondullala?

English: Is she smiling?

Kannada: avaLu nagtiddALa?

Tulu: nAyi koretonduNDa?

English: Is the dog barking?

Kannada: nAyi bogaLuttideya?

Tulu: puchchae pEr parondijja?

English: Isn‟t the cat drinking milk?

Kannada: bekku hAlu kuDitilva?

Tulu: akulu enan lettondijjera?

Kannada: avaru nannannu karitilva?

English: Aren‟t they calling me?

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

Alright! If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson
helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 18: Uses of Gerunds (Verbal Adverbs)

namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn something new, i.e.Verbals. Verbals are forms of verb which is used as
another part of speech like nouns, adjectives or adverbs in a sentence.

Following are the types of verbals in Tulu:

 Gerunds or verbal adverbs (Present, Past Perfect and Negative)

 Participles or verbal adjectives (Present, Simple Past, Past Perfect and Negative)
 Infinitives (Present, Simple Past, Past Perfect and Negative)
Let us look into only gerunds today. Next week we will cover participles/verbal adjectives and
infinitives.

Gerunds are mainly used as adverbs in Tulu. There are three forms; Present, Past Perfect and
Negative.

Present gerund: suffix „ondu‟

Examples:

maltondu – doing (Kannada: mADtA)

pOvondu – going ( Kannada: hOgtA)
ittondu – being (Kannada: iruttA)
tiNondu – eating (Kannada: tinnuttA)

We have already learned this form in Present Continuous tense. This form is used to express the
mode how an action is done.

Tulu: Aye baltondu batte

English: He came running
Kannada: avanu ODtA banda

Tulu: akulu pAterondu bElae maltonduller

English: They are speaking and working.
Kannada: avaru mAtannADtA kelasa mADtiddAre

Tulu: Al teltondu pOyal

English: avaLu nagtA hOdaLu
Kannada: She went smiling

Tulu: sudae paratondu kaDal sEruNDu

English: River flows and joins the sea.
Kannada: nadi haritA samudra sErtade.

Tulu: mange maroDdu maroku lAgyondu pONDu.

English: The monkey went jumping from tree to tree.
Kannada: manga maradinda marakke jigitA hOytu.

Past gerund (Perfect): suffix „d‟

Examples:

malt‟d – having done (Kannada: mADi)

itt‟d – having been (Kannada: iddu)
pOdu – having gone (Kannada: hOgi)
tiND‟d or tind – having eaten (Kannada: tindu)

Note: “tiND‟d” also pronounced as “tind” in common Tulu and so all verbs ending in „N‟. E.g.
kEND‟d >> kEnd, uND‟d >> undu, paND‟d >> pand

We have already learned this form in Present Perfect tense. This form is used to express actions in
sequence.

Tulu: Aye uND‟d (undu) jette

English: He had lunch/dinner and slept. (Having had dinner/lunch, he slept)
Kannada: avanu UTa mADi malagida

Tulu: Aye kANdae enma gaNTeg lakk‟d, mId, chA pard sAleg pOye
English: He got up at 8 O‟clock, took bath, had tea and went to school.
Kannda: avanu beLagge eNTu gaNTege eddu, snAna mADi, chaha kuDidu shAlege hOda

Tulu: yAn AyeDa paND‟d (pand) barpae

English: I will tell him and come (Having told him, I will come)
Kannada: nAnu avanige hELi bartEne

Tulu: enkulu pOdu barpa

English: We will go and come. (Having gone, we will come)
Kannada: nAvu hOgi bartEve

Tulu: Ayena bElae mugit‟d illaDe pOye

English: Having finished his work, he went home.
Kannada: avana kelasa mugisi manage hOda

To express the reason or cause of actions:

Tulu: barsa batt‟d yAn chaNDi Ayae

English: It rained and so I got wet.
Kannada: maLe bandu odde Ade

Tulu: balt‟d balt‟d enk bachch‟ND

English: I am tired from running
Kannada: ODi ODi nanage sustAytu

Tulu: ninan tUdu enk kushi AND

English: I am happy seeing you
Kannada: ninnanu nODi kushi Aytu

To express time:

Tulu: Aye pOdu onji varsha AND

English: It‟s been one year since he went
Kannada: avanu hOgi ondu vasha Aytu.

Tulu: ninan tUdu mast samaya AND

English: It‟s been a long time since I saw you
Kannada: ninnannu nODi tumbA samayavAytu

Negative gerund: suffix „andae‟

Examples:

malpu + andae >>> malpandae - having not done (Kannada: mADade)

pOvandae – having not gone (Kannada: hOgade)
tiNandae – having not eaten (Kannada: tinnade)
uppandae – having not been (Kannada: irade)
ijjandae (or dAntae) – having not been (Kannada: illade)

Generally this form gives the meaning of „without‟.

Tulu: satya paNandae bEtae sAdi ijji

English: Without telling the truth there is no other way
Kannada: satya hELade bEre dAri illa

Tulu: I dAntae (ijjandae) yAn bad‟kayae

Englsih: Without you I can‟t live
Kannada: nInu illade nAnu badukenu

Tulu: Aye eNDa paNandae pOye

English: He went without informing (telling) me
Kannda: avanu nanage hELade hOda

Tulu: Aye uNandae jette

English: Without having lunch/dinner, he slept
Kannada: avanu UTa mADade malagida

To express the reason or cause of actions:

Tulu: imbe Odandae parIksheD fail Aye

English: He failed in the exam by not reading
Kannada: ivanu Odade parIksheyalli fail Ada

Tulu: yAn teriyandae tappu maltae

English: I did a mistake unknowingly
Kannada: nAnu tiLiyade tappu mADide

To express time:

Tulu: akulu barandae onji varsha AND

English: It‟s been one year since they came
Kannada: avaru barade ondu varsha Aytu

Tulu: ninan tUvande mast samaya AND

English: It‟s been a long time since I saw you
Kannada: ninnannu nODade tumbA samayavAytu

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson
helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 19: Adjectives Part 2 - Uses of Participles

namaskAra! Welcome back!
Today we are going to learn another verbal which is called Participles or verbal adjectives. There are 4
forms: Present, Simple Past, Past Perfect and Negative.

Present participle: suffix „u‟ and „pi‟

Suffix „u‟ is added to Class B root verbs and suffix „pi‟ is added to Class A root verbs.

Examples:

Class A:

bar + pi >> barpi – Coming

tiN + pi >> tiNpi – Eating

pO + pi >>> pOpi – Going

paN + pi >>> paNpi - telling/saying

Class B:

kEN + u >>> kEnu – hearing/asking

malpu + u >>> malpu – doing

bUru + u >>> bUru – falling

pAD + u >>> pADu - putting / wearing

Past participle (Simple): suffix „i‟

Suffix „i‟ is added to Simple Past verb stem:

batt + i >>>> batti – came / was come

malt + i >>> malti – did / was done

tU(i) + i >>> tUyi – saw / was seen

kEND + i >>> kENDi – heard or asked / was heard/asked

paND + i >>> paNDi – told or said / was told/said

jett + i >>> jetti – slept / was slept

bUr(i) + i >>> bUri – fell / was fallen

itt + i >>> itti – was / was been

Past participle (Perfect): Past Gerund + suffix „i‟

Suffix „i‟ is added to Past Gerund (Perfect):

Examples:

batt‟d + i >>> batt‟di >>> baidi – has come

malt‟d + i >>> malt‟di – has done

tUd + i >>> tUti – has seen

kEnd + i >>> kEndi – has heard/asked

pand + i >>> panti – has told/said

jett‟d + i >>> jett‟di >>> jeidi – has slept

bUrd + i >>> bUrdi – has fallen

itt‟d + i >>> itt‟di - has been

tind + i >>> tinti – has eaten

Negative participle: suffix „andi‟

Suffix „andi‟ is added to root verb.

barandi – has not come

malpandi – has not done

pOvandi –has not gone

tiNandi –has not eaten

uppandi –has not been

ijjandi (or dAnti) – has not been

The participles in Tulu are mainly used as adjectives or in relative clauses. The Genitive case suffix „na‟ can
be optionally added.

Examples:

Tulu: barpi vAra / barpina vAra

Enlish: Coming week or Next Week

Kannada: baruva vAra

Tulu: parappu nIr / parappuna nIr

English: Flowing water

Kannada: hariyuva nIru

Tulu: parpi nIr / parpina nIr

English: Drinking water

Kannada: kuDiyuva nIru

Tulu: bIju gAli / bIjuna gAli

English: Blowing wind

Kannada: bIsuva gALi

Tulu: pOyi tingolu / pOyina tinglu

English: The month that went or last month

Kannada: hOda tingaLu

Tulu: malti bElae / maltina bElae

English: The work that was done

Kannada: mADida kelasa

Tulu: paNDi pAtera / paNDina pAtera

English: The speech that was spoken or promise that was made

Kannada: ADida mAtu

Tulu: tUyi kaNN / tUyina kaNN

English: The eyes that saw

Kannada: nODida kaNNu

Tulu: baidi binner / baidina binner

English: The guests who have come

Kannada: bandiruva neNTaru

Tulu: tUti jana / tUtina jana

English: The people who have seen

Kannada: nODiruva jana

Tulu: kalt‟di bAsae / kalt‟dina bAsae

English: The language that has been learned / The learned language

Kannada: kalitiruva bAshe

Tulu: paridi angi / paridina angi

English: The shirt that has been torn / The torn shirt

Kannada: harida angi

Tulu: tUvandi Uru / tUvandina Uru

English: The village that is not seen

Kannada: nODada Uru

Tulu: bUrandi mara / bUrandina mara

English: The tree that has not fallen

Tulu: yAn barpi vAra barpae

English: I will come next week

Kannada: nAnu baruva vAra bartEne

Tulu: undu parpina nIra?

English: Is it drinking water?

Kannada: idu kuDiyuva nIra?

Tulu: Ir korpina kAs enk yAvuji

English: The money that you give is not enough for me

Kannada: nIvu koDuva duDDu nanage sAkAguvudilla

Tulu: yAn malpuna bElae mast banga uNDu

English: The work I do is very difficult.

Kannada: nAnu mADuva kelasa tumbA kashTa ide

Tulu: yAn paNDi pAtera tatt‟d naDapayae

English: I will never break the promise I made.

Kannada: nAnu ADida (koTTa) mAtu tappi naDeyenu

Tulu: nama puTTudu balattina Uru

English: The village where we born and grew up

Kannada: nAvu huTTi beLeda Uru

Tulu: tulu panpi bAsae

English: A language called Tulu

Kannada: tuLu ennuvavbAshe

Tulu: nIr itti guvel

English: A well which has water

Kannada: nIru iruva bAvi

Tulu: nIr dAnti guvel

English: A well which doesn‟t have water

Kannada: nIru illada bAvi

Tulu: gati dAnti naramAni

English: A helpless man

Kannada: gati illada manushya

Tulu: Avandi bElae

English: Work that was not done

Kannada: Agada kelasa

Tulu: nama batti sAdi

English: The way by which we came

Kannda: nAvu banda dAri

Tulu: yAn uppuna ill

English: The house in which I reside

Kannda: nAnu iruva mane

Like adjectives, participles can also be used with pronouns to indicate gender and number.

tUpinAyae – He who sees (Kannada: nODuvavanu)

pOyinAl – She who went (Kannada: hOdavaLu)

partinakulu – They who have drunken (Kannada: kuDidiruvavaru)

barandinAr – He/She who has not come (Kannada: baradavaru)

malpunau – That which does

(Kannada: mADuvadu)

Tulu: kAs ittinAye / kAs uppunAye

English: The one who has money

Kannada: duDDiruvavanu

Tulu: kAs dAntinAye

English: The one who doesn't have money

Kannada: duDDilladavanu

Tulu: I maltinau sari att

English: What you did is not right

Kannada: nInu mADiddu sari alla

Tulu: ini barandinakulu ellae baruver

English: Those who did not come today may come tomorrow

Kannada: ivattu baradavaru nALe bandAru

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

That is all for today. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 20: Uses of Infinitives

namaskAra! Welcome back!
Today we are going to learn one more verbal which is called Infinitives. There are two infinitives in Tulu.
The first form is formed by adding the suffix „ni‟. The second is formed by the suffix „erae‟.

First Infinitive: Suffix „ni‟ (also we can see „na‟ or „ne‟ in some dialects).

The suffix „ni‟ is added to participles.

Present: barpi + ni >>> barpini – (to) come or coming (Kannada: baruvudu)

Simple Past: batti + ni >>> battini – Came (Kannada: bandadu)

Past Perfect: baidi + ni >>> baidini – have come (Kannada: bandiruvudu)

Negative: barandi + ni >>> barandini – have not come (Kannada: baradiruvudu)

This form is generally used instead of personal forms of verbs in questions or answering questions or when
emphasizing the action (verb).

Example:

Er battini? – Who came? (Kannada: yAru bandadu?)

In the above example, we already know someone has come, but we don‟t know who it is. So we are
emphasizing the verb „came‟ in the sentence. I don‟t think we have certain rules on using infinitives instead
of personal forms of verbs in Tulu, but it works as same as Kannada or other Dravidian languages.

Let us see more examples:

Tulu: I dAye battini?

English: Why did you come?

Kannada: nInu Eke bandadu?

Tulu: I ODe pOpini?

English: Where do you go? (Where are you going?)

Kannada: nInu ellige hOguvudu?

Tulu: Aye ittae pOyini

English: He went (has gone) just now

Kannada: avanu Iga hOdadu

Tulu: nikulu Epa baidini?

Englih: When did you all come? (When have you come?)

Kannada: nIvu yAvaga bandiruvudu?

Tulu: Er barandini?

English: Who did not come?

Kannada: yAru baradiruvudu?

Tulu: akulu kODae battini, ini pOpini

English: They came yesterday and will go today.

Kannada: avaru ninne bandadu, ivattu hOguvudu

Tulu: I lettinekk yAn battini

English: I came because you called me

Kannada: nInu karedadakke nAnu bandadu

Tulu: I paNDinekk yAn maltini

English: I did it because you told me

Kannada: nInu hELidakke nAnu mADidu

Infinitives can also be used as nouns:

Tulu: barpini pOpini

English: Coming and going

Kannada: baruvudu hOguvudu

Tulu: parpini ArOgyag eDDae att

English: Drinking is not good for health

Kannada: kuDiyuvudu ArOgyakke oLLeyadalla

Tulu: tulu kalpuni mast sulabha

English: Learnig Tulu is very easy

Kannada: tuLu kaliyuvudu tumbA sulabha

Second Infinitive: suffix „erae‟

The suffix „erae‟ is added to root verb. However, an extra „y‟ sound is added to Class A verbs before adding
the suffix „erae‟

Examples:

bar + erae >>> baryerae / barrae – To come

pO + erae >>> pOyerae – To go

tU + erae >>> tUyerae - To see

tiN + erae >>> tiNyerae / tiNDrae – To eat

uN + erae >>> uNyerae / uNDrae – To have lunch/dinner

ker + erae >>> keryerae / kerrae – To kill

kor + erae >>> koryere / korrae – To give

malpu + erae >>> malperae – To do

uppu + erae >>> upperae – To be

kEN + erae >>> kENerae / kENDrae – To ask/hear

untu + erae >>> unterae – To stand

kullu + erae >>> kullerae – To sit

bUru + erae >>> bUrerae / bUrrae – To fall

dettoNu + erae >>> dettoNerae / dettoNDrae – To take (for oneself)

malpA + erae >>> malpAyerae – To make someone do

This form is used same as „to + verb‟ in English. Sometimes the dative case suffix „g‟ is used with this form
optionally.

Tulu: yAn ninan tUyerae battini / yAn ninan tUyereg battini

English: I came to see you

Kannada: nAnu ninnannu nODalu (nODalikke) bandadu

Tulu: enk tulu pAterrae (pAtererae) barpuji

English: I don‟t know to speak Tulu

Kannada: nanage tuLu mAtannADalu baruvudilla

Tulu: enk sAleg pOyerae uNDu

English: I have to go to school

Kannada: nanage shAlege hOgalikke ide

Tulu: nikk malparae dAla bElae ijja?

English: Don‟t you have anything to do?

Kannada: ningae mADalikke EnU kelasa ilva?

Tulu: Ayen telipAyerae enaDd sAdya ijji

English: It‟s not possible for me to make him smile

Kannada: avanannu nagisalu nanninda sAdhya illa

Tulu: enk ninan madaperae Apuji

English: I can‟t forget you (It‟s not possible for me to forget you)

Kannada: nanage ninnanu mareyalikke Aguvudilla

Tulu: enk buliperae barpuNDu

English: I feel like to cry

Kannada: nanage aLu bartade

Tulu: ireg tiNDrae (tiNyarae) dAla bODe?

English: Do you want anything to eat?

Kannada: nimage tinnalikke EnAdrU bEka?

„bODu‟ is a modal verb in Tulu which means „want‟, „need‟. Its opposite is „boDchi‟ which means „not
wanted‟, „need not‟.

Examples:

Tulu: enk nIr bODu

English: I want water

Kannada: nanage nIru bEku

Tulu: nikk chA bODa?

Enlglish: Do you want tea?

Kannda: ninage chaha bEka?

Tulu: enk chA boDchi, kAphi bODu

English: I don‟t want tea, I want coffee

Kannda: nanage chaha bEDa, kAphi bEku

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 21: Imperative Mood

namaskAra! Welcome back!
So far we have finished 20 lessons in Tulu. I hope you are enjoying the lessons. If you have any
feedbacks, please let me know. Today we are going to learn imperative forms in Tulu. The
imperative mood is verb form that generally used to make a command or a request. Look at these
sentences in English:

Go!
Be quit!
Let us go!
Let him do!

Now we are going to learn these types of sentences in Tulu.

Let us look at all of the imperative forms used in Tulu:

Singular Plural
Example: Example:
Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending
malpu malpu
First Person yAn - - nama ka/ga malpuga
la / malpula
Second Person I nikulu/Ir le malpule
nothing / malpu
Masc. Aye/imbe aD malpaD
Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr aD malpaD
Fem. Al/mOlu aD malpaD
Person
Neut. au/undu aD malpaD aikulu/undekulu aD malpaD

First Person Imperative forms:

First person plural imperatives are used mainly for suggesting an action to be performed together
by the speaker and the listener.

Tulu does not have imperative forms for the first person singular „yAn‟.

As we know, we have two pronouns for first person plural in Tulu, they are:
1. nama - the person to whom spoken is also included
2. enkulu - the person to whom spoken is not included
Only „nama‟ has imperative form in Tulu.

To make imperative form for the pronoun „nama‟, we have to add „ka/ga‟ to root verbs. („ka‟ for
Class A verbs and „ga‟ for Class B verbs)

Root verb + ka/ga

malpu + ga >>> malpuga – Let us do (Kannda: mADONa)

bar + ka >>> barka – Let us come (Kannada: barONa)
uN + ka >>> uNka – Let us have lunch/dinner (Kannada: uTa mADONa)
kullu + ga >>> kulluga – Let us sit (Kannada: kuLitukoLLONa)
telipu + ga >>> telipuga Let us smile/laugh (Kannada: nagONa)
kEN + ga >>> kENga – Let us ask/hear (Kannada: kELONa)
paN + ka >>> paNka – Let us say (Kannada: hELONa)
tU + ka >>> tUka – Let us see (Kannada: nODONa)
tUpA + ga >>> tUpAga – Let us show (Kannada: tOrisONa)
pO + ka >>> pOka or pOyi – Let us go (Kannada: hOGONa)

The verb „pO‟ is irregular. The imperative form „pOyi‟ is used more frequently compared to „pOka‟.

Examples:

Tulu: nama ellae tikk‟ga

English: Let us meet tomorrow
Kannada: nAvu nALe sigONa

Tulu: nama kuDlag pOyi

English: Let us go to Mangalore
Kannada: nAvu mangaLUrige hOgONa

Tulu: dAda ApuNDu tUka

English: Let us see what will happen
Kannada: Enu Agtade nODONa

Tulu: nama kushiT uppuga

English: Let us be happy
Kannada: nAvu khushiyinda irONA

Tulu: ini naDatondu pOyi

English: Let us go walking today
Kannada: ivattu naDedukoNDu hOgONa

Tulu: nama tulu kalpuga

English: Let us learn Tulu
Kannada: nAvu tuLu kaliyONa

Tulu: nama ini movie‟g pOya?

English: Let‟s go to movie today?
Kannada: nAvu ivattu movie‟ge hOgONva?

Tulu: chA parkana, boDcha?

English: Let us have tea or not?
Kannada: chaha kuDiyONva, bEDva?

There is no negative imperative form for the first persons in Tulu, but this can be expressed by
using the negative gerund with imperative forms of the verb „uppu‟.
Examples:

Tulu: nama pOvandae uppuga

English: Let us not go
Kannda: nAvu hOgadirONa

Tulu: nama manipande uppuga

English: Let us not talk
Kannda: nAvu summane (mAtannADade) irONa

Tulu: nama dAla tiNandae uppuga

English: Let us not eat anything
Kannada: nAvu EnU tinnadirONa

Second Person Imperative forms:

Second Person imperatives are used for ordering, requesting or advising the listener to do
something and to express a wish.

Usually the root verb itself is the imperative form for the second person singular. We can add the
suffix „la‟ optionally to the root verb. However, adding the suffix „la‟ is mandatory for the verbs
with single syllable like tU, dI, mI, rA, A, sai (except pO) to make second person singular
imperative forms.

Root verb + la

malpu or malpula - Come (Kannada: mADu)

kEN or kENla - Hear/Ask/Listen (Kannada: kELu)
paN or paNla - Tell/Say (Kannada: hELu)
pO or pOla - Go (Kannada: hOgu)
tUla – See/Look (Kannada: nODu)
Ala – Become (Kannada: Agu)
rAla – Fly (Kannada: hAru)
dIla – Keep or Place (Kannada: iDu)

The verb „bar‟ is irregular.

bar + la >>> balla >>> bala – Come (Kannada: bA)

To make second person plural imperative forms, the suffix „le‟ is added to root verbs.

Root verb + le

bar + le >>> balle >>> bale – Come (Kannada: banni)

kENle - Hear/Ask/Listen (Kannada: kELi)
paNle - Tell/Say (Kannada: hELi)
pOle - Go (Kannada: hOgi)
tUle – See/Look (Kannada: nODi)
Ale – Become (Kannada: Agi)
rAle – Fly (Kannada: hAri)
dIle – Keep or Place (Kannada: iDi)

Examples:
Tulu: rAma! iDe bala
English: Rama! Come here
Kannada: rAma! illi bA

Tulu: pENTeg pOdu ari kanala

English: Go to the bazaar and bring some rice
Kannada: pETege hOgi akki koNDu bA

Tulu: onji lOTae nIr koru

English: Give me a glass of water
Kannada: ondu lOTa nIru koDu

Tulu: satya paN

English: Tell the truth
Kannada: satya hELu

Tulu: sAleg pO
English: Go to school
Kannada: shAlege hOgu

Tulu: jAgrateD uppula

English: Be Careful
Kannada: jAgrateyinda iru

Tulu: ninna bElae malpu

English: Do your work
Kannda: ninna kelasa mADu

Tulu: posa angi dettoNDana? enk tUpAv (tOjAv)

English: Did you buy a new dress? Show it to me
Kannada: hosa angi takoNDeya? nanage tOrisu

Tulu: bAlen jeppAla

English: Make the baby to sleep
Kannada: maguvannu malagisu

Tulu: enan tUla

English: Look at me
Kannda: nannannu nODu

Tulu: nIr parle

English: Drink some water
Kannda: nIru kuDIri

Tulu: aven tirt dIle

English: Put that down
Kannada: adannu keLage iDi

Tulu: Ayen leppule

English: Call him
Kannda: avanannu karIri

Tulu: bAkil deppule

English: Open the door
Kannda: bAgilu tegIri
Tulu: manipande kullule
English: Sit Quietly
Kannada: summane kuLitukoLLi

Tulu: dayadId enan artha maltoNle

English: Please try to understand me
Kannada: dayaviTTu nannannu artha mADikoLLi

Tulu: enna bag‟n vantae pattoNle

English: Hold my bag for a moment
Kannada: nanna bag’annu swalpa hiDidukoLLi

Tulu: nUdu varsha kushiT bad‟k‟le

English: May you live 100 years happily
Kannada: nUru varsha kushiyinda bALi

Imperative forms can be used in a variety of ways depending on the persons you are addressing.

bala / pO (pOla) – Come / Go (Kannda: bA / hOgu): Informal or singular – can be used for
both male and female friends/younger persons

balaya / pOya - Come / Go (Kannada: bAra / hOga): Informal or singular – can be used for
both male and female friends/younger persons

balambae / pOmbae – Come / Go (Kannada: bAro / hOgo): Informal or singular – can be

used for male friends/younger persons – Don‟t use this for any one unless your close friend

balade / pOde - Come / Go (Kannada: bAre / hOge): informal or singular – can be used for
female friends/younger persons – Don‟t use this for any one unless your close friend

bale / pOle – Come / Go (Kannada: banni / hOgi): Plural or to show respect to a person –
can be used for both male and female elder persons/strangers

baleye / pOleye – Come / Go (Kannada: banniri / hOgiri): To show respect to a person –

can be used for both male and female elders/strangers

To make negative imperative forms for the second persons, add the suffix „aDa‟ (singular) or „aDe‟
(plural) to root verbs.

Examples:

Tulu: iDe baraDa

English: Don‟t come here
Kannada: illi barabEDa

Tulu: sullu paNaDa

English: Don‟t tell a lie
Kannada: suLLu hELbEDa

Tulu: enan tUvaDa

English: Don‟t look at me
Kannda: nannannu nODabEDa

Tulu: amasara malpaDe

English: Don‟t hurry
Kannada: avasara mADbEDi
Tulu: Ayen leppaDe
English: Don‟t call him
Kannda: avanannu karibEDi

Tulu: enan madapaDe

English: Don‟t forget me
Kannada: nannannu maribEDi

Also, there is another negative imperative form for the second persons that can be formed by
adding the suffix „oDchi‟ (for both singular and plural) which is derived from modal verb „boDchi‟
(Don‟t want/Don‟t need)

Tulu: aDe pOvoDchi

English: Don‟t go there
Kannada: alli hOgbEDa

Tulu: enan tUvoDchi

English: Don‟t look at me
Kannad: nannannu nODbEDa

Tulu: eNDa pAteroDchi

English: Don‟t talk with me
Kannada: nannondige mAtannADabEDa

Tulu: pODyoDchi
English: Don‟t be scared
Kannda: hedarbEDa

Third Person Imperative forms:

Third person imperatives are used to suggest or order that third parties be permitted to do
something and to express a wish.

To make third person imperative forms (both singular and plural), the suffix „aD‟ is added to root
verbs.

Root verb + aD

bar + aD >>> baraD – Let it/him/her/them come (Kannada: barali)

kENaD – Let it/him/her/them hear/ask (Kannada: kELali)
tiNaD - Let it/him/her/them eat (Kannada: tinnali)
pOvaD - Let it/him/her/them go (Kannada: hOgali)
AvaD - Let it/him/her/them be/become (Kannada: Agali)
uppaD - Let it/him/her/them be (Kannada: irali)

Tulu: anchene AvaD

English: Let it be so
Kannada: hAgE Agali

Tulu: Aye ellae baraD

English: Let him come tomorrow
Kannada: avanu nAle barali

Tulu: Al onas malpaD

English: Let her eat her lunch/dinner
Kannada: avaLu UTa mADali

Tulu: I bAjana dekk‟la, Aye kuNTu ardaD

English: You wash the dishes, let him wash the clothes.
Kannada: nInu pAtre toLi, avanu baTTe ogeyali

Tulu: akulu bAlen tUvoNaD

English: Let them take care of the baby
Kannada: avaru maguvannu nODikoLLali

Tulu: Aye pidai kApaD

English: Let him wait outside
Kannada: avanu horage kAyali

Tulu: Aye ittae pOvaDa?

English: Let him go now?
Kannada: avanu Iga hOgala?

Tulu: Ar tIrmAna malpaD

English: Let him/her decide
Kannada: avaru tIrmAna mADali

Tulu: nikk dEver eDDae malpaD

English: May God bless you
Kannada: ninage dEvaru oLLedu mADali

Tulu: mAta janokulu kushiT uppaD

English: May all the people be happy
Kannada: ellA janaru kushiyinda irali

There is no negative imperative form for the third persons in Tulu, but this can be expressed by
using the negative gerund with imperative forms of the verb „uppu‟.

Tulu: Aye barandae uppaD

English: Let him not come
Kannada: avanu barade irali

Tulu: akulu manipandae uppaD

English: Let them not speak (be quiet)
Kannada: avaru summane (mAtannADade) irali

Tulu: ancha Avandae uppaD

English: Let it not be so
Kannada: hAge Agadirali

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson
helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 22: Interrogative and Indefinite Pronouns
namaskAra! Welcome back!
Today we are going to learn something very easy i.e. Interrogative and Indefinite Pronouns. We have
already learned Subjective (Personal) pronouns in the lesson 2.

An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun which is used in order to ask questions. In Tulu we have following
interrogative pronouns:

Tulu Kannada English

dAda(u) Enu What

dAnae Enu What

enchina(u) Enu / entadu What

Er yAru Who

vou yAvudu Which one

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that does not refer to any person or thing in particular. Some of the
indefinite Pronouns in Tulu are:

Tulu Kannada English

dAla EnU Anything

dAdANDala EnAdarU Anything / Something

dAdana EnO Something

Erla yArU Anyone

EraNDala yArAdarU Anyone / Someone

Era yArO Someone

oriye obba One person (M)

 orti obbaLu One person (F)

onji ondu One thing

kuDonji innondu Another thing

kuDoriye innobba Another Person (M)

kuDorti innobbaLu Another Person (F)

mAta ella All

mAterla ellArU Everyone

mAtala ellavU Everything

kelavu kelavu Some

kelever kelavaru Some People

Declensions of these pronouns are same as Subjective (Personal) Pronouns. But these pronouns are used in
only some cases.

Examples:

Eren – whom (yArannu)

EreDd – from/by whom (yArinda)

Ereg – for/to whom (yArige)

Erna – whose (yAra)

ErDa – with/to whom (yAralli/yArondige)

dAden – what (Enannu)

enchinen – what (Enannu)

enchineg – to/for what (Enakke)

voven (voin) – which one (yAvudannu)

voiDd – from/by which (yAvudarinda)

voik – for/to which (yAvudakke)

voita – of which (yAvudara)

voiT – in which (yAvudaralli)

voiTa – with/to which (yAvudarondige)

Let us now make some sentences using these pronouns:

Tulu: ninna pudar dAda (or enchina)?

English: What is your name?

Kannada: ninna hesaru Enu?

Tulu: au dAda?

English: What is that?

Kannada: adu Enu?

Tulu: I dAda bElae malpuni?

English: What job do you do?

Kannada: nInu Enu kelasa mADuvudu?

Tulu: Er battini?

English: Who came?

Kannada: yAru bandadu?

Tulu: dAnae battini?

English: Why did you come?

Kannada: Enu bandadu?

The word „dAnae‟ can give different meaning when used in different situations. In the above example it
gives the meaning of „why‟ or „for what purpose‟. It can also be used to express greetings when people meet
one another.

Tulu: dAnae! encha ullar?

English: Hello, How are you?

Kannada: Enu! hEgiddIra?

Tulu: boka dAnae vishEsha?

English: Then what‟s special?

Kannada: matte Enu vishEsha?

Tulu: I kathen Er baretini?

English: Who has written this story?

Kannada: I katheyannu yAru barediruvudu

Tulu: undu Erna ill?

English: Whose house is this?

Kannada: idu yAra mane?

Tulu: EreDa paNDa?

English: With whom did you tell?

Kannada: yAralli hELide?

Tulu: I raDD angileD nikk vou Avu?

English: Which one do you chose from these two shirts?

Kannada: I eraDu angigaLalli ninage yAvudu AdItu?

Tulu: nikk dAla paNDrae (paNyerae) uNDa?

English: Do you have anything to say?

Kannada: ninage EnAdarU hELalikke ideya?

Tulu: pODyoDchi, dAla Apuji!

English: Don‟t fear, nothing will happen!

Kannada: hedarbEDa, EnU Agalla!

Tulu: dAdANDala malpula

English: Do something

Kannada: EnAdarU mAdu

Tulu: Ayeg dAdana At‟ND

English: Something has happened to him.

Kannada: avanige EnO Agide

Tulu: illaD Erla ullera?

English: Is anyone home?

Kannada: maneyalli yArAdarU iddIra?

Tulu: Erla ijjer

English: No one is there

Kannada: yArU illa

Tulu: dayadId, ErANDala enk sAya malpule

English: Please someone help me

Kannada: dayaviTTu, yArAdarU nanage sahAya mADi

Tulu: ninan Era lettonduller

English: Someone is calling you

Kannada: ninnannu yAro karitA iddAre

Tulu: Era baider

English: Someone has come

Kannada: yArO bandiddAre

Tulu: Era baidijer

English: Someone has not come

Kannada: yArO bandilla

Tulu: Erla baidijer

English: No one has come

Kannada: yArU bandilla

Tulu: oriye udda itte, kuDoriye kudya itte

English: One was tall and the other was short

Kannada: obba udda idda, innobba giDDa idda

Tulu: mAta pOyer

English: All went

Kannada: ellA hoDaru

Tulu: mAterla ninan tUvondu itter

English: Everyone was looking at you

Kannada: ellarU ninnannu nODuttiddaru

Tulu: mAtala sama ApuNDu

English: Everything will be alright

Kannada: ellavU sari Agtade

Tulu: kelavu pettalu batta, kelavu nanala baidija

English: Some cows came (have arrived), but some have not come yet

Kannada: kelavu danagaLu bandavu, kelavu innU bandilla

Tulu: kelaver ini pOper, oridinakulu ellae pOper

English: Some will go today, rest of them will go tomorrow

Kannada: kelavaru ivattu hOgtAre, uLidavaru nALe hOgtAre

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 23: Potential mood (must, should, need,

can, may)
namaskAra! encha ullar?

Today we are going to learn Potential mood in Tulu. Potential mood is used to express ability, permission,
obligation, expectation or necessity of an action. Examples: He should come, You may go, He can write etc.

In Tulu, Potential mood is formed by using the following modal verbs or suffixes:

Suffix „oDu‟

Modal verb „boDchi‟

Suffix „oli‟

Modal verb „balli‟

Modal verbs „tIruni‟ or „Apini‟

Suffix „oDu‟: To express obligation, expectation or necessity (must, should or need)

The suffix „oDu‟ is derived from the modal verb „bODu‟ which means „want‟ or „need‟.

Root verb + oDu

bar + oDu >>> baroDu – should come / must come / need come (Kannada: barabEku)

tiN + oDu >>> tiNoDu – should eat / must eat / need eat (Kannada: tinnabEku)
malpu + oDu >>> malpoDu - should do / must do / need do (mADabEku)

malpA + oDu >>> malpAvoDu - should have someone do / must have someone do / need have someone do
(mADisabEku)

maltoNu + oDu >>> maltoNoDu - should do for oneself/ must do for oneself / need do for oneself
(mADikoLLabEku)

Modal verb „boDchi‟: To express suggestion or necessity (must not / should not / need not)

Modal verb „boDchi‟ (don‟t want or don‟t need) is directly added to infinitives (first form)

Infinitive (first form) + boDchi

pOpini + boDchi >>> pOpinaboDchi - should not go / must not go / need not go (Kannada:
hOguvudubEDa)

paNpini + boDchi >>> paNpinaboDchi – should not tell / must not tell / need not tell (Kannada:
hELuvudubEDa)

malpuni + boDchi >>> malpunaboDchi - should not do / must not do / need not do (Kannada:
mADuvudubEDa)

Suffix „oli‟: To express permission (may or can)

Root verb + oli

bar + oli >>> baroli – may come / can come / permitted to come (Kannada: barabahudu)

rA + oli >>> rAvoli – may fly (Kannada: hArabahudu)

jeppu + oli >>> jeppoli – may sleep (Kannada: malagabahudu)

malpu + oli >>> malpoli – may do (Kannada: mADabahudu)

In English „may‟ is also used to express probability. But in Tulu we have Uncertain Future Tense to express
probability.

Example:

Tulu: Aye ellae baruve

English: He may come tomorrow (He will probably come tomorrow)

Kannada: avanu nALe barabahudu (avanu nALe bandAnu)

Modal verb „balli‟: To express permission or necessity (may not or should not)

Modal verb „balli‟ is directly added to infinitives (second form)

Infinitive (second form) + balli

pOyerae + balli >>> pOyeraeballi – may not go / not permitted to go / should not go (Kannada:
hOgabAradu)

tiNDrae + balli >>> tiNDraeballi – may not eat (Kannada: tinnabAradu)

kullerae + balli >>> kulleraeballi – may not sit (Kannada: kUtukoLLabAradu)

malperae + balli >>> malperaeballi – may not do (Kannada: mADabAradu)

Modal verbs „tIruni‟ or „Apini‟: To express ability (can / could / be able / not be able)

The third person neuter present tense/future tense/past tense form of the verbs „tIruni‟ (To be able) and
„Apini‟ (To become) are used with infinitives (second form).

Infinitive (second form) + tIruni/Apini

Present:

pOyerae + tIruNDu/ApuNDu >>> pOyerae tIruNDu / pOyerae ApuNDu – can go / be able to go

(Kannada: hOgaballe / hOgalu sAdyavide)

malperae tIruNDu – can do (Kannda: mADaballe / mADalu sAdyavide)

rAyerae ApuNDu – can fly (Kannada: hAraballe / hAralu sAdyavide)

naDaperae tIruji – cannot walk (Kannada: naDeyalAre / naDeyalu sAdyavilla)

unterae Apuji – cannot stand (Kannada: nillalAre / nillalu sAdyavilla)

Future:
pOyerae tIru / pOyerae Avu – will be able to go / may be able to go (Kannada: hOgaballe / hOgalu
sAdyavAdItu)

tiNDrae Avand – will not be able to eat / may not be able to eat (Kannada: tinnalu Agadu / tinnalAre)

buliperae tIrand – will not be able to cry (Kannada: aLalAre / aLalu sAdyavilla)

Past:

pOyerae tIr‟ND / pOyerae AND – could go / was able to go (Kannada: hOgalu sAdyavAytu)

naDaperae tIriji – could not walk (Kannada: naDeyalu Agalilla)

bareyerae Ayiji – could not write (Kannada: bareyalu Agalilla)

Lets us now make some sentences in potential mood.

Tulu: Ir khaNDita baroDu

English: You must come

Kannada: nIvu khaNDita barabEku

Tulu: I bEga jeppoDu

English: You should sleep early

Kannada: nInu bEga malagabEku

Tulu: Aye ellae baroDu

English: He should come tomorrow

Kannada: avanu nALe barabEku

Tulu: mAta janokulu oggaTTavoDu

English: All people need to unite.

Kannada: ella janagaLu oggaTTagabEku

Tulu: I ori Doctor AvoDu

English: You should become a Doctor

Kannada: nInobba Doctor AgabEku

Tulu: yAn pOvoDa?

English: Should I go?

Kannada: nAnu hOgabEka?

Tulu: yAn pOvoDa, boDcha?

English: Should I go or not?

Kannada: nAnu hOgabEka, bEDva?

Tulu: yAn dAda malpoDu?

English: What should I do?

Kannada: nAnu Enu mADabEku?

Tulu: suru nama illaDe pOvodu

English: We need to go home first

Kannada: modalu nAvu manege hOgabEku

Tulu: yAn ellae kANDae enma gaNTeg sAleD uppoDu, enk parIkhsae UNDu

English: I must be at school tomorrow at 8 a.m. I have an exam

Kannada: nAnu nALe beLigge eNTu gaNTege shAleyalli irabEku, nanage parIkhse ide

Tulu: akulu ellae barpinaboDchi

English: They should not come tomorrow

Kannada: avaru nALe baruvudubEDa

Tulu: I ini sAleg pOpinaboDchi

English: You don‟t have to go to school today

Kannada: nInu ivattu shAlege hOguvudubEDa

Tulu: Ar dAla bElae malpunaboDchi, yAn malpuvae

English: He/She need not do any work, I will do

Kannada: avaru EnU kelasa mADuvudubEDa, nAnu mADtEne

Tulu: yAn pOpinaboDcha?

English: Shouldn‟t I go?

Kannada: nAnu hOguvudubEDva?

Tulu: nama laDai malpunaboDchi

English: We should not fight

Kannada: nAvu jagala ADuvudubEDa

Tulu: Aye ulai barpinaboDChi, pidai kApaD

English: He must not come inside, let him wait outside

Kannada: avanu oLage baruvudubEDa, horage kAyali

Tulu: I itte pOvoli

English: You may go now

Kannada: nInu Iga hOgabahudu

Tulu: Ir ini rajae dettonoli

English: You may take leave today

Kannada: nIvu ivattu raje tegedukoLLabahudu

Tulu: yAn ulai baroliye?

English: May I come in?

Kannada: nAnu oLage barabahuda?

Tulu: yAn ninnoTTugu baroliya?

English: May I come with you?

Kannada: nAnu ninna jate barabahuda?

Tulu: enk onji sAya malpoliya?

English: Can you do me a favor?

Kannada: nanage ondu sahAya maDabahuda?

Tulu: vArogora illaDe pOvoli

English: (One) Can go home once a week

Kannada: vArakkomme manege hOgabahudu

Tulu: Aye baryere balli

English: He may not (not allowed to) come

Kannada: avanu barabAradu

Tulu: Ir onas malpande pOyere balli

English: You may not leave without having the lunch/dinner

Kannada: nIvu UTa mADade hOgabAradu

Tulu: yAn ulai baryere balliya?

English: Am I not allowed to come in?

Kannada: nAnu oLage barabArada?

Tulu: nama sOpere balli, kuDora prayatna baroDu

English: We may not lose, we should try again

Kannada: nAvu sOlabAradu, innomme prayatnisabEku

Tulu: sullu paNDrae balli

English: (one) should not tell a lie

Kannada: suLLu hELabAradu

Tulu: buliperae balli

English: (One) should not cry

Kannada: aLabAradu

Tulu: enk nInderae ApuNDu

English: I can swim

Kannada: nAnu Ija balle

Tulu: Ayeg naDaperae tIruji

English: He can‟t walk

Kannada: avanige naDeyOke Agalla

Tulu: nikk kudureDd bIsa baliperae tIruNDu

English: You are able to run faster than a horse.

Kannada: nInu kudureginta vEgavagi ODaballe

Tulu: enkleg ellae barrae Avand

English: We will not be able to come tomorrow / we may not be able to come tomorrow

Kannada: namage nALe baralu Agadu

Tulu: namak I bElae malperae tIruva?

English: Will we be able to do this work?

Kannada: namage I kelasa mADalu AdIta?

Tulu: akleg kODae pAterrae Ayiji

English: They could not speak yesterday

Kannada: avarige ninne mAtannADalu Agalilla

Tulu: nikk kANDae bEga lakkerae ANDa?

English: Were you able to get up early in the morning?

Kannada: ninage beLagge bEga ELOke Ayta?

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 24: Adjective Pronouns
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn some adjective pronouns in Tulu. Adjective Pronoun is a pronoun used as
adjective. For examples: this book, some friends etc.

There are 3 types: Demonstrative, Interrogative and Indefinite

Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns are used to point out specific people or things.

Following are the demonstrative adjective pronouns used in Tulu:

Tulu Kannada English

A A That / Those

I I This / These

At ashTu So much / That much

It ishTu So much / This much

anchina / anchitti antha Such (Remote)

inchina / inchitti intha Such (Proximate)

Example:

au enna ill – That is my house (Kannada: adu nanna mane) – Here „au‟ is a demonstrative pronoun.
A ill ennau - That house is mine (Kannada: A mane nannadu) – Here „A‟ is a demonstrative adjective
pronoun

Interrogative adjective pronouns are used to form questions.

Following are the Interrogative adjective pronouns used in Tulu:

Tulu Kannada English

vA yAva Which

Et eshTu How much / How many

enchi / enchina / enchitti entha What / Which

dAda Enu What

Example:

nikk dAda bODu? – What do you want? (Kannada: ninage Enu bEku?) – Here „dAda‟ is an interrogative
pronoun.

nikk vA pustaka bODu? – Which book do you want? (Kannada: ninage yAva pustaka bEku?) – Here „vA‟ is
an interrogative adjective pronoun.

Indefinite adjective pronouns are formed from indefinite pronouns. Some of the indefinite adjective
pronouns used in Tulu are:

Tulu Kannada English

kelavu kelavu Some / Several

mAta ella All

pUra pUrti / pUra Whole

ori obba A (M)

orti obbaLu A (F)

onji ondu A (N)

kuDonji innondu another

vantae / kammi /kaDamae / svalpa / kaDime Little / Few

chUru

pAka halavu Many

mast / dinja /jAsti tumba / hechchu Much / Many

Example:

mAta batter – All came (Kannada: ellA bandru) – Here „mAta‟ is an indefinite pronoun.

mAta pettalu batta – All cows came (Kannada: ellA danagaLu bandavu) - Here „mAta‟ is an indefinite
adjective pronoun.

Let us now make some sentences using these adjective pronouns:

Tulu: A jana Er?

English: Who is that person?

Kannada: A jana yAru?

Tulu: nikk vA padya ishTa?

English: Which song do you like?

Tulu: I UruDu Et mara uNDu?

English: In this village, how many trees are there?

Kannada: I Uralli eshTu maragaLive

Tulu: A jOkulen leppu!

English: Call those children!

Kannada: A makkaLannu kari!

Tulu: enk It bElae gottuNDu

English: I know this much work

Kannada: nanage ishTu kelasa gottide

Tulu: enk At portu kApere Apuji

English: I can‟t wait so long (I can‟t wait that much time)

Kannada: nanage ashTu hottu kAyOke Agalla

Tulu: nikk pira barrae Et portu bODu?

English: How much time you need to return?

Kannada: ninage vApas barOke eshTu samaya bEku?

Tulu: yAn anchina (anchitti) janan orala tUtijae

English: I have never seen such a person (that kind of person)

Kannada: nAnu antha manushyanannu ommeyU nODilla

Tulu: nikk enchina angi bODu?

English: Which type of shirt do you want?

Kannada: ninage entha angi bEku?

Tulu: inchitti katae enk ishTa

English: I like such stories (this kind of stories)

Kannada: intha kathe nanage ishTA

Tulu: Aye pOdu kelavu dina AND

English: It‟s been several days since he went

Kannada: avanu hOgi kelavu dinagaLAytu

Tulu: suru pUra katen kENDoNla

English: Listen to the whole story first

Kannada: modalu pUrti katheyannu kELikO

Tulu: Aye ori javane

English: He is a young man

Kannada: avanu obba yuvaka

Tulu: Al orti teacher

English: She is a teacher

Kannada: avaLu obbLu teacher

Tulu: yAn onji pustaka dettoNDae

English: I bought a book

Kannada: nAnu ondu pustaka takoNDe

Tulu: vantae dina tarid barpae

English: I will come after few days (Having spent few days, I will come)

Kannada: svalpa dina kaLedu bartEne

Tulu: I dinja/jAsti nIr parODu

English: You should drink much water

Kannada: nInu hechchu nIru kuDibEku

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 25: Tulu Calendar, Week Names, Seasons
and Weather Conditions in Tulu
namaskAra! encha ullar?

So far we have learned a number of grammar lessons in Tulu. Today, just for a change, we are going to learn
something a bit different and that is the Tulu calendar and also week names, seasons and weather
conditions.

Tulu Calendar is one of the oldest traditional Indian solar calendars. Even though now in routine most of us
follow the Western or Gregorian calendar, Tulu calendar is still used for agriculture activities, religious
activities and festivals in Tulu Nadu region.

Let us now learn the names of the months in Tulu. Probably, you will find the words a little bit difficult to
remember since they are new words.

Month Names in Tulu:

Tulu Name English Sanskrit Name Sanskrit Name

(Solar) (Lunar)

paggu April–May mEsha chaitra

bEsa May–June vrishabha vaishAkha

kArtel June–July mithuna jyEshTha

 ATi July–August karkATaka AshADha

sONa August–September simha shrAvaNa

nirnAla September–October kanyA bhAdrapada

bontel October–November tulA ashvina

jArdae November– vrishchika kArtika

December

perArdae December–January dhanu mArgashIrsha

ponni / puyintel January–February makara pausha

mAyi February–March kumbha mAgha

suggi March–April mIna phAlguna

Each month has 30 to 31 days. A year is called as „varsa‟ or „orsa‟ in Tulu. The New Year or the first day of
the „varsa‟ falls in „paggu‟ and the day is called „bisu‟ (April 14) and this day is celebrated as „bisu parba‟ in
Tulu Nadu.

Some of the words related to calendar:

Tulu Kannada English

panchAnga panchAnga Calendar

varsa / orsa varsha Year

tingol tingaLu Month

chandra (tingol) chandra (tingaLu) Moon

tingolda bolpu beLadingaLu Moon light

sUrya (nEsar) sUrya (nEsara) Sun

portu hottu / samaya Time

nakshatra / bolli nakshatra Star

vAra vAra Week

dina dina Day

amAsae amavasye New moon day

punnamae huNNime Full moon day

sankrAnti / sankrAnti / The movement of the sun from one

sankramana sankramana zodiac sign to another

singoDae / tingoDae tingaLa modala dina The first day of each month in Tulu
 Calendar

pattanAjae (vrishabha mAsada) Tenth day / Commonly referred to

hattane dina tenth day of the month „bEsa‟ - The
ending day for all religious and cultural
functions of the season like, Bhuta
worship, Yakshagana play, annual fairs
of the temples etc.

Week Names in Tulu:

Tulu Kannada English

aitAra AdityavAra Sunday

sOmAra sOmavAra Monday

angArae / manglAra mangaLavAra Tuesday

budAra budhavAra Wednesday

gurvAra guruvAra Thursday

sukrAra shukravAra Friday

sanivAra shanivAra Saturday

Names of Seasons and Weather Conditions in Tulu:

Tulu Kannada English

aregAla bEsige kAla Summer / Hot season

maryAla maLegAla Rainy Season / Monsoon

chaligAla chaLigAla Winter / Cold season

gAli gALi Wind

karae gAli kare gALi Wind blowing towards the shore

birugAli birugALi Storm

eri gAli bisi gALi Hot wind

simagAli tampugALi Cool breeze

suligAli suligALi Whirl wind

barsa maLe Rain

mugal mODa Cloud

chali chaLi Cold

 dombu bisilu Sunny / sunshine

sekae sekhe Hot

begar bevaru Perspire / sweat

begapu (begapuni) bevaru To perspire

bolla nere / pravAha Flood

ertae / dinjel ubbara High tide

jappel iLita Low tide

bolkkir bisilu / shubhra clearing of the sky from clouds

vAtavaraNA and the sun is coming out after
shower

menchi minchu Lighting

teDil siDilu Thunder

Example Sentences:

Tulu: niklenaiTe barsa encha uNDu?

English: How is the rain at your place?

Kannada: nimkaDe maLe hEgide?

Tulu: patt dinaDdinchi buDandae barsa baronduNDu

English: It‟s raining continuously from ten days.

Kannada: hattu dinagaLinda biDade maLe baruttide

Tulu: ini mast chali uNDu

English: It‟s very cold today

Kannada: ivattu tumbA chaLi ide

Tulu: ini eDDae bolkkir, barsa ijji

English: Today sky is cleared, no rain

Kannada: ivattu oLLe bisilu, maLe illa

Tulu: ini mast dombu uNDu

English: Today it is very sunny

Kannada: ivattu tumbA bisilide

Tulu: mUlu mast seketonduNDu

English: It‟s very hot here

Kannada: illi tumbA sekhe Agtide

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 26: Adverbs – Part 1

namaskAra! Welcome back!
Adverbs are words that describe or modify a verb, adjective or another adverb. Generally it expresses
manner, place, time, frequency etc. Today, we are going to learn adverbs of time and frequency.

An adverb of time tells us when something is done or happens. An adverb of frequency tells us how often
something is done or happens.

Adverbs of Time:

Interrogatives:

Tulu Kannada English

Epa yAvAga When

Demonstrative:

Tulu Kannada English

ittae Iga Now

ekAD Aga / AvAga At that time / Sometime ago

apaga AvAga Then / At that time

ini indu, ivattu Today

Ani Avattu That day

Miscellaneous:
 Tulu Kannada English

bokka matte, AmEle , nantara After / Later

kODae ninne Yesterday

ellae nALe tomorrow

murani monne Day before yesterday

ellanji nALiddu Day after tomorrow

I vAra I vAra This week

pOyi vAra hOda vAra Last Week

barpi vAra baruva vAra Next week

I tingol I tingaLu This month

pOyi tingol hOda tingaLu Last month

barpi tingol baruva tingaLu Next month

I varsa / IvoDu I varsha This year

pOyina varsa / mUvoDu hOda varsha Last year

munnoDu hOda varshada hindina varsha Year before last year

dumbag baruva varsha / bhavishyadalli Next year / In the future

barpi varsa baruva varsha Next year

pulya /pulyakkala munjAne Dawn / Early morning

kANDae / bolpugu beLagge Morning

madyana madhyAhna Noon / Afternoon

bayya sanje Evening

rAtrae rAtri Night

naDir / naDirl madhya rAtri Midnight

pagel hagalu Day time

ekADe / apagane avAglE Already

inchipa ittIche Recently

bEga bEga Soon

kaDEsa taDa Late

kaDes‟d / tarid / portAd taDavAgi Lately

nana / kuDa innu Henceforth / again

nanala / kuDala innU Still / yet

dumbu hindina kAla Ago / Past time / Old days

 dumbu modalu Before

dumb'nAni hindina dina Previous Day

manadAni mArane dina Next Day

Adverbs of Frequency:

Tulu Kannada English

Epola yAvAgalU Always / Any time

EpANDala yAvAgalAdarU Whenever

ora omme Once

orala ommeyU Even once

EpANDala ora yAvAgalAdarU omme Once in a long time

oravora / kelavora ommomme / kelavomme Once in a while, sometimes

apagapaga / gaDi gaDi AgAga Now and then, frequently

aparUpa aparUpa Seldom, Rarely

dinOla dinAlU / prati dina Daily / every day

nana / kuDa matte / punah Again

nanora / kuDora innomme / mattomme Once again / Once more

mAmUlAd mAmUlAgi Usually

Example Sentences:

Tulu: I Epa battini?

English: When did you come?;

Kannada: nInu yAvAga bandaddu?

Tulu: Aye Epa pOpe?

English: When will he go?

Kannada: avanu yAvAga hOgtAne?

Tulu: yAn Epa baroDu?

English: When should I come?

Kannada: nAnu yAvAga barabEku?

Tulu: ittae I dAda maltondulla?

English: What are you doing now?

Kannada: Iga nInu Enu mADtiddIya?

Tulu: yAn ittae battini

English: I came just now

Kannada: nAnu Iga bandaddu

Tulu: Ar ekAD baider

English: He/She has come sometime ago

Kannada: avaru Aga bandiddAre

Tulu: ekAD yAn ittijae

English: Aga nAnu iralilla

Kannada: I was not there at that time

Tulu: yAn ninan leppuvae, apaga baroDu

English: I will call you and then you should come

Kannada: nAnu ninnannu karitEne, Avaga barabEku

Tulu: yAn battinapaga I ittija

English: At the time I came, you were not there

Kannada: nAnu bandAga, nInu iralilla

Tulu: yAn battinAni I ittija

Tulu: When I came that day, you were not there

Kannada: nAnu banda dina, nInu iralilla

Tulu: ini yAn sAleg pOtijae

English: I have not gone to the school today

Kannada: nAnu ivattu shAlege hOgilla

Tulu: Ani akulu bombaiD itter

English: That day they were in Mumbai

Kannada: Avattu avaru Mumbai‟yalli iddaru

Tulu: yAn niNDa bokka panpae

English: I will tell you later

Kannada: nAnu ninage matte hELtEne

Tulu: yAn ellae benglUrug pOdu, ellanji pira barpae

English: I will go to Bangalore tomorrow and will return day after tomorrow

Kannada: nAnu nALE bengLurige hOgi, nADiddu vApas bartEne

Tulu: yAn dinola pulyakkalag lakkuvae

English: I wake up at dawn daily

Kannada: nAnu dinA munjAne eddELtEne

Tulu: ini bayyag tikk‟ga

English: Let us meet this evening

Kannada: ivattu sanje sigONa

Tulu: inchipag I kuDlag pOtana?

English: Have you been to Mangalore recently?

Kannada: ittIchege nInu mangaLurige hOgiddIya?

Tulu: nikulu I pustakan kuDora OdoDu

English: You must read this book once again

Kannada: nIvu I pustakavannu innomme OdabEku

Tulu: ninaD‟d dumbu yAn baidae, I bokka battini

English: I came before you! You came later!

Kannada: ninaginta modalu nAnu bandiddeNe, nInu matte bandaddu

Tulu: dumbuda kAloDu janakleDa mobile ittiji

English: In the old days people didn't have mobile phones

Kannada: hindina kAladalli janara baLi mobile iralilla

Tulu: yAn orala maisUr‟g potijae

English: I have never been to Mysore.

Kannada: nAnu ommeyU maisUrige hOgilla

Tulu: yAn Epola kANDae Aji gaNTeg lakkuvae

English: I always wake up at 6 o‟ clock in the morning.

Kannada: nAnu yAvAgalU beLigge Aru gaNTege eddELtEne

Tulu: kelavora Ayeg kOpa barpuNDu

English: Sometimes he gets angry

Kannada: kelavomme avanige kOpa bartade

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!

Tulu Lesson 27: Adverbs – Part 2

namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today, we are going to learn adverbs of place. An adverb of place tells us where something is done or
happens.

Adverbs of Place:

Interrogatives:

Tulu Kannada English

olpa / Olu elli Where

ODe elli(ge) To where / Whither

onchi Eche Whither (towards what place)

oyiTe elli In which place / Where

Demonstrative:

Tulu Kannada English

mulpa / mUlu illi Here

alpa / aulu alli There

iDe illi(ge) To this place / Hither

aDe alli(ge) To that place / Thither

inchi Iche Hither (towards this place)

 anchi Ache Thither (towards that place)

neTe illi In this place / Here

aiTe alli In that place / There

ikara itta kaDe To this side

akara atta kaDe To that side

Miscellaneous:

Tulu Kannada English

ulai oLage inside

pidai horage outside

tirt keLage Down / below

mitt mEle Above / Upon

aDi aDi Under

A mey A badi That side

I mey I badi This side

vA mey yAva badi Which side

mAtalpa / mAta meyi ellA kaDe everywhere

Olla (Olu+la) ellU Anywhere / Somewhere

OlaNDala ellAdarU Wherever / Somewhere

Ola (Olu+a) ellO Somewhere

ODela, ODeyANDala elligAdaru To anywhere / To somewhere

ODena elligO To somewhere

dUra dUra To distant place

kaital / muTTa hattira Near

bariT badiyalli Adjacent / On the side

naDuT madyadalli In the middle

sutta / suttala suttalU around

mUDai pUrva East

paDDai pashchima West

baDakai uttara North

tenkai dakshiNa South

dumbu / eduru munde Front

 pira / piravu hinde Back / Behind

datta mey eDagaDe Left side

balatta mey balagaDe Right side

These adverbs are inflected in only some cases:

Locative (In, On) Instrumental (From) Dative (To) Genitive (Of)

Olu – Where oltu / oltuDd – From - olta – Of where

where
mUlu- Here multa – Of here
multu / multuDd –
aulu – There From here alta – Of there

Olla – Anywhere / altu / altuDd – From oltala – Of

Somewhere there anywhere/somewhere

oltuDd‟la – From
anywhere/somewhere

olpa – Where olpaDd – From where - olpada – Of where

mulpa – Here mulpaDd – From here mulpada – Of here

alpa – There alpaDd – From there alpada – Of there

olpala – Anywhere / olpaDd‟la – From olpadala – Of anywhere /

Somewhere anywhere / somewhere somewhere

- - ODe / ODeg- To where -

iDe – Hither

aDe – Thither

ODela / ODegla – To
anywhere / somewhere

- onchiDd – From which onchi / onchig – onchida – of where

way Towards what place (direction)

inchiDd – From this inchi – Towards this inchida – of this way

way place
anchida – of that way
anchiDd – From that anchi - Towards that
way place onchidala – of any/some
where
onchiDd‟la – From onchila – towards
anywhere/some where anywhere / somewhere

oyiTe – In which oyiTeDd – From which - oyiTeda – of which place

place place
neTeda – of this place
neTeDd – From this
neTe – In this place place aiTeda – of that place

aiTe- In that place aiTeDd – From that oyiTeDala – of any place /

place some place
oyiTela – In any
place/some place oyiTeDd‟la – From any
place / some place

ulai / ulaiD – inside ulaiDd – From inside ulai / ulaig – To inside ulaida – of inside

pidai / pidaiD – pidaiDd – From pidai / pidaig – To pidaida – of outside

outside outside outside

tirt / tirt'D – down tirt'Dd – From down tirt / tirt‟g – Downward tirt'da – of below

mitt / mitt‟D – Upon mitt‟Dd – From above mitt / mitt‟g - Upward

mitt‟da – of above

Examples:

Tulu: (I) Olla?

English: Where are you?

Kannada: elliddIya?

Tulu: (au) ONDu?

English: Where is it?

Kannada: ellide?

“Olla?‟‟ and “ONDu” are the short forms for “Olu ulla?” and “Olu uNDu?” respectively.

yAn Ollae? – Where am I?

I Olla? – Where are you?

Aye/imbe Olle? – Where is he?

Al/mOlu Ollal? – Where is she?

au/undu ONDu? – Where is it?

nama/enkulu Olla? – Where are we?

Ir/nikulu Ollar? – Where are you?

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Oller – Where are they?

undekulu/aikulu Olla? – Where are they?

Tulu: Ar ODe pOyer?

English: Where did he/she go?

Kannada: avaru ellige hOdaru?

Tulu: ninna ill olpa?

English: Where is your home?

Kannada: ninna mane elli?

Tulu: nikulu oltu battini?

English: From where did you come?

Kannda: nIvu ellinda bandaddu?

Tulu: nikulu oyiTeDd pidaDuvar?

English: From which place you will depart?

Kannda: nIvu ellinda horaDuviri?

Tulu: gAli onchiDd bIjonduNDu?

English: From which way wind is blowing?

Kannada: gAli yAva kaDe yinda bIsuttide?

Tulu: ADe pO

English: Go there (to the particular place)

Kannada: allige hOgu

Tulu: anchi pO

English: Go there (anywhere but in the particular direction/way)

Kannada: Ache hOgu

Tulu: vantae akara pOle

English: Move away a bit

Kannada: svalpa Ache (atta) hOgi

Tulu: aulu tUla

English: Look there

Kannada: alli nODu

Tulu: anchi tUla

English: Look away

Kannada: Ache nODu

Tulu: pustakan mUlu dIle

English: Put the book here

Kannada: pustakavannu illi iDi

Tulu: A pustakan iDe kanale

English: Bring that book here

Kannada: A pustakavannu illige tanni

Tulu: enna ajjill kaital‟D uNDu

English: My grand mother‟s house is nearby.

Kannada: nanna ajji mane hattiradallide

Tulu: puchchae mEjida aDiT deng‟d kullonduNDu

English: The cat is hiding under the table.

Kannada: bekku mEjinaDiyalli aDagi kUtide

Tulu: kappal tenkaig pONDu

English: The ship sailed southwards

Kannada: haDagu dakshiNakke hOytu

Tulu: Aye ennanchi barondulle

English: He is coming towards me

Kannada: avanu nanna kaDe bartA iddAne

Tulu: anchinchi pOvoDchi

English: Don‟t go here and there

Kannada: AchIche hOgabEDa

Tulu: ODela pOvoDchi

English: Don‟t go anywhere

Kannada: elligU hOgabEDa

Tulu: Olla untoDchi

English: Don‟t stop anywhere

Kannada: ellU nillabEDa

Tulu: akulu ODena pOyer

English: They went somewhere

Kannada: avaru elligO hOdaru

Tulu: Aye mUle Ola uppoDu

English: He must be somewhere here

Kannada: avanu ille ellO irabEku

Tulu: nama ulai pOyi

English: Let us go inside

Kannada: nAvu oLage hOgONa

Tulu: jOkulu pidaiD gobbondulla

English: The kids are playing outside

Kannada: makkaLu horage ADtA iddAre

Tulu: Al iDe baidijal

English: She has not come here

Kannada: avaLu illige baralilla

Tulu: (enkulu) ninan mAta kaDeTla nADiya

English: We were looking for you everywhere

Kannada: (nAvu) ninnannu ellA kaDeyallU huDukidevu

Tulu: kaital‟D Olla post office uNDa?

English: Is there a post office anywhere nearby?

Kannada: hattiradalli elladarU post office ideya?

Tulu: mulpa bath room ONDu?

English: Where is bath room here?

Kannada: illi bath room ellide?

Tulu: Ar enna piravuDuller

English: He/She is behind me

Kannada: avaru nanna hinde iddAre

Tulu: I enna eduruD itta

English: You were in front of me

Kannada: nInu nanna edurige idde

Tulu: sIda pOdu, datta meyk tirg‟le

English: Go straight and turn left

Kannada: nEra hOgi, eDagaDege tirugi

Tulu: dumbu pOle

English: move forward

Kannada: munde hOgi

Tulu: pira bale

English: Come back

Kannada: hinde banni

Tulu: Aye maroDdu tirt jattondulle

English: He is getting down from the tree

Kannada: avanu maradinda keLage iLiyuttiddAne

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If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 28: Adverbs – Part 3
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today, we are going to learn adverbs of manner and purpose. An adverb of manner tells us how something
is done or happens. Adverbs of purpose describe why something happens.

Adverbs of Manner:

Interrogatives:
Tulu Kannada English

encha hEge How

Demonstrative:

Tulu Kannada English

incha hIge Thus, Like this

ancha hAge Thus, like that

Miscellaneous:

Tulu Kannada English

enchala hEgU Any how / Somehow

enchANDala hEgAdarU Somehow

jOruDu / jOrAd jOrAgi loudly

bIsa bEga / vEga Fast / Speed

mella mella / mettage Softly

melAne nidhAnavAgi Slowly

 rappa / rapakka / pakka pakkane / kUDale /takshaNa Quickly / Immediately

orAne ommele At once, suddenly

sariT sariyAgi Correctly / Properly

sulabaD sulabhavAgi Easily

jAgrateD jAgrateyinda Carefully

shOkuDu / porluDu sundaravAgi / chennAgi Beautifully

eDDae / eDDeD chennAgi / oLLe Well

ushAr hushAru, chennAgi Fine, Clever

nijavAd nijavAgi Truly / Actually

oTTugu oTTige Together

bhayankaravAd bhayankaravAgi Terribly

kOpoDu kOpadinda Angrily

samadAnoDu / samadAna Ad tALmeyinda Patiently

pokkaDae summane Simply, In vain

guTTuDu / guTTAd guTTAgi Secretly

kushiT kushiyAgi Gladly / Happily

sukhoTu sukhavAgi Happily

bangoDu kashTadalli With Difficulty

gati dAntae gati illade Helplessly

nilae dAntae nele illade Homelessly

jAgratae dAntae jAgrate illade Carelessly

Most of the adverbs of manner are used in locative case or formed by affixing „Ad‟ (Past gerund of „Apini‟ –
to become). Examples: sulabhaD, jAgrateD / jAgratae Ad, shOkuDu / porluDu, eDDeD, nijavAd etc.

Negative adverbs are formed by affixing negative gerund „dAntae‟. Examples: gati dAntae, nilae dAntae,
jAgratae dAntae

Adverbs of Purpose:

Tulu Kannada English

dAyae Eke Why

inchAd hIgAgi Because of this, So

anchAd hAgAgi Because of that, So

 aik, aikAd, aikAtra adakke, adakkAgi Therefore, for that reason

aiDdAvara Addarinda Therefore, Because of it

Example Sentences:

Tulu: encha ullar?

English: How are you?

Kannada: hEge iddIri?

Tulu: Ir encha battar?

English: How did you come?

Kannada: nIvu hEge bandiri?

Tulu: Aye parIksheg Od‟dije, ancha fail Aye

English: He didn‟t study for the exam, thus he failed.

Kannada: avanu parIkshege Odilla, hAge fail Ada

Tulu: incha Aye mAteregla mOsa malte

English: Thus he deceived all

Kannada: hIge avanu ellarigU mOsa mADida

Tulu: ancha malpoDchi

English: Don‟t do like that

Kannada: hAge mADabEDa

Tulu: enchala nama ill muTTiya

English: Anyhow, we reached home

Kannada: hEgU nAvu manege talapidevu

Tulu: enchANDala aren oppAv

English: Somehow make him/her agree

Kannada: hEgAdarU avarannu oppisu

Tulu: nama melAne pOyi

English: Let us go slowly

Kannada: nAvu nidhAnavAgi hOgONa

Tulu: bIsa balipu

English: Run fast

Kannada: bEga ODu

Tulu: yAn bEga barpae

English: I will come soon

Kannada: nAnu bEga bartEne

Tulu: vantae jOrAd pAterle

English: Speak a bit louder

Kannada: svalpa jOrAgi mAtADi

Tulu: vantae mella pAterle

English: Speak a bit softer

Kannada: svalpa mettage mAtADi

Tulu: pakka pOdu onji lOTae nIr kanala

English: Go and bring a glass of water quickly (immediately)

Kannada: kUDale hOgi ondu lOTa nIru tA

Tulu: I bElae rappa AvoDu

English: This work should be done quickly/immediately

Kannada: I kelasa kUDale AgabEku

Tulu: yAn rapakka pOdu battae

English: I went and came immediately

Kannada: nAnu kUDale hOgi bande

Tulu: orAne barsa batt‟ND

English: Suddenly it rained

Kannada: ommele maLe bantu

Tulu: Aye sariT eNDa pAteruje

English: He does not speak with me properly

Kannada: avanu nannondige sariyAgi mAtADalla

Tulu: sulaboDu ninan gendere buDayae

English: I will never let you win easily

Kannada: sulbhavAgi ninnannu gellalu biDenu

Tulu: Al mast shOkuDu pada paNpal

English: She sings very beautifully

Kannada: avaLu tumbA chennAgi hADtALe

Tulu: nijavAd yAn dAla maltijae

English: Actually I didn‟t do anything

Kannada: nijavAgi nAnu EnU mADilla

Tulu: nama oTTugu pOyi

English: Let us go together

Kannada: nAvu oTTige hOgONa

Tulu: yAn paNpinen samadAnoDu kENla

English: Listen to me patiently

Kannada: nAnu hELuvudannu tALmeyinda kELu

Tulu: Ar dAyae battini?

English: Why did he/she come?

Kannada: avaru Eke bandaddu?

Tulu: Ar ninan tUyerae battini

English: He/She came to visit you

Kannada: avaru ninnanu nODalikke bandadu

Tulu: Ir kODae gobberae dAyae battijar?

English: Why didn‟t you come to play yesterday?

Kannada: nIvu ninne ADlikke Eke baralilla?

Tulu: yAn busy ittae, anchAd barrae Ayiji

English: I was busy, therefore I could not come

Kannada: nAnu busy idde, hAgAgi barlike Agalilla

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 29: Past Perfect Tense
namaskAra! Welcome back!

I hope all of you are doing well with the lessons and have made good progress. Today, we are going to learn
past perfect tense. Do you remember present perfect tense? If not please click here

Look at the following sentence:

I had made

As you see, this structure is similar to what we have in present perfect tense “I have made” (auxiliary verb
„have‟ + past participle)

So, let‟s take a very quick review of present perfect tense in Tulu first.

Past Gerund Perfect + Personal ending

malt‟d + ae = malt‟dae – I have made

Now, delete the suffix „ae‟ and add simple past tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟ (To be) instead.
Here are the verb conjugations of the verb „uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple past tense.

yAn ittae – I was

I itta – You were

Aye/imbe itte – He was

Al/mOlu ittal – She was

au/undu itt‟ND – It was

nama/enkulu itta – We were

Ir/nikulu ittar – You were

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr itter – They were

undekulu/aikulu itta – They were

Past Gerund Perfect + simple past tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟

malt‟d + ittae = malt‟dittae (also pronounced „maltittae‟) – I had made (Kannada: nAnu mADidde)

Is it clear?

yAn malt‟dittae – I had made

I malt‟ditta – You had made

Aye/imbe malt‟ditte – He had made

Al/mOlu malt‟dittal – She had made

au/undu malt‟ditt‟ND – It had made

nama/enkulu malt‟ditta – We had made

Ir/nikulu malt‟dittar – You had made

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malt‟ditter – They had made

undekulu/aikulu malt‟ditta – They had made

tU (tUpini) – To see

tUd + ittae = tUdittae – I had seen (Kannada: nODidde)

yAn tUdittae – I had seen

I tUditta – You had seen

Aye/imbe tUditte – He had seen

Al/mOlu tUdittal – She had seen

au/undu tUditt‟ND – It had seen

nama/enkulu tUditta – We had seen

Ir/nikulu tUdittar – You had seen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUditter – They had seen

undekulu/aikulu tUditta – They had seen

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + ittae = batt‟dittae (also pronounced „battittae‟) – I had come (Kannada: bandidde)

yAn batt'dittae – I had come

I batt'ditta – You had come

Aye/imbe batt'ditte – He had come

Al/mOlu batt'dittal – She had come

au/undu batt'ditt‟ND – It had come

nama/enkulu batt'ditta – We had come

Ir/nikulu batt'dittar – You had come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr batt'ditter – They had come

undekulu/aikulu batt'ditta – They had come

kEN (kENuni) To hear/listen/ask

kEnd + ittae = kEndittae – I had asked (Kannada: kELidde)

yAn kEndittae – I had asked

I kEnditta – You had asked

Aye/imbe kEnditte – He had asked

Al/mOlu kEndittal – She had asked

au/undu kEnditt‟ND – It had asked

nama/enkulu kEnditta – We had asked

Ir/nikulu kEndittar – You had asked

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kEnditter – They had asked

undekulu/aikulu kEnditta – They had asked

kApu (kApuni) – To wait

kAt‟d + ittae = kAt‟dittae (also pronounced „kAtittae‟) – I had waited

yAn kAt'dittae – I had waited

I kAt'ditta – You had waited

Aye/imbe kAt'ditte – He had waited

Al/mOlu kAt'dittal – She had waited

au/undu kAt'ditt‟ND – It had waited

nama/enkulu kAt'ditta – We had waited

Ir/nikulu kAt'dittar – You had waited

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kAt'ditter – They had waited

undekulu/aikulu kAt'ditta – They had waited

Examples:

Tulu: yAn kODae kuDlag pOdittae

English: I had been to Mangalore yesterday

Kannada: nAnu ninne mangaLUrige hOgidde

Tulu: yAn niNDa pandittae

English: I had told you

Kannada: nAnu ninage hELidde

Tulu: Ar ninan lett‟ditter

English: He/She had called you

Kannada: avaru ninnannu karediddaru

Tulu: akulu pira batt‟ditter

English: They had come back

Kannada: avaru hinde bandiddaru

Tulu: ninna aNNe enan tUditter

English: Your elder brother had seen me

Kannada: ninna aNNa nannannu nODiddaru

Tulu: mast jana sErditter

English: Lots of people had gathered

Kannada: tumbA jana sEriddaru

Tulu: enna dOsti mast kAs karchi malt‟ditte

English: My friend had spent a lot of money

Kannada: nanna snEhita tumbA duDDu kharchu mADidda

Tulu: Ayena pars dakk‟d pOditt‟ND

English: He had lost his wallet

Kannada: avana parsu kaLedu hOgittu

Tulu: I enan marat‟ditta

English: You had forgotten me

Kannada: nInu nannannu maretidde

Negative forms:

Negative forms in past perfect tense can be formed by using the negative form of the auxiliary verb
„uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple past tense.
yAn ittijae – I was not

I ittija – You were not

Aye/imbe ittije – He was not

Al/mOlu ittijal – She was not

au/undu ittiji – It was not

nama/enkulu ittija – We were not

Ir/nikulu ittijar – You were not

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr ittijer – They were not

undekulu/aikulu ittija – They were not

Past Gerund Perfect + negative form of „uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple past tense

malt‟d + ittijae = malt‟dittijae (also pronounced „maltittijae‟) – I had not made (Kannada: nAnu
mADiralilla)

yAn malt'dittijae – I had not made

I malt'dittija – You had not made

Aye/imbe malt'dittije – He had not made

Al/mOlu malt'dittijal – She had not made

au/undu malt'dittiji – It had not made

nama/enkulu malt'dittija – We had not made

Ir/nikulu malt'dittijar – You had not made

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr malt'dittijer – They had not made

undekulu/aikulu malt'dittija – They had not made

pO (pOpini) – To go

pOd + ittijae = pOdittijae – I had not gone

yAn pOdittijae – I had not gone

I pOdittija – You had not gone

Aye/imbe pOdittije – He had not gone

Al/mOlu pOdittijal – She had not gone

au/undu pOdittiji – It had not gone

nama/enkulu pOdittija – We had not gone

Ir/nikulu pOdittijar – You had not gone

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOdittijer – They had not gone

undekulu/aikulu pOdittija – They had not gone

Examples:

Tulu: I eNDa pandittija

English: You had not told me

Kannada: nInu nanage hELiralilla

Tulu: yAn aDe pOdittijae

English: I had not gone there

Kannada: nAnu allige hOgiralilla

Tulu: kelavu dOstilu battittijer

English: Some friend had not come

Kannada: kelavu snEhitaru bandiralilla

Tulu: Aye ninan tUdittije

English: He had not seen you

Kannada: avanu ninnannu nODiralilla

Tulu: Ayeg kODae ushAr ittiji, anchAd shAleg pOdittije

English: He was not feeling well yesterday, so he had not gone to school

Kannada: avanige ninne hushAr iralilla, hAgAgi shAlege hOgiralilla

Tulu: akulu enan pArTig lett‟dittijer, anchAd yAn pOdittijae

English: They had not invited me to the party, so I had not gone

Kannada: avaru nannannu pArTige karediralilla, hAgAgi nAnu hOgiralilla

Interrogative forms:

As you know, we have to add „a‟ or „na‟ at the end to make interrogative form of sentences in Tulu. When
speaking with elders/strangers with respect, you can add „e‟ or „ne‟ instead of „a‟ or „na‟ at the end.

Tulu: yAn niNDa suruve pandittijena?

English: Hadn‟t I told you before?

Kannada: nAnu ninage modale hELiralilva?‟

Tulu: Aye nikk tikk'dittena?

English: Had he met you?

Kannada: avanu ninage sikkiddana?

Tulu: pOyina varsa battittijare?

English: Hadn‟t you come last year?

Kannada: hOda varsha bandiralillava?

Tulu: murani barsa battitt‟NDa?

English: Had it rained day before yesterday?

Kannada: monne maLe banditta?

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 30: Past Continuous Tense
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn another tense, i.e. Past Continuous tense. Please review Present
Continuous tense before we proceed.

Look at the following sentence:

I was going

As you see, this structure is similar to what we have in present continuous tense “I am going” (Simple past
of auxiliary verb „be‟ + main verb + ing)

So, let‟s take a very quick review of present continuous tense in Tulu first.

Root verb + ondu (Present Gerund) + Simple Present tense of „ul‟ (To be)

pOvondu + ullae = pOvondullae – I am going

Now, delete the „ullae‟ and add simple past tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟ (To be) instead.
Here are the verb conjugations of the verb „uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple past tense.

yAn ittae – I was

I itta – You were

Aye/imbe itte – He was

Al/mOlu ittal – She was

au/undu itt‟ND – It was

nama/enkulu itta – We were

Ir/nikulu ittar – You were

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr itter – They were

undekulu/aikulu itta – They were

Present Gerund + simple past tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟

pOvondu + ittae = pOvondittae – I was going (Kannada: nAnu hOgtA idde)

yAn pOvondittae – I was going

I pOvonditta – You were going

Aye/imbe pOvonditte – He was going

Al/mOlu pOvondittal – She was going

au/undu pOvonditt‟ND – It was going

nama/enkulu pOvonditta – We were going

Ir/nikulu pOvondittar – You were going

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOvonditter – They were going

undekulu/aikulu pOvonditta – They were going

Examples:

Tulu: yAn uNondittae

English: I was eating lunch/dinner

Kannada: nAnu UTa mADtA idde

Tulu: I gobbonditta

English: You were playing

Kannada: nInu ADtA idde

Tulu: Ir dAda maltondittar?

English: What were you doing?

Kannada: nIvu Enu mADtA iddiri?

Tulu: Aye ODe pOvonditte?

English: Where he was going to?

Kannada: avanu ellige hOgtA idda?

Tulu: Ar nikk kAtonditter

English: He/She was waiting for you

Kannada: avaru ninage kAytA iddaru

Tulu: Al pada paNondittal

English: She was singing

Kannada: avaLu hADtA iddaLu

Tulu: jOkulu Odonditta

English: Children were reading

Kannada: makkaLu OduttA iddaru

Tulu: pakkilu bAnoDu rAvonditta

English: Birds were flying in the sky

Kannada: hakkigaLu AkAshadalli hArtA iddavu

Tulu: akulu tulu kaltonditter

English: They were learning Tulu

Kannada: avaru tuLu kaliyuttA iddaru
Tulu: A UruDu mAterla kushiT oTTugu bad‟konditter

English: In that village, everyone was living together happily

Kannada: A Uralli ellAru santhOshadinda oTTige vAsa mADtA iddaru

Tulu: paDDaiD sUrye kantonditte

English: Sun was setting down in the west

Kannada: pashchimadalli sUrya muLugutidda

Tulu: jOru barsa baronditt‟ND

English: It was raining heavily

Kannada: jOrAgi maLe bartA ittu

Tulu: amma ninan nADonditter

English: Mother was searching for you

Kannada: amma ninnannu huDukuttA iddaru

Negative forms:

Negative forms in past continuous tense can be formed by using the negative form of the auxiliary verb
„uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple past tense.

yAn ittijae – I was not

I ittija – You were not

Aye/imbe ittije – He was not

Al/mOlu ittijal – She was not

au/undu ittiji – It was not

nama/enkulu ittija – We were not

Ir/nikulu ittijar – You were not

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr ittijer – They were not

undekulu/aikulu ittija – They were not

Present Gerund + negative form of „uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple past tense

pOvondu + ittijae = pOvondittijae – I was not going (Kannada: nAnu hOgtA iralilla)

yAn pOvondittijae – I was not going

I pOvondittija – You were not going

Aye/imbe pOvondittije – He was not going

Al/mOlu pOvondittijal – She was not going

au/undu pOvondittiji – It was not going

nama/enkulu pOvondittija – We were not going

Ir/nikulu pOvondittijar – You were not going

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOvondittijer – They were not going

undekulu/aikulu pOvondittija – They were not going

Examples:

Tulu: akulu eNDa pAterondittijer

English: They were not speaking with me

Kannada: avaru nannalli mAtADtA iralilla

Tulu: Ar tuluTu katae bareyondittijer

English: He/She was not writing stories in Tulu

Kannada: avaru tuLuvalli kathe bareyuttA iralilla

Tulu: barsa barondittiji

English: It was not raining

Kannada: maLe bartA iralilla

Tulu: Aye ODegla pOvondittije

English: He was not going to anywhere

Kannada: avanu elligU hOgtA iralilla

Tulu: dumbu yAn chA parondittijae

English: I was not drinking tea before

Kannada: modalu nAnu chaha kuDitA iralilla

Interrogative forms:

Tulu: I enk kAtondittana?

English: Were you waiting for me?

Kannada: nInu nanage kAytA iddeya?

Tulu: Al Odondittala?

English: Was she reading?

Kannada: avaLu OdtA iddaLa?

Tulu: Aye gobbondittijena?

English: Wasn‟t he playing?

Kannada: avanu ADtA iralilva?

Tulu: akulu barondittijera?

English: Weren‟t they coming?

Kannada: avaru bartA iralilva?

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If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

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solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 31: Postpositions
namaskAra! Welcome back!

In Tulu, we do not use prepositions, rather we use postpositions. Postpositions are used the same way as
prepositions in English (Examples: for you, in front of the house, between us, according to me, before
dinner, after death etc.), but they sit after the word that they modify. Generally postpositions are used to
express relationship between a noun or pronoun and other parts of the sentence.

1. Postpositions used with ablative or instrumental case (suffix „Dd‟):

dumbu – Before

bokka – after, afterwards

inchi – onwards

Atra – Because of

Tulu: ninDd dumbu yAn baidae

English: I have come before you

Kannada: ninaginta modalu nAnu bandiddEne

Tulu: enaDd bokka I battini

Engslish: You came after me

Kannada: nanna nantara nInu bandaddu

Tulu: madyAnaDd bokka tikk‟ga

English: Let us meet in the afternoon

Kannada: madhyAnada mEle sigONa

Tulu: elleDd bokka yAn barpujae

English: I will not come from tomorrow onwards

Kannada: nALeyinda nAnu baruvudilla

Tulu: aiDd bokka yAn Ayen tUtijae

English: After that, I have never seen him

Kannada: adara nantara nAnu avanannu nODilla

Tulu: kODeDdinchi barsa baronduNDu

English: It is raining from yesterday onwards.

Kannada: ninneyinda maLe bartA ide

Tulu: ekADdinchi nikk kAtondullae

English: I have been waiting for you from that time

Kannada: Agadinda ninage kAytA iddEne

Tulu: elleDdinchi yAn barpujae

English: I will not come from tomorrow onwards

Kannada: nALeyinda nAnu baruvudilla

Tulu: ninaDdAtra enk sukha ijji

English: Because of you I am not happy

Kannada: ninnindAgi nanage nemmadi illa

Tulu: ayeDdAtra enk barrae Ayiji

English: Because of him, I could not come

Kannada: avanindAgi nanage baralikke Agalilla

These postpositions can also be used with verbals.

Infinitives (1st form) + Dd + dumbu

barpineDd dumbu (barpini + Dd + dumbu) – Before coming

tUpineDd dumbu (tUpini + Dd + dumbu) – Before seeing

saipineDd dumbu (saipini + Dd + dumbu) – Before dying

Tulu: Aye barpineDd dumbu yAn pOpae

English: I will leave (go) before he comes

Kannada: avanu baruvudakinta modalu nAnu hOgtEne

Tulu: barsa barpineDd dumbu ill sEruve

English: Before it rains, I will be home

Kannada: maLe baruvudakinta modalu nAnu mane sErtEne

Tulu: Aye kENuneDd dumbu koru

English: Before he asks, give it to him

Kannada: avanu kELuvudakinta modalu koDu

Infinitives (1st form) + Dd + bokka

OR

Participles + bokka

battineDd bokka (battini + Dd + bokka) – After came

batti bokka (batti + bokka) – After came / Once came

pOyineDd bokka – After went

pOyi bokka – After went / Once went

Tulu: Aye battineDd bokka yAn pOyini

English: After he came, I went

Kannada: avanu banda mEle nAnu hOdaddu

Tulu: ninan tUyi bokka enk samadAna AND

English: After I saw you, I am feeling better

Kannada: ninnannu nODida mEle, nanage nemmadi Aytu

Tulu: ill etti bokka phone malpu

English: Once you reach home, call me

Kannada: mane talapida mEle phone mADu

Infinitives (1st form) + Dd + inchi

battineDdinchi (battini + Dd + inchi) – Since came / From the time when came

Tulu: akulu battineDdinchi telitonduller

English: They have been laughing since they came

Kannada: avaru bandAgininda nagtA iddAre

Tulu: Aye dubai‟g pOyineDdinchi phone malt‟dije

English: He has not called me since he went Dubai

Kannada: avanu dubai‟ge hOdAgininda phone mADilla

Infinitives (1st form) + Dd + Atra

battineDdAtra (battini + Dd + Atra) – Because came

Tulu: Ir paNDineDdAtra yAn pOyini

English: I went because you told me

Kannada: nIvu hELidarindAgi nAnu hOde

Tulu: I barpineDdAtra yAn barondullae

English: I am coming because you are coming

Kannada: nInu baruvudarindAgi nAnu bartA iddEne

2. Postpositions used with dative case (suffix „k/g‟):

eduru – against

Ad – for

Atra – for the sake of

bODAd - for the sake of

Tulu: yAn Epagla nikk eduru untayae

English: I will never stand against you

Kannada: nAnu yAvattigU ninage eduru nillenu

Tulu: nikkAd yAn battini

English: I came for you

Kannada: ninagAgi nAnu bandaddu

Tulu: kAs‟gAtra jana dAla malper

English: People may do anything for the sake of money

Kannada: duDDigOskara jana EnU mADiyAru

Tulu: enkAtra manipandae kullu

English: Keep quiet for the sake of me

Kannada: nanagOskara summaniru

Tulu: dEshogu bODAd prANa tyAga malte

English: He sacrified his life for the country

Kannada: dEshakke bEkAgi prANa tyAga mADida

Tulu: Ayeg bODAd yAn battae

Englsih: I came for him

Kannada: avanige bEkAgi nAnu bande

Following postpositions can also be used with verbals.

Infinitives (2nd form) + boDAd

OR

Infinitives (2nd form) + g + Atra

pAterrae bODAd – for the sake of speaking

pAterregAtra (pAterrae + g + Atra ) – for the sake of speaking

pOyerae bODAd - for the sake of going

pOyeregAtra – for the sake of going

Tulu: yAn niNDa paterrae bODAd battae

English: I came for the sake of speaking with you

Kannada: nAnu ninnondige mAtannADalikkOskara bande

Tulu: yAn ninan tUyeregAtra battae

English: I came for the sake of seeing you

Kannada: nAnu ninnannu nODalikkOskara bande

3. Postpositions used with genitive case (suffix 'na/ta/da'):

kaital – near

oTTugu – together, with

lekka / leka – Like, As

baggae/vishayoDu/vichAroDu – about / regarding / concerning

prakAra – As per

pagateg / badal‟g - instead of

mukhAntra – through

eduru – in front of

sutta / suttala – around

suttamutta – around

ulai – in / inside

pidai – out / outside

piravu – behind

aDe/aDeg – towards / to the place of

anchi/anchig – towards

mitt – on / above

tirt – below

aDiT - under

bariT – next to, beside

naDuTu – in the middle

Tulu: Ayena kaital pOvoDchi

English: Don‟t go near him

Kannada: avana hattira hOgabEDa

Tulu: ennoTTugu bala

Englsih: Come with me

Kannada: nanna jote bA

Tulu: aklenoTTugu gobboDchi

English: Don‟t play with them

Kannada: avaroTTige ADabEDa

Tulu: ninaleka yAn ijjae

English: I am not like you

Kannada: ninna hAge nAnu illa

Tulu: bangArdaleka raisuNDu

English: It‟s shining like gold

Kannada: chiNNadante hoLeyuttade

Tulu: namma dEshada vishayoDu Ar pAteriyer

English: He/She spoke regarding our country

Kannada: namma dEshada vishayadalli avaru mAtADidaru

Tulu: enna bagge nikk gottuji

English: You don‟t know about me

Kannada: nanna bagge ninage gottilla

Tulu: enna prakAra undu sari att

English: As per me this is not correct

Kannada: nanna prakAra idu sari alla

Tulu: ammena pagateg mage batte

English: The son came instead of his father

Kannada: tandeya badalige maga banda

Tulu: TV bokka Radio‟da mukhAntra janokleg suddi tikkuNDu

English: Through TV and Radio people will get news.

Kannada: TV mattu Radio‟da mukhAntra janarige suddi siguttade

Tulu: yAn ninna illada eduru ullae

English: I am in front of your house

Kannada: nAnu ninna maneya eduru iddEne

Tulu: kaNDoda sutta bEli uNDu

English: There is a fence around the field.

Kannada: gaddeya suttalU bEli ide

Tulu: enna suttamutta Erla ijjer

English: No one is there around me

Kannada: nanna suttamutta yArU illa

Tulu: akulu illada ulai pOyer

English: They went inside the house

Kannada: avaru maneya oLage hOdaru

Tulu: akulu illada pidai kAtonduller

English: They are waiting outside the house

Kannada: avaru maneya horage kAytA iddAre

Tulu: ninna piravu tUla

English: look behind you

Kannada: ninna hinde nOdu

Tulu: sudetaDe pOvodchi

English: Don‟t go to the riverside

Kannada: nadi kaDe hOgabEda

Tulu: tOTadanchi pOvondullae

English: I am going towards the garden

Kannada: tOTadAche hOgtA iddEne

Tulu: mEjida mitt pustaka uNDu

English: There is a book on the table

Kannada: mEjina mEle pustaka ide

Tulu: guDDeda tirt onji kerae uNDu

English: There is a pond below the mountain

Kannada: guDDada keLage ondu kere ide

Tulu: mEjida aDiT puchchae uNDu

English: There is a cat under the table

Kannada: mEjina aDiyalli bekku ide

Tulu: ramEshe, surEshena bariT kullonde

English: Ramesh has sat beside Suresh

Kannada: ramEsha, surEshana badiyalli kUtiddAne

Tulu: surEshe, ramEshe bokka jayantena naDuT kullonde

English: Suresh has sat between Ramesh and Jayanth.

Kannada: surEsha, ramEsha mattu jayantana madyadalli kUtiddAne

Following postpositions can also be used with verbals.

Participles + leka

tUyi leka – Like saw

batti leka – Like came

barpi leka – Like coming

paNpi leka – Like saying

Tulu: yAn paNDi leka malpu

English: Do as I said

Kannada: nAnu hELida hAge mADu

Tulu: yAn malpu leka malpu

English: Do like I do

Kannada: nAnu mADuva hAge mADu

Tulu: ninan Ola tUyi leka uNDu

English: It seems like I saw you somewhere

Kannada: ninnannu ellO nODida hAge ide

Participles + baggae/vishayoDu/vichAroDu

paNDina vishayoDu – about said

kENDina bagge – about heard

Tulu: yAn paNDina vishayODu AlOchanae malpu

English: Think about what I said

Kannada: nAnu hELida vishayadalli yOchane mADu

Tulu: I tUyina baggae EreDala paNoDchi

English: Don‟t tell anyone about what you saw

Kannada: nInu nODida bagge yArigU hELabEDa

Participles + aDe / anchi

paNpinaDe (paNpina + aDe) – To the place of which someone/something is saying

paNDinaDe (paNDina + aDe) - To the place of which someone/something said

pantinaDe (pantina + aDe) – To the place of which someone/something has said

battinanchi (battina + anchi) – Towards the place of which someone/something came

Tulu: yAn paNDinaDe pOla

English: Go to the place of which I said

Kannada: nAnu hELida kaDe hOgu

Tulu: Aye pOyinanchi pOvoDchi

English: Don‟t go towards the place where he went

Kannada: avanu hOda kaDe hOgabEDa

4. Postpositions used with basic form of nouns:

muTTa / muTa – up to, till

ormae / iDi – Throughout, all over

ijjandae / dAntae – Without

Tulu: Aye enna ill muTa batte

English: He came as far as my house

Kannada: avanu nanna maneya varege banda

Tulu: yAn bus stand muTa pOyae

English: I went up to the bust stand

Kannada: nAnu bus stand varege hOde

Tulu: patt gaNTae muTa kApuvae

Englsih: I will wait till 10 O‟clock

Kannada: hattu gaNTe varege kAyuttEne

Tulu: Ar tulunADormae pudar paDeyinAr

English: He/She is popular all over Tulu NaDu

Kannada: avaru tulunADinAdyanta hesaru paDedavaru

Tulu: I suddi Urormae paraD‟ND

English: This news spread throughout the village

Kannada: I suddi UrellA haraDitu

Tulu: I dAntae (ijjandae) yAn bad‟kayae

Englsih: Without you I can‟t live

Kannada: nInu illade nAnu badukenu

Tulu: enna sAya dAntae nikk genderae sAdya ijji

English: Without my help you cannot win

Kannada: nanna sahAya illade ninage gellalu sAdyavilla

Following postpositions can also be used with verbals.

Participles + muTa

barpina muTa – till coming

battina muTa - till came

tiNpina muTa - till eating

In Tulu we have another form to express the point of time at which the action terminates. The suffix „enge‟
is added to participles.

Participles + enge

malpuna + enge = malpunenge - till doing

maltina + enge = maltinenge - till did

baripna + enge = barpinenge – till coming

battina + enge = battinenge OR bannenge – till came

Tulu: akulu bannenge kApula

English: Wait until they come

Kannada: avaru baruva varege kAyu

Tulu: yAn unden malpunenge untula

English: Wait until I make this.

Kannada: nAnu idannu mADuva varege nillu

Tulu: yAn paNpinenge ODela pOvoDchi

English: Don‟t go anywhere until I tell you

Kannada: nAnu hELuva varege ellU hOgabEDa

5. Postpositions used with all the cases:

attandae – Beside, apart from , without

Tulu: ninan attandae bEtae Eren leppoDu?

Englsh: Whom else should I call apart from you?

Kannada: ninnannu allade bEre yArannu kareyali?

Tulu: I attandae bEtae Er uller enk?

English: Apart from you who else is there for me?

Kannada: nInu allade bEre yAriddAre nanage?

Tulu: ninaDd attandae bEtae Eregla unden malperae sAdya ijji

English: Besides you no one can do this

Kannada: nInu allade bErae yArigU idannu mADalu sAdya illa

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If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 32: Conjunctions
namaskAra! Welcome back!

I hope you enjoyed the previous lesson. Today, we are going to learn conjunctions in Tulu. Conjunctions are
words that link two parts of a sentence.

Here are the some of the conjunctions used in Tulu:

boka / bokka – and

la – and / also / even

ANDa - But

ANDala – but even so / But still / though /

att‟Da / attANDa – or, if not so

ijjiDa / ijjANDa – or, if not so

dAyae paNDa – Because

aik / aikAd / aikAtra – Therefore / for that reason

aiDdAtra / aiDdAvara - Therefore / Because of that

anchAd - Therefore

ancha / incha – Thus / so

apaNDa – In that case / If it is so

onjE…ijjiDa - either..or

onjE…att‟Da - either…or

la…la irverla/raDDla – both…and

la att..la att - neither…nor

la ijji…la ijji – neither…nor

mAtra att…la – not only but also

attandae…la - not only but also

Example Sentences:

Tulu: I bokka yAn

English: You and I

Kannada: nInu mattu nAnu

Tulu: pENTeg pOdu, ari bokka sakkarae kanala

English: Go to the bazaar and bring some rice and sugar

Kannada: pETege hOgi, akki mattu sakkare koNDu bA

Tulu: Ila yAnla

English: You and I

Kannada: nAnU nInU

Tulu: appae la magal la batter

English: Mother and daughter came

Kannada: tAyi mattu magaLu bandaru

Tulu: Ayela batte

English: He also came.

Kannada: avanU kUDa banda

Tulu: yAn kuDlag pOvondulle, Ila barpana?

English: I am going to Mangalore, will you come too?

Kannada: nAnu mangalUrige hOgtA iddEne, nInU bartIya?

Tulu: Arla enan lettijer

English: Even he/she didn‟t call me

Kannada: avarU saha nannannu karIlilla

Tulu: yAn chA parpae, ANDa kAphi enk isTa ijji

English: I drink tea, but I don‟t like coffee.

Kannada: nAnu chaha kuDItEne, Adare kAphi nanage isTa illa

Tulu: akulu eDDae gobbiyer, ANDala genderae Ayiji

English: Though they played well, they couldn‟t win

Kannada: avaru chennAgi ADidaru, AdarU gellOkke Agalilla

Tulu: chA att‟Da kAphi

English: Tea or coffee

Kannada: chaha athavA kAphi

Tulu: pEr ijjANDa nIr

English: Milk or water

Kannada: hAlu athavA nIru

Tulu: ellae attANDa ellanji barpae

English: I will come tomorrow or day after tomorrow.

Kannada: nALe athavA nADiddu bartEne

Tulu: Aye ini sAleg pOtije, dAyae paNDa ayeg ushAr ijji

English: He has not gone to school today, because he is not feeling well

Kannada: avanu ivattu shAlege hOgilla, Ekendare avanige hushAr illa

Tulu: enk bachch‟ditt‟ND, aik yAn illaDe pOyae

English: I was tired, therefore, I went home

Kannada: nanage sustAgittu, adakke nAnu manege hOde

Tulu: yAn genduvae, anchAd I sOpuva

English: I win, therefore you lose

Kannada: nAnu geltEne, hAgAgi nInu sOltIya

Tulu: enk ushAr ittiji, aiDdAtra barrae Ayiji

English: I was not feeling well; therefore, I could not come

Kannada: nanage hushAr iralilla, Addarinda, barOke Agalilla

Tulu: Aye parIksheg Odudittije, ancha fail Aye

English: He had not studied for the exam, thus he failed.

Kannada: avanu parIkshege Odiralilla, hAge fail Ada

Tulu: I barondijjana? apaNDa, yAnla pOpujae.

English: Aren‟t you coming? If so, I will not go too

Kannada: nInu bartA ilva? hAgAdare, nAnU hOgalla

Tulu: kAphi ijja? apaNDa, chA Avu

English: There's no coffee? In that case I'll have tea.

Kannada: kAphi ilva? hAgAdare, chA AdItu

Tulu: onjE yAn barpae ijjANDa meggyen kaDapuDuvae

English: Either I will come or I will send my younger brother

Kannada: ondE nAnu bartEne athavA tammanannu kaLuhisuttEne

Tulu: onjE mUlu kullu att‟Da ennoTTugu bala

English: Either stay here or come with me

Kannada: ondE illi kUtkO athavA nannaoTTige bA

Tulu: appae la magal la irverla batter

English: Both mother and daughter came

Kannada: tAyi mattu magaLu ibbarU bandaru

Tulu: nAyi la puchchae la raDDla balta

English: Both dog and cat ran away

Kannada: nAyi mattu bekku eraDU ODidavu

Tulu: I la paNDija, ninna dOsti la paNDije

English: Neither you nor your friend told me

Kannada: nInU hELalilla, ninna geLeyanU hELalilla

Tulu: au mUlla (mUlu + la) ijji, aulla (aulu + la) ijji

English: It's neither here nor there

Kannada: adu illU illa, allU illa

Tulu: au nAyi la att, kuduke la att

English: It‟s neither dog nor fox

Kannada: adu nAyiyU alla, nariyU alla

Tulu: Peter mAtra att, John la baide

English: Not only Peter but also John has come

Kannada: Peter mAtra alla, John kUDa bandiddAne

Tulu: I Uru nirmala attandae, shOkula uNDu

English: This village is not only clean but also beautiful.

Kannada: I Uru swachcha allade, sundaravU Agide

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu

Tulu Lesson 33: Future Perfect Tense

namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn one more tense in Tulu, i.e. Future Perfect Tense. The future perfect tense used
to express a completed action in the future.

Look at the following sentence:

I will have gone

As you see, this structure is similar to what we have in present perfect tense, but an additional auxiliary
verb „will‟ is added in between.

The simple future of the verb „to have‟ (will have) + the past participle of the main verb „go‟ (gone)

In Tulu, we use the following structure for the Future Perfect Tense:

Past Gerund Perfect + simple future (Simple Present) tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟

As I said earlier, in Tulu, Simple Present Tense also used to talk about actions that will happen certainly in
the future.
So let us quickly review the conjugations of the verb „uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple present/future tense

yAn uppuvae – I am / I will be

I uppuva – You are / You will be

Aye/imbe uppuve – He is / He will be

Al/mOlu uppuval – She is / She will be

au/undu uppuNDu – It is / It will be

nama/enkulu uppuva – We are / We will be

Ir/nikulu uppuvar – You are / You will be

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uppuver – They are / They will be

undekulu/aikulu uppuva – They are / They will be

Past gerund (perfect) of the verb „pO‟ is „pOdu‟

pOdu + uppuvae = pOduppuvae – I will have gone (Kannada: nAnu hOgirtEne)

yAn pOduppuvae – I will have gone

I pOduppuva – You will have gone

Aye/imbe pOduppuve – He will have gone

Al/mOlu pOduppuval – She will have gone

au/undu pOduppuNDu – It will have gone

nama/enkulu pOduppuva – We will have gone

Ir/nikulu pOduppuvar – You will have gone

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOduppuver – They will have gone

undekulu/aikulu pOduppuva – They will have gone

yAn batt'duppuvae – I will have come

I batt'duppuva – You will have come

Aye/imbe batt'duppuve – He will have come

Al/mOlu batt'duppuval – She will have come

au/undu batt'duppuNDu – It will have come

nama/enkulu batt'duppuva – We will have come

Ir/nikulu batt'duppuvar – You will have come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr batt'duppuver – They will have come

undekulu/aikulu batt'duppuva – They will have come

Examples:

Tulu: barpina varsadulai nikulu tulu kalt‟duppuvar

English: You will have learned Tulu by next year

Kannada: baruva varshadoLage nIvu tuLu kalitiruttIri

Tulu: Aye ini bayyadulai ett‟duppuve

English: He will have reached by the evening

Kannada: avanu ivattu sanjeyoLage talapiruttAne

Tulu: ellae It portugu parIkshae mugiduppuNDu

English: Exams will have finished by this time tomorrow

Kannada: nALe ishTu hottige parIkshe mugidiruttade

Tulu: akulu rAtrae patt gaNTedulai jett‟duppuver

English: They will have slept by 10pm.

Kannada: avaru rAtri hattu gaNTeyoLage malagiruttAre

Tulu: I enan madat‟duppuvana?

English: Will you have forgotten me?

Kannada: nInu nannannu maretirtIya?

Negative forms:

Negative forms in future perfect tense can be formed by using the negative form of the auxiliary verb
„uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple future tense (simple present)
yAn uppujae –I will not be

I uppuja –You will not be

Aye/imbe uppuje – He will not be

Al/mOlu uppujal – She will not be

au/undu uppuji – It will not be

nama/enkulu uppuja – We will not be

Ir/nikulu uppujar – You will not be

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr uppujer – They will not be

undekulu/aikulu uppuja – They will not be

Past Gerund Perfect + simple future (Simple Present) tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟

pOdu + uppujae = pOduppujae – I will not have gone (Kannada: nAnu hOgiruvudilla)

yAn pOduppujae – I will not have gone

I pOduppuja – You will not have gone

Aye/imbe pOduppuje – He will not have gone

Al/mOlu pOduppujal – She will not have gone

au/undu pOduppuji – It will not have gone

nama/enkulu pOduppuja – We will not have gone

Ir/nikulu pOduppujar – You will not have gone

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOduppujer – They will not have gone

undekulu/aikulu pOduppuja – They will not have gone

Examples:

Tulu: Aye ini bayyadulai ett‟duppuje

English: He will not have reached by the evening

Kannada: avanu ivattu sanjeyoLage talapiruvudilla

Tulu: Ar ODela pOduppujer

English: He/She will not have gone anywhere

Kannada: avaru elligU hOgiruvudilla

Tulu: jOkulu sAleg pOduppujana?

English: Will the children not have gone to school?

Kannada: makkaLu shAlege hOgiruvudillava?

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If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 34: Future Continuous Tense
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn Future Continuous Tense in Tulu. The Future Continuous Tense used to
express a continued or an ongoing action in future. Look at the following sentence:

I will be going

(auxiliary verb „will be‟ + main verb + ing)

In Tulu, we use the following structure for the Future Continuous Tense:

Present Gerund + simple future (Simple Present) tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟

pOvondu + uppuvae = pOvonduppuvae – I will be going (Kannada: nAnu hOgtA irtEne)

yAn pOvonduppuvae – I will be going

I pOvonduppuva – You will be going

Aye/imbe pOvonduppuve – He will be going

Al/mOlu pOvonduppuval – She will be going

au/undu pOvonduppuNDu – It will be going

nama/enkulu pOvonduppuva – We will be going

Ir/nikulu pOvonduppuvar – You will be going

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOvonduppuver – They will be going

undekulu/aikulu pOvonduppuva – They will be going

yAn baronduppuvae – I will be coming

I baronduppuva – You will be coming

Aye/imbe baronduppuve – He will be coming

Al/mOlu baronduppuval – She will be coming

au/undu baronduppuNDu – It will be coming

nama/enkulu baronduppuva – We will be coming

Ir/nikulu baronduppuvar – You will be coming

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baronduppuver – They will be coming

undekulu/aikulu baronduppuva – They will be coming

Examples:

Tulu: yAn nikk kAtonduppuvae

English: I will be waiting for you

Kannada: nAnu ninage kAytA irtEne

Tulu: ellae It portugu yAn parIkshae bareyonduppuvae

English: This time tomorrow I will be writing exam

Kannada: nALe ishTu hottige nAnu parIkshe bareyuttA iretEne

Tulu: mast jana baronduppuvera?

English: Will lots of people be coming?

Kannada: tumbA jana bartA irtAra?

Tulu: akulu bayya El gaNTeg TV tUvonduppuver

English: They will be watching TV at 7 o‟clock in the evening

Kannada: avaru sanje ELu gaNTege TV nODuttA irtAre

Tulu: jOkulu bayyag gobbonduppuva

English: Children will be playing in the evening

Kannada: makkaLu sanje ADtA irtAre

Tulu: Aye dAda maltonduppuve?

English: What will he be doing?

Kannada: avanu Enu mADtA irtAne?

Tulu: pakkilu bAnoDu rAvonduppuva

English: Birds will be flying in the sky

Kannada: hakkigaLu AkAshadalli hArtA irtave

Tulu: akulu ain gaNTae muTa Odonduppuver

English: They will be studying until 5 o'clock.

Kannada: avaru aidu gaNTevarege OdtA irtAre

Tulu: yAn teacher bannenge gobbonduppuvae

English: I will be playing until teacher comes.

Kannada: nAnu teacher baruva varege ADtA irtEne

Negative forms:

Negative forms in future continuous tense can be formed by using the negative form of the auxiliary verb
„uppuni/ippuni‟ in simple future tense (simple present)

Present Gerund + simple future (Simple Present) tense of „uppuni/ippuni‟

pOvondu + uppujae = pOvonduppujae – I will not be going (Kannada: nAnu hOgtA iralla)

Tulu: yAn nikk kAtonduppujae

English: I will not be waiting for you

Kannada: nAnu ninage kAytA iralla

Tulu: ellae It portugu Ir Odonduppujar

English: This time tomorrow you will not be reading

Kannada: nALe ishTu hottige nIvu OdtA irallla

Tulu: akulu Aji gaNTae muTa kAtonduppujer

English: They will not be waiting until 6 o'clock.

Kannada: avaru Aru gaNTevarege kAytA iralla

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If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 35: “When” and “While” in Tulu
namaskAra! Welcome back!

As you remember, we have studied past and future continuous/perfect tense for the past couple of weeks.
Normally “when” and “while” used with these tenses to express the time at which action takes place.

Today, we are going to learn the following structure:

Examples:

I was eating lunch when he came.

I had seen him when I was in Mangalore

While I was reading, he was watching TV

I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives

I will have learned Tulu when I return Bangalore

As you see in the first example, we have „When‟ plus two other tenses. We have past continuous tense at one
side and simple past tense at the other. But in Tulu we do not need to use two tenses, instead we add a suffix
„aga‟ (derived from the adverb „apaga‟ which means „that time/then‟) to the root verb with additional „n‟
sound in between. This form can be used with any tense.
Example:

malpu (malpuni) = To do/make

malpu + n + aga = malpunaga – When making/doing / While making/doing

tU (tUpini) = To see

tU + n + aga = tUnaga – When/while seeing

bar (barpini) = To come

bar + n + aga = bannaga – When/while coming

leppu (leppuni) = To call

leppu + n + aga = leppunaga – When/while calling

uppu (uppuni) = To be

uppu + n + aga = uppunaga – When/while being

OK, now let us translate above sentences to Tulu.

1) I was eating lunch when he came.

I was eating lunch = yAn uNondittae

He came = Aye batte

when he came = Aye bannaga

Tulu: Aye bannaga yAn uNondittae

English: I was eating lunch when he came

Kannada: avanu baruvAga nAnu UTa mADtA idde

2) I had seen him when I was in Mangalore

I had seen him = yAn Ayen tUdittae

I was in Mangalore = yAn kuDlaD ittae

when I was in Mangalore = yAn kuDlaD uppunaga

Tulu: yAn kuDlaD uppunaga Ayen tUdittae

English: I had seen him when I was in Mangalore

Kannada: nAnu mangaLUralli iruvAga avanannu nODidde

3) While I was reading, he was watching TV

I was reading = yAn Odondittae

While I was reading = yAn Odonduppunaga

he was watching TV = Aye TV tUvonditte

Tulu: yAn Odonduppunaga Aye TV tUvonditte

English: While I was reading, he was watching TV

Kannada: nAnu OdtA iruvAga avanu TV nODtA idda

4) I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives

I will be waiting for you = yAn nikk kAtonduppuvae

your bus arrives = ninna bus barpuNDu

when your bus arrives = ninna bus bannaga

Tulu: ninna bus bannaga yAn nikk kAtonduppuvae

English: I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives

Kannada: ninna bus baruvAga nAnu ninage kAytA irtEne

5) I will have learned Tulu when I return Bangalore

I will have learned Tulu = yAn tulu kalt‟duppuvae

I return Bangalore = yAn bengalUrg pira pOpae

when I return Bangalore = yAn bengalUrg pira pOnaga

Tulu: yAn bengalUrg pira pOnaga tulu kalt‟duppuvae

English: I will have learned Tulu when I return Bangalore

Kannada: nAnu bengaLUrige hintiruguvAga tuLu kalitiruttEne

More Examples:

Tulu: yAn tUnaga Al pOvondittal

English: She was going when I saw her.

Kannada: nAnu nODuvAga avaLu hOgtA iddaLu

Tulu: enna dOsti bannaga yAn jett‟dittae

English: I was sleeping when my friend arrived

Kannada: nanna geLeya baruvAga nAnu malagidde

Tulu: yAn pOnaga akulu Odonditter

English: There were studying when I went

Kannada: nAnu hOguvAga avaru OdtA iddaru

Tulu: yAn Odonduppunaga current pONDu

English: While I was reading the power went off

Kannada: nAnu OdtA iruvAga current hOytu

Tulu: Aye leppunaga battije

English: He did not come when I called

Kannada: avanu kereyuvAga baralilla

Tulu: yAn illaD uppunaga TV tUvonduppuvae

English: I will be watching TV when I am home

Kannada: nAnu maneyalliruvAga TV nODtA irtEne

Tulu: yAn Urugu bannaga nikk tikkvae

English: I will meet you when I come to the village/town

Kannada: nAnu Urige baruvAga ninannu bhETi AgtEne

Tulu: yAn paNNaga I kENDija

English: You did not listen when I told you

Kannada: nAnu hELuvAga nInu kELalilla

Tulu: nama ellae tikk‟naga pAterga

English: Let us talk when we meet tomorrow

Kannada: nAvu nALe siguvAga mAtADuva

Tulu: yAn leppunaga bala

English: Come when I call

Kannada: nAnu kareyuvAga bA

Tulu: akulu bELae malpunaga pada paNonditter

English: They were singing while working

Kannada: avaru kelasa mADuvAga hADtA iddaru

Tulu: yAn pAternaga manipandae kullu

English: Be quiet while I am speaking

Kannada: nAnu mAtannADuvAga summaniru

Tulu: unnaga pAteroDchi

English: Don‟t speak while eating lunch/dinner

Kannada: UTa mADuvAga mAtADabEDa

Tulu: nikk pursottu Anaga phone malpu

English: Call me when you are free

Kannada: ninage pursottu AguvAga phone mADu

As you see in the above examples, the same form (root verb + n + aga) is used in all the tenses (Present,
Future and Past). However, when we want to emphasize the past tense, we can use the below structure
sometimes.

Infinitives (1st form) + apaga

Example:

bar (barpini) = To come

battini + apaga = battinapaga – When (someone) came

tU (tUpini) = To see

tUyini + apaga = tUyinapaga – When (someone) saw

paN (paNpini) = To say/tell

paNDini + apaga = paNDinapaga – When (someone) said

Tulu: yAn lettinapaga Aye battije

English: He did not come when I called

Kannada: nAnu karedAga avanu baralilla

Tulu: yAn tUyinapaga aulu Erla ittijer

English: When I saw no one was there

Kannada: nAnu nODidAga yArU iralilla

Tulu: Ar illaDe battinapaga yAn ittijae

English: I was not there when he/she came home

Kannada: avaru manege bandAga nAnu iralilla

This form is also used with negative infinitives.

Example:

bar (barpini) = To come

barandini + apaga = barandinapaga – When (someone) did not come / When (someone) does not come

tU (tUpini) = To see

tUvandini + apaga = tUvandinapaga – When (someone) did not see / When (someone) does not see

paN (paNpini) = To say/tell

paNandini + apaga = paNandinapaga – When (someone) did not say / When (someone) does not say

malpu (malpuni) = To do/make

malpandini + apaga = malpandinapaga - When (someone) did not do / When (someone) does not do

uppu (uppuni) – To be

uppandini/ijjandini + apaga = uppandinapaga / ijjandinapaga - When (someone) wasn‟t / When (someone)

isn‟t
Tulu: yAn ijjandinapaga dAdAND? (dAda + AND)

English: What happened in my absence? (Lit. What happened when I was not there?)

Kannada: nAnu illadAga EnAytu?

Tulu: yAn barandinapaga enna bElae Ir malpule

English: Do my work when I don‟t come

Kannada: nAnu baradAga nanna kelasa nIvu mADiri

Tulu: Ar pAterandinapaga yAn pAteruvae

English: I will speak when he/she does not speak

Kannada: avaru mAtannADadAga nAnu mAtannADuttEne

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 36: Subjunctive Mood - “If”
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we will learn how to translate „if‟ in Tulu. Look at the following examples:

If you call me, I will come

If he comes, tell me

If I help you, will you help me?

As you see, we have two sentences. We have „If‟ clause at one side and main clause at the other. In Tulu „If‟
clause can be formed by adding the suffix „Da‟ to the verb conjugations in all tenses.

Example:

malpu (malpuni) – To do

Ir malpuvar – You do / You will do

Ir malpuvarDa – If you do

paN (paNpini) – To tell / say

Ar paNDer – He/She said

Ar paNDerDa – If he/she said

Alright! Let us conjugate the verb „bar‟ (barpini - To do) in subjunctive mood in all tenses.

Present/Future: Positive

yAn barpeDa – If I come

I barpaDa – If you come

Aye/imbe barpeDa – If he comes

Al/mOlu barpalDa – If she comes

au/undu barpuNDa (barpuNDu + Da) – If it comes

nama/enkulu barpaDa – If we come

Ir/nikulu barparDa – If you come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr barperDa – If they come

undekulu/aikulu barpaDa – If they come

Present/Future: Negative

yAn barpujeDa – If I don't come

I barpujaDa – If you don't come

Aye/imbe barpujeDa – If he doesn't come

Al/mOlu barpujalDa – If she doesn't come

au/undu barpujiDa – If it doesn't come

nama/enkulu barpujaDa – If we don't come

Ir/nikulu barpujarDa – If you don't come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr barpujerDa – If they don't come

undekulu/aikulu barpujaDa – If they don't come

Past: Positive

yAn batteDa – If I came

I battaDa – If you came

Aye/imbe batteDa – If he came

Al/mOlu battalDa – If she came

au/undu batt‟NDa (batt‟ND + Da) – If it came

nama/enkulu battaDa – If we came

Ir/nikulu battarDa – If you came

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr batterDa – If they came

undekulu/aikulu battaDa – If they came

Past: Negative

yAn battijeDa – If I didn't come

I battijaDa – If you didn't come

Aye/imbe battijeDa – If he didn't come

Al/mOlu battijalDa – If she didn't come

au/undu battijiDa – If it didn't come

nama/enkulu battijaDa – If we didn't come

Ir/nikulu battijarDa – If you didn't come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr battijerDa – If they didn't come

undekulu/aikulu battijaDa – If they didn't come

Past Perfect: Positive

yAn baideDa – If I had come

I baidaDa – If you had come

Aye/imbe baideDa – If he had come

Al/mOlu baidalDa – If she had come

au/undu baid‟NDa (baid‟ND + Da) – If it had come

nama/enkulu baidaDa – If we had come

Ir/nikulu baidarDa – If you had come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baiderDa – If they had come

undekulu/aikulu baidaDa – If they had come

Past Perfect: Negative

yAn baidijeDa – If I had not come

I baidijaDa – If you had not come

Aye/imbe baidijeDa – If he had not come

Al/mOlu baidijalDa – If she had not come

au/undu baidijiDa – If it had not come

nama/enkulu baidijaDa – If we had not come

Ir/nikulu baidijarDa – If you had not come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baidijerDa – If they had not come

undekulu/aikulu baidijaDa – If they had not come

Note: In Tulu we use Present Perfect with 'If' clause while in English it is Past Perfect.

One more example:

bUru (bUruni) – To fall

Present/Future: Positive

yAn bUruveDa – If I fall

I bUruvaDa – If you fall

Aye/imbe bUruveDa – If he falls

Al/mOlu bUruvalDa – If she falls

au/undu bUruNDa (bUruNDu + Da) – If it falls

nama/enkulu bUruvaDa – If we fall

Ir/nikulu bUruvarDa – If you fall

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUruverDa – If they fall

undekulu/aikulu bUruvaDa – If they fall

Present/Future: Negative

yAn bUrujeDa – If I don't fall

I bUrujaDa – If you don't fall

Aye/imbe bUrujeDa – If he doesn't fall

Al/mOlu bUrujalDa – If she doesn't fall

au/undu bUrujiDa – If it doesn't fall

nama/enkulu bUrujaDa – If we don't fall

Ir/nikulu bUrujarDa – If you don't fall

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUrujerDa – If they don't fall

undekulu/aikulu bUrujaDa – If they don't fall

Past: Positive

yAn bUriyeDa – If I fell

I bUriyaDa – If you fell

Aye/imbe bUriyeDa – If he fell

Al/mOlu bUriyalDa – If she fell

au/undu bUr‟NDa (bUr‟ND + Da) – If it fell

nama/enkulu bUriyaDa – If we fell

Ir/nikulu bUriyarDa – If you fell

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUriyerDa – If they fell

undekulu/aikulu bUriyaDa – If they fell

Past: Negative

yAn bUrijeDa – If I didn't fall

I bUrijaDa – If you didn't fall

Aye/imbe bUrijeDa – If he didn't fall

Al/mOlu bUrijalDa – If she didn't fall

au/undu bUrijiDa – If it didn't fall

nama/enkulu bUrijaDa – If we didn't fall

Ir/nikulu bUrijarDa – If you didn't fall

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUrijerDa – If they didn't fall

undekulu/aikulu bUrijaDa – If they didn't fall

Past Perfect: Positive

yAn bUrdeDa – If I had fallen

I bUrdaDa – If you had fallen

Aye/imbe bUrdeDa – If he had fallen

Al/mOlu bUrdalDa – If she had fallen

au/undu bUrd‟NDa (bUrd‟ND + Da) – If it had fallen

nama/enkulu bUrdaDa – If we had fallen

Ir/nikulu bUrdarDa – If you had fallen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUrderDa – If they had fallen

undekulu/aikulu bUrdaDa – If they had fallen

Past Perfect: Negative

yAn bUrdijeDa – If I had not fallen

I bUrdijaDa – If you had not fallen

Aye/imbe bUrdijeDa – If he had not fallen

Al/mOlu bUrdijalDa – If she had not fallen

au/undu bUrdijiDa – If it had not fallen

nama/enkulu bUrdijaDa – If we had not fallen

Ir/nikulu bUrdijarDa – If you had not fallen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr bUrdijerDa – If they had not fallen

undekulu/aikulu bUrdijaDa – If they had not fallen

Now let us translate the following 3 sentences in Tulu:

1. If you call me, I will come

You call me – I enan leppuva

I will come – Yan barpae

Tulu: I enan leppuvaDa, yAn barpae

English: If you call me, I will come

Kannada: nInu nannannu karedare, nAnu bartEne

2. If he comes, tell me

He comes – Aye barpe

Tell me – eNDa paN

Tulu: Aye barpeDa eNDa paN

English: If he comes, tell me

Kannada: avanu bandare, nanage hELu

3. If I help you, will you help me?

I help you – yAn nikk sAya malpuvae

Will you help me? – I enk sAya malpuvana?

Tulu: yAn nikk sAya malpuveDa, I enk sAya malpuvana?

English: If I help you, will you help me?

Kannada: nAnu ninage sahAya mADidare, nInu nanage sahAya mADuttIya?

The above translated sentences in Tulu are correct. However, normally in spoken Tulu, the third person
neuter past tense singular (like batt‟NDa, bUr‟NDa) used for all persons in all tenses regardless of singular
or plural. So above 3 examples can also be translated to Tulu as given below:
Tulu: I enan lett‟NDa, yAn barpae

English: If you call me, I will come

Kannada: nInu nannannu karedare, nAnu bartEne

Tulu: Aye batt‟NDa, eNDa paN

English: If he comes, tell me

Kannada: avanu bandare, nanage hELu

Tulu: yAn nikk sAya malt‟NDa, I enk sAya malpuvana?

English: If I help you, will you help me?

Kannada: nAnu ninage sahAya mADidare, nInu nanage sahAya mADuttIya?

As you see, above sentences are future conditional sentences, but we used the third person neuter past tense
singular (lett‟NDa, batt‟NDa and malt‟NDa) while translating „If‟ clause. Today we are learning only future
conditional sentences. Next week we will go to the past conditional sentences.

More Examples:

Tulu: I Od‟NDa, parIksheD pAs Apa

English: If you study, you will pass the exam

Kannada: nInu Odidre, parIksheyalli pAs AgtIya

Tulu: I OdijiDa, parIksheD fail Apa

English: If you don‟t read, you will fail the exam

Kannada: nInu Odlilladre, parIksheyalli fail AgtIya

Tulu: barsa batt‟NDa, yAn chaNDi Apae

English: If it rains, I will get wet

Kannada: maLe bandre, nAnu odde AgtEne

Tulu: dAla samasyae itt‟NDa enk paNle

English: If you have any problem, tell me

Kannada: EnAdrU samasye iddare nanage hELi

Tulu: Erla batt‟NDa, enan leppu

English: If anyone comes, call me

Kannada: yArAdrU bandre, nannannu kari

Tulu: I ellae batt‟NDa, enk teripAv

English: If you come tomorrow, let me know (once you came)

Kannada: nInu nALe bandre, nanage tiLisu

Tulu: I ellae barpaDa, enk teripAv (Here we have to use future tense „barpaDa‟ in the „If‟ clause, since it
expreses willingness or a wish)

English: If you will come tomorrow, let me know (in advance)

Kannada: nInu nALe barOdAdre, nanage tiLisu

Tulu: Aye barpeDa baraD (Again this sentence expreses a wish)

English: If he wants, let him come

Kannada: avanu barOdAdre, barali

Tulu: ANDa, enk onji sAya malpuvana?

English: If possible, can you do me a favor?

Kannada: Adre, nanage ondu sahAya mADuttIya?

Tulu: ANDa bayyag tikvae

English: If possible, I will meet you in the evening

Kannada: Adre sanje sigtEne

Tulu: dAla bODANDa (bODu + ANDa), enan leppule

English: If you need anything, call me

Kannada: EnAdrU bEkiddre, nannannu kariri

Tulu: I att‟Da, bEtae Er?

English: If not you, who else?

Kannada: nInu alladidre, bEre yAru?

Following words are frequently used with „if‟ clause in Tulu:

1. onji vElae / onjelae = By chance / In case (Kannada: ondu vELe)

Example:

Tulu: onji vElae barsa batt‟NDa, yAn bannaga portAvu (portu + Avu)

English: In case it rains, I may get late

Kannada: ondu vELe maLe bandre, nAnu baruvAga taDa AdItu

2. mini = by any chance (Kannada: EnAdrU)

The word „mini‟ may have different meanings when used in sentences.

Examples:

Tulu: nikk mini gottuNDa?

Englsih: Do you know by any chance?

Kannada: ninage EnAdrU gottideya?

Tulu: enaDd mini Avand

English: It‟s not possible for me in any case

Kannada: nanninda antU sAdhya illa

Tulu: akulu mini baruvera?

English: Will they come by any chance?

Kannada: avaru EnAdrU bandAra?

Tulu: yAn bannaga portANDa mini, neroDchi

English: If by any chance I am late, don‟t scold me

Kannada: nAnu baruvAga EnAdrU taDa Adre, baibEDa

Tulu: onji vElae yAn bannaga portANDa mini, enk kApoDchi

English: If by any chance I am late, don‟t wait for me

Kannada: ondu vELe nAnu baruvAga EnAdrU taDa Adre, nanage kAyabEDa

3. mAtra = Only (Kannada: mAtra)

Example:

Tulu: I lett‟NDa mAtra barpae

English: I will come only if you call me

Kannada: nInu karedare mAtra bartEne

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 37: Conditional Mood – “would/would
have”
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn conditional mood in Tulu. The conditional mood in Tulu used to express unreal
past conditions and its probable past or present result. The conditional mood normally used with „If‟ clause.
Before we proceed, I recommend you to review Tulu Lesson 14: PresentPerfect Tense and Tulu Lesson 18:
Uses of Gerunds (Verbal Adverbs)

Look at the following sentences:

1. If you called me I would come

2. If you had called me I would have come

As you see, we have „If‟ clause at one side and conditional clause at the other. We have already learned the
“If” clause in the previous lesson.

If you called me = I enan lettaDa / I enan lett‟NDa

If you had called me = I enan leidaDa / I enan leid‟NDa

No problem with that! Now let us translate “I would come” to Tulu.

In Tulu, we use the following structure for the conditional mood:

Past gerund (Perfect) + uv + personal endings in (Uncertain) Future Tense

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + uv + ae = batt‟duvae / baiduve – I would come or I would have come

Personal endings in (Uncertain) Future Tense:

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending

First Person yAn ae nama/enkulu a

Second Person I a nikulu/Ir ar

Masc. Aye/imbe e
Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr er
Fem. Al/mOlu al
Person
Neut. au/undu u aikulu/undekulu a

yAn baiduvae – I would come / I would have come

I baiduva – You would come / You would have come

Aye/imbe baiduve – He would come / He would have come

Al/mOlu baiduval– She would come / She would have come

au/undu baidu – It would come / It would have come (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal
ending starts from „u‟ sound)

nama/enkulu baiduva– We would come / We would have come

Ir/nikulu baiduvar– You would come / You would have come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baiduver – They would come / They would have come

undekulu/aikulu baiduva– They would come / They would have come

Tulu: I enan lett‟NDa yAn baiduvae

English: If you called me I would come

Kannada: nInu nannannu karedare nAnu bartidde

Tulu: I enan leid‟NDa yAn baiduvae

English: If you had called me I would have come

Kannada: nInu nannannu karediddre nAnu bartidde

More examples:

pO (pOpini) – To go
pOd + uv + ae = pOtuvae (d‟ is pronounced as „t‟, if it is a Class A verb) – I would go / I would have gone

yAn pOtuvae – I would go/ I would have gone

I pOtuva – You would go / You would have gone

Aye/imbe pOtuve – He would go / He would have gone

Al/mOlu pOtuval– She would go / She would have gone

au/undu pOtu – It would go / It would have gone (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal ending
starts from „u‟ sound)

nama/enkulu pOtuva– We would go / We would have gone

Ir/nikulu pOtuvar– You would go / You would have gone

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOtuver – They would go / They would have gone

undekulu/aikulu pOtuva– They would go / They would have gone

paN (pAnpini) – To tell/say

pand + uv + ae = pantuvae – I would say / I would have said

yAn pantuvae – I would say/ I would have said

I pantuva – You would say / You would have said

Aye/imbe pantuve – He would say / He would have said

Al/mOlu pantuval– She would say / She would have said

au/undu pantu – It would say / It would have said (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal ending
starts from „u‟ sound)

nama/enkulu pantuva– We would say / We would have said

Ir/nikulu pantuvar– You would say / You would have said

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pantuver – They would say / They would have said

undekulu/aikulu pantuva– They would say / They would have said

kEN (kENuni) – To ask/hear/listen

kEnd + uv + ae = kEnduvae – I would ask / I would have asked

yAn kEnduvae – I would ask/ I would have asked

I kEnduva – You would ask / You would have asked

Aye/imbe kEnduve – He would ask / He would have asked

Al/mOlu kEnduval– She would ask / She would have asked

au/undu kEndu – It would ask / It would have asked (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal
ending starts from „u‟ sound)

nama/enkulu kEnduva– We would ask / We would have asked

Ir/nikulu kEnduvar– You would ask / You would have asked

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kEnduver – They would ask / They would have asked

undekulu/aikulu kEnduva– They would ask / They would have asked

A (Apini) – To become

Ad + uv + ae = Atuvae – I would become / I would have become

yAn Atuvae – I would become/ I would have become

I Atuva – You would become / You would have become

Aye/imbe Atuve – He would become / He would have become

Al/mOlu Atuval– She would become / She would have become

au/undu Atu – It would become / It would have become (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal
ending starts from „u‟ sound)

nama/enkulu Atuva– We would become / We would have become

Ir/nikulu Atuvar– You would become / You would have become

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Atuver – They would become / They would have become

undekulu/aikulu Atuva– They would become / They would have become

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be

itt'd + uv + ae = itt'duvae – I would be / I would have been

yAn itt'duvae – I would be/ I would have been

I itt'duva – You would be / You would have been

Aye/imbe itt'duve – He would be / He would have been

Al/mOlu itt'duval– She would be / She would have been

au/undu itt'du – It would be / It would have been (We don‟t have to add „uv‟ sound since personal ending
starts from „u‟ sound)

nama/enkulu itt'duva– We would be / We would have been

Ir/nikulu itt'duvar– You would be / You would have been

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr itt'duver – They would be / They would have been

undekulu/aikulu itt'duva– They would be / They would have been

Negative forms:

Negative forms in conditional mood have following structure:

Past gerund (Perfect) + Negative personal endings in (Uncertain) Future Tense

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + ayae = batt‟dayae / baidayae – I would not come / I would not have come

Negative personal endings in (Uncertain) Future Tense:

Singular Plural

Pronoun Ending Pronoun Ending

First Person yAn ayae nama/enkulu aya

Second Person I aya nikulu/Ir ayar

Masc. Aye/imbe aye

Third akulu/Ar/mokulu/mEr ayer
Fem. Al/mOlu ayal
Person
Neut. au/undu and aikulu/undekulu aya

yAn baidayae – I would not come / I would not have come

I baidaya – You would not come / You would not have come

Aye/imbe baidaye – He would not come / He would not have come

Al/mOlu baidayal– She would not come / She would not have come
au/undu baidand – It would not come / It would not have come

nama/enkulu baidaya– We would not come / We would not have come

Ir/nikulu baidayar– You would not come / You would not have come

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr baidayer – They would not come / They would not have come

undekulu/aikulu baidaya– They would not come / They would not have come

More examples:

tU (tUpini) – To see

tUd + ayae = tUtayae (d‟ is pronounced as „t‟, if it is a Class A verb) – I would not see / I would not have
seen

yAn tUtayae – I would not see / I would not have seen

I tUtaya – You would not see / You would not have seen

Aye/imbe tUtaye – He would not see / He would not have seen

Al/mOlu tUtayal– She would not see / She would not have seen

au/undu tUtand – It would not see / It would not have seen

nama/enkulu tUtaya– We would not see / We would not have seen

Ir/nikulu tUtayar– You would not see / You would not have seen

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUtayer – They would not see / They would not have seen

undekulu/aikulu tUtaya– They would not see / They would not have seen

tiN (tiNpini) – To eat

tind + ayae = tintayae – I would not eat / I would not have eaten

yAn tintayae – I would not eat / I would not have eaten

I tintaya – You would not eat / You would not have eaten

Aye/imbe tintaye – He would not eat / He would not have eaten

Al/mOlu tintayal– She would not eat / She would not have eaten

au/undu tintand – It would not eat / It would not have eaten

nama/enkulu tintaya– We would not eat / We would not have eaten

Ir/nikulu tintayar– You would not eat / You would not have eaten

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tintayer – They would not eat / They would not have eaten

undekulu/aikulu tintaya– They would not eat / They would not have eaten

A (Apini) – To become

Ad + ayae = Atayae – I would not become / I would not have become

yAn Atayae – I would not become / I would not have become

I Ataya – You would not become / You would not have become

Aye/imbe Ataye – He would not become / He would not have become

Al/mOlu Atayal– She would not become / She would not have become

au/undu Atand – It would not become / It would not have become

nama/enkulu Ataya– We would not become / We would not have become

Ir/nikulu Atayar– You would not become / You would not have become

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Atayer – They would not become / They would not have become

undekulu/aikulu Ataya– They would not become / They would not have become

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be

itt'd + ayae = itt'dayae – I would not be / I would not have been

yAn itt'dayae – I would not be / I would not have been

I itt'daya – You would not be / You would not have been

Aye/imbe itt'daye – He would not be / He would not have been

Al/mOlu itt'dayal– She would not be / She would not have been

au/undu itt'dand – It would not be / It would not have been

nama/enkulu itt'daya– We would not be / We would not have been

Ir/nikulu itt'dayar– You would not be / You would not have been

akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr itt'dayer – They would not be / They would not have been

undekulu/aikulu itt'daya– They would not be / They would not have been
Example Sentences:

Tulu: Ir paNDa yAn pOtuvae

English: If you told me, I would go

Kannada: nIvu hELidare nAnu hOgtidde

Tulu: Ir paNDijiDa yAn pOtayae

English: If you didn‟t tell me, I wouldn‟t go

Kannada: nIvu hELillAdre nAnu hOgtiralilla

Tulu: Ir pant‟NDa yAn pOtuvae

English: If you had told me, I would have gone

Kannada: nIvu hELiddare nAnu hOgtidde

Tulu: Ir pantijiDa yAn pOtayae

English: If you hadn‟t told me, I wouldn‟t have gone

Kannada: nIvu hELadiddre nAnu hOgtiralilla

Tulu: yAn lett‟NDa I baiduvana?

English: Would you come if I called you?

Kannada: nAnu karedre, nInu bartiddeya?

Tulu: yAn leid‟NDa I baiduvana?

English: Would you have come if I had called you?

Kannada: nAnu karedidre nInu bartiddeya?

Tulu: yAn lett‟NDa I baidayana?

English: Wouldn‟t you come if I called you?

Kannada: nAnu karedre, nInu bartiralilva?

Tulu: yAn leid‟NDa I baidayana?

English: Wouldn‟t you have come if I had called you?

Kannada: nAnu karedidre nInu bartiralilva?

Tulu: Ir mUlu itt‟NDa eDDe itt‟du

English: If you were here, it would be nice

Kannada: nIvu illi iddre chennAgirtittu

Tulu: Ir mUlu itt‟d‟NDa eDDe itt‟du

English: If you had been here, it would have been nice

Kannada: nIvu illi irtiddre chennAgirtittu

Tulu: Ir itt‟d‟NDa It banga Atand

English: If you had been here, it wouldn‟t have been so hard

Kannada: nIvu illi irtiddre ishTu kashTa Agtiralilla

Tulu: eNDa kAs itt‟d‟NDa nikk kortuvae

English: If I had had money I would have given it to you

Kannada: nannalli duDDu irtiddre ninage koDtidde

Tulu: aleg gottitt‟d‟NDa enk pantuval

English: She would have told me if she had known

Kannada: avaLige gottirtiddre nanage hELtidLu

Tulu: Aye barpinau gottitt‟NDa (gottu + itt‟NDa) yAn baidayae

English: If I knew he was coming I wouldn‟t come

Kannada: avanu barOdu gottiddre nAnu bartiralilla

Tulu: I Odud‟NDa parIksheD pAs Atuva

English: If you had studied you would have passed the exam

Kannada: nInu Odirtiddre parIksheyalli pAs Agtidde

The conditional mood in Tulu can also be used to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't, or
regretting what you did or didn't do.

Examples:

Tulu: yAn ninan leiduvae, ANDa ninna number enk gottittiji

English: I would have called you, but I didn't know your number

Kannada: nAnu ninnannu karItidde, Adre ninna number nanage gottiralilla

Tulu: yAn ninan tUyere baiduvae! nikk hushAr ijjandinau enk gottittiji.

English: I would have come to see you! I didn‟t know you were ill.

Kannada: nAnu ninnannu nODOke bartidde! ninage hushAr illaddu nange gottiralilla.

Tulu: yAn nikk sAla kortuvae, ANDa eNDa dAla kAs ittiji

English: I would have loaned you the money, but I didn‟t have any.

Kannada: nAnu ninage sAla koDtidde, Adare nannllii EnU duDDu iralilla

Tulu: Chae! yAn vantae bEga baiduvae!

English: I wish I had come little earlier!

Kannada: Che! nAnu svalpa bEga bartidde!

Tulu: Chae! I eNDa pantuva!

English: I wish you had told me!

Kannada: Che! nInu nannalli hELtidde!

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 38: should/must + have + Past Participle
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn how to translate “should/must + have + Past Participle” in Tulu. This form is
used to express something that would have been done, but that we didn't do it, or advice about the past, or
regretting what we did or didn't do. Please review the previous lesson Conditional Mood –
“would/wouldhave” and Potential mood (must, should, need, can, may) before we proceed.

Look at the following examples:

You should have gone

He should have told me

She should have asked me

So you know how to translate „should‟ or „must‟ in Tulu. We have to add the suffix „oDu‟ to the root verb.

Example:

pO (pOpini) – To go

pO + oDu = pOvoDu – should go

In Tulu, we have the following structure for “should/must + have + Past Participle”

Past Gerund (Perfect) + oDu

pOd + oDu = pOtoDu (d‟ is pronounced as „t‟, if it is a Class A verb) – should/must have gone
Tulu: I pOtoDu

English: You should have gone

Kannada: nInu hOgbEkittu

paN (paNpini) – To tell/say

pand + oDu = pantoDu (Class A verb) – should/must have told

Tulu: Aye eNDa pantoDu

English: He should have told me

Kannada: avanu nannalli hELbEkittu

kEN (kENuni) – To ask/hear/listen

kEnd + oDu = kEndoDu – should/must have asked

Tulu: Al eNDa kEndoDu

English: She should have asked me

Kannada: avaLu nannalli kELbEkittu

More examples:

malpu (malpuni) – To do/make

malt‟d + oDu = malt‟doDu – should/must have done

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + oDu = batt‟doDu or baidoDu – should/must have come

leppu (leppuni) – To call

lett‟d + oDu = lett‟doDu or leidoDu – should/must have called

uN (uNpini) – To eat/have lunch or dinner

und + oDu = untoDu (Class A verb) – should/must have eaten lunch/dinner

telipu (telipuni) – To smile/laugh

telit‟d + oDu = telit‟doDu – should/must have smiled

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be

itt‟d + oDu = itt‟doDu – should/must have been

A (Apini) – To become

Ad + oDu = AtoDu – should/must have become

Negative forms:

In Tulu we do not have negative forms for “should/must + have + Past Participle”, instead we use negative
potential mood (should not/must not) and add third person neuter simple past tense of the auxiliary verb
„uppuni‟ (To be) at the end:

Negative potential mood + itt‟ND

Example:

He should not have gone

Let‟s translate “He should not go” to Tulu first.

Aye pOyeraeballi - He should not go (necessity or permission)

OR

Aye pOpinaboDchi – He should not go (suggestion)

Now add “itt‟ND” (Third person neuter simple past tense of the auxiliary verb „uppuni‟) at the end.

Aye pOyeraeballi + itt‟ND = Aye pOyeraeballitt‟ND - He should not have gone (regretting)

Aye pOpinaboDchi + itt‟ND = Aye pOpinaboDchitt‟ND - He should not have gone (advice)

One more example:

You should not have eaten

I tiNyeraeballi – You should not eat (necessity)

I tiNpinaboDchi – You should not eat (suggestion)

I tiNyeraeballitt‟ND - You should not have eaten (regretting)

I tiNpinaboDchitt‟ND - You should not have eaten (advice)

Example Sentences:

Tulu: I enan leidoDu

English: You should have called me

Kannada: nInu nannannu karIbEkittu

Tulu: Ir ennoTTugu baidoDu

English: You should have come with me

Kannada: nIvu nannoTTige barbEkittu

Tulu: Ir ennoTTugu barraeballitt‟ND

English: You should not have come with me

Kannada: nIvu nannoTTige barabAradittu

Tulu: yAn kANDae bEga lakk‟doDu

English: I should have got up early in the morning.

Kannada: nAnu beLagge bEga eddELbEkittu

Tulu: Aye eNDa pantoDu

English: He should have told me

Kannada: avanu nanalli hELbEkittu

Tulu: nikulu kANDae muTa kAt‟doDu

English: You should have waited until morning

Kannada: nIvu beLaggina varegU kAyabEkittu

Tulu: yAn AyeDa ancha pAteryeraeballitt‟ND

English: I shouldn't have spoken to him like that.

Kannada: nAnu avanige hAge mAtADabAradittu

Tulu: yAn tulu kalt‟doDu

English: I should have learned Tulu

Kannada: nAnu tuLu kalibEkittu

Tulu: Ir mUlu itt‟doDu

English: You should have been here

Kannada: nIvu illi irabEkittu

Tulu: I eNDa sullu paNDraeballitt‟ND

English: You shouldn‟t have lied to me.

Kannada: nInu nannalli suLLu hELabAradittu

Tulu: Ar Doctor AtoDu

English: He should have become a Doctor

Kannada: avaru Doctor AgabEkittu

Tulu: Ir vantae bEga baidoDu

English: You should have come little earlier

Kannada: nIvu svalpa bEga barbEkittu

In English, we can also use „should have + + Past Participle‟ to guess about events that may have happened.

Example: He should have reached Bangalore by now. (We are not certain whether he reached Bangalore or
not)

In Tulu we have slightly different form to guess about events that may have happened. The auxiliary verb
„uppu‟ (uppuni – To be) is used with potential mood suffix „oDu‟.

Past Gerund (Perfect) + uppu + oDu

pO (pOpini) – To go

pOd + upp + oDu = pOduppoDu – should have gone (guessing)

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + upp + oDu = batt‟duppoDu - should have come (guessing)

Examples:

Tulu: Aye ittae benglUr ett‟duppoDu

English: He should have reached Bangalore by now.

Kannada: avanu Iga bengLuru talapirabEku

Tulu: akulu ini kANDae pOduppoDu

English: They should have gone this morning.

Kannada: avaru indu belagge hOgirabEku

Tulu: Ar It portugu jett‟duppoDu

English: He/She should have slept by now.

Kannada: avaru ishTu hottige malagirabEku

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 39: could + have + Past Participle
namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today we are going to learn how to translate “could + have + Past Participle” in Tulu. This form is
used to express that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in
the past, but that you didn't do it. The negative form is used to express that something wasn't
possible in the past, even if you had wanted to do it.

Examples:

1. You could have come with me.

2. He could have done that work

In Tulu, we have the following structure for “could + have + Past Participle”

Past Gerund (Perfect) + suffix „oli‟

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + oli = batt‟doli / baidoli – Could have come

Normally this form is used with dative case.

Tulu: nikk ennoTTugu baidoli

English: You could have come with me
Kannada: ninage nannoTTige barabahudittu

malpu (malpuni) – To do

malt‟d + oli = malt‟doli – Could have done

Tulu: A bElen ayeg malt‟doli

English: He could have done that work
Kannada: A kelasavannu avanige mADabahudittu

More examples:

paN (paNpini) – To tell/say

pand + oli = pantoli (d‟ is pronounced as „t‟, if it is a Class A verb) – Could have told

kEN (kEnuni) – To ask/hear/listen

kEnd + oli = kEndoli – Could have asked

tiN (tiNpini) – To eat

tind + oli = tintoli – Could have eaten

jeppu (jeppuni) – To sleep

jett‟d + oli = jett‟doli / jeidoli

gobbu (gobbuni) – To play

gobbud + oli = gobbudoli – Could have played

kor (korpini) – To give

kord + oli = kortoli – Could have given

uppu/ippu (uppuni/ippuni) – To be

dettonu (dettonuni) – To buy/purchase/take for oneself

dettond + oli – dettondoli – Could have bought (for oneself)

itt‟d + oli = itt‟doli – Could have been

A (Apini) – To become

Ad + oli = Atoli – Could have become

Negative forms:

Let us translate „could not‟ in Tulu first.

Infinitive (second form) + third person neuter past tense of the verb „Apini‟ (To become)

I could not come – enk barrae Ayiji

Now change „Ayiji‟ to „Atand‟ (Third person neuter conditional form of the verb „Apini‟)

Infinitive (second form) + third person neuter conditional form of the verb „Apini‟

enk barrae Atand – I couldn‟t have come

More examples:

pO (pOpini) – To go

pOyerae Atand – Could not have gone

uN (uNpini) – To eat lunch/dinner

uNDrae Atand – Could not have eaten lunch/dinner

telipu (telipuni) – To smile/laugh

teliperae Atand – Could not have smiled

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

kalperae Atand – Could not have learned

Example Sentences:

Tulu: nikk parIksheD pAs Atoli, ANDa I prayatna battija

English: You could have passed the exam, but you didn‟t try.
Kannada: ninage parIksheyalli pAs Agabahudittu, Adare nInu prayatnisalilla

Tulu: nikk enan leidoli, ANDa I lettija

English: You could have called me, but you didn‟t call
Kannada: ninage nannannu karIbahudittu, Adare nInu karIlilla

Tulu: aleg Ayen madimae Atoli, ANDa aleg ishTa ittiji

English: She could have married him but she didn't want to.
Kannada: avaLige avanannu maduve Agabahudittu, Adare avaLige ishTa iralilla

Tulu: akleg avlu pokkaDae kulluna badal, enk sAya malt‟doli

English: They could have helped me instead of just sitting there.
Kannada: avarige alli summane kuLitukoLLuva badalu, nanage sahAya mADabahudittu

Tulu: Ayeg vantae bEga baidoli

English: He could have come little earlier.
Kannada: avanige svalpa bEga barabahudittu

Tulu: namak aleDa pantoli

English: We could have told her
Kannada: namage avaLalli hELabahudittu
Tulu: kAs itt‟d‟NDa, onji car dettondoli
English: Could have been purchased a car if had money.
Kannada: duDDu irtiddare, ondu car tegedukoLLabahudittu

Tulu: enk oryeg malperae Atand

English: I could not have done it alone.
Kannada: nanage obbanige mADOke Agtiralilla

Tulu: enk neDd bEga barrae Atand, traffic jam itt‟ND

English: I could not have arrived any earlier, there was a traffic jam.
Kannada: nanage idakkinta bEga barOke Agtiralilla, traffic jam ittu

Tulu: Ir enan leid‟NDala enk barrae Atand. enk hushAr ittiji

English: I couldn‟t have come even if you had called me. I was not feeling well.
Kannada: nIvu nannannu karItiddrU nanage baroKe Agtiralilla. nanage hushAr iralilla

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If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson
helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 40: may/might + have + Past Participle
namaskAra! Welcome back!

So far we have learned how to translate „would have‟, „should have‟ and „could have‟ in Tulu. Today
we are going to learn one more similar structure, i.e. „may/might + have + Past Participle‟. This
form is used to talk about the possibility that something happened in the past and also used to
refer to the present or future.

Examples:

 He may have seen you

 They might have gone home

 I might have finished this work by tomorrow.

In Tulu, we have the following structure for “may/might + have + Past Participle”

Past Gerund (Perfect) + Uncertain future tense of the auxiliary verb „uppuni‟

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + uppae = batt‟duppae – I may/might have come

yAn batt'duppae – I may/might have come

I batt'duppa – You may/might have come
Aye/imbe batt'duppe – He may/might have come
Al/mOlu batt'duppal– She may/might have come
au/undu batt'dupu – It may/might have come
nama/enkulu batt'duppa– We may/might have come
Ir/nikulu batt'duppar– You may/might have come
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr batt'dupper – They may/might have come
undekulu/aikulu batt'duppa– They may/might have come

tU (tUpini) – To see
tUd + uppae = tUduppae – I may/might have seen

yAn tUduppae – I may/might have seen

I tUduppa – You may/might have seen
Aye/imbe tUduppe – He may/might have seen
Al/mOlu tUduppal– She may/might have seen
au/undu tUduppu – It may/might have seen
nama/enkulu tUduppa– We may/might have seen
Ir/nikulu tUduppar– You may/might have seen
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUdupper – They may/might have seen
undekulu/aikulu tUduppa– They may/might have seen

pO (pOpini) – To go

pOd + uppae = pOduppae - I may/might have gone

yAn pOduppae – I may/might have gone

I pOduppa – You may/might have gone
Aye/imbe pOduppe – He may/might have gone
Al/mOlu pOduppal– She may/might have gone
au/undu pOduppu – It may/might have gone
nama/enkulu pOduppa– We may/might have gone
Ir/nikulu pOduppar– You may/might have gone
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pOdupper – They may/might have gone
undekulu/aikulu pOduppa– They may/might have gone

mugipu (mugipuni) – To finish

mugit‟d + uppae = mugit‟duppae - I may/might have finished

yAn mugit'duppae – I may/might have finished

I mugit'duppa – You may/might have finished
Aye/imbe mugit'duppe – He may/might have finished
Al/mOlu mugit'duppal– She may/might have finished
au/undu mugit'duppu – It may/might have finished
nama/enkulu mugit'duppa– We may/might have finished
Ir/nikulu mugit'duppar– You may/might have finished
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr mugit'dupper – They may/might have finished
undekulu/aikulu mugit'duppa– They may/might have finished

Tulu: Aye ninan tUduppe

English: He may have seen you
Kannada: avanu ninnannu nODirabahudu

Tulu: akulu illaDe pOdupper

English: They might have gone home
Kannada: avaru manege hOgirabahudu

Tulu: yAn elledulai I bElen mugit‟duppae

English: I might have finished this work by tomorrow.
Kannada: nAnu nALeyoLage I kelasavannu mugisirabahudu

More Examples:

par (parpini) – To drink

pard + uppae = parduppae - I may/might have drunk

yAn parduppae – I may/might have drunk

I parduppa – You may/might have drunk
Aye/imbe parduppe – He may/might have drunk
Al/mOlu parduppal– She may/might have drunk
au/undu parduppu – It may/might have drunk
nama/enkulu parduppa– We may/might have drunk
Ir/nikulu parduppar– You may/might have drunk
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr pardupper – They may/might have drunk
undekulu/aikulu parduppa– They may/might have drunk

A (Apini) – To become

Ad + uppae = Aduppae - I may/might have become

yAn Aduppae – I may/might have been

I Aduppa – You may/might have been
Aye/imbe Aduppe – He may/might have been
Al/mOlu Aduppal– She may/might have been
au/undu Aduppu – It may/might have been / It may be so
nama/enkulu Aduppa– We may/might have been
Ir/nikulu Aduppar– You may/might have been
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr Adupper – They may/might have been
undekulu/aikulu Aduppa– They may/might have been

kalpu (kalpuni) – To learn

kalt‟d + uppae = kalt‟duppae – I may/might have learned

yAn kalt'duppae – I may/might have learned

I kalt'duppa – You may/might have learned
Aye/imbe kalt'duppe – He may/might have learned
Al/mOlu kalt'duppal– She may/might have learned
au/undu kalt'duppu – It may/might have learned
nama/enkulu kalt'duppa– We may/might have learned
Ir/nikulu kalt'duppar– You may/might have learned
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr kalt'dupper – They may/might have learned
undekulu/aikulu kalt'duppa– They may/might have learned

Negative forms:

We have the following structure for “may/might not + have + Past Participle”

Past Gerund (Perfect) + Negative forms of the auxiliary verb „uppuni‟ in Uncertain
future tense

bar (barpini) – To come

batt‟d + uppayae = batt‟duppayae – I may/might not have come

yAn batt'duppayae – I may/might not have come

I batt'duppaya – You may/might not have come
Aye/imbe batt'duppaye – He may/might not have come
Al/mOlu batt'duppayal– She may/might not have come
au/undu batt'duppand – It may/might not have come
nama/enkulu batt'duppaya– We may/might not have come
Ir/nikulu batt'duppayar– You may/might not have come
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr batt'duppayer – They may/might not have come
undekulu/aikulu batt'duppaya– They may/might not have come

tU (tUpini) – To see

tUd + uppae = tUduppayae – I may/might not have seen

yAn tUduppayae – I may/might not have seen

I tUduppaya – You may/might not have seen
Aye/imbe tUduppaye – He may/might not have seen
Al/mOlu tUduppayal– She may/might not have seen
au/undu tUduppand – It may/might not have seen
nama/enkulu tUduppaya– We may/might not have seen
Ir/nikulu tUduppayar– You may/might not have seen
akulu/mokulu/Ar/mEr tUduppayer – They may/might not have seen
undekulu/aikulu tUduppaya– They may/might not have seen

Tulu: Aye ninan tUduppaye

English: He may not have seen you
Kannada: avanu ninnannu nODirlikkilla

Tulu: akulu illaDe pOduppayer

English: They might not have gone home
Kannada: avaru manege hOgirlikkilla

Tulu: yAn elledulai I bElen mugit‟duppayae

English: I might not have finished this work by tomorrow.
Kannada: nAnu nALeyoLage I kelasavannu mugisirlikkilla

More Example Sentences:

Tulu: Ayeg bus tatt‟duppu

English: He may have missed the bus.
Kannada: avanige bus tappirabahudu

Tulu: pEr‟n puchchae parduppu

English: The cat might have drunk the milk
Kannada: bekku hAlannu kuDidirabahudu

Tulu: enna kAr‟n Er kaND‟dupper?

English: Who might have stolen my car?
Kannada: nanna kArannu yAru kaddirabahudu?

Tulu: Aye ODe pOduppe?

English: Where might he have gone?
Kannada: avanu ellige hOgirabahudu?

Tulu: akulu ittae Mysore ett‟dupper

English: They might have reached Mysore now
Kannada: avaru Iga Mysore talapirabahudu
Tulu: I aklen tUduppa
English: You might have seen them
Kannada: nInu avarannu nODirabahudu

Tulu: Aleg madat‟pOduppu

English: She might have forgotten
Kannada: avaLige maretu hOgirabahudu

Tulu: Ir eNDa sullu panduppar

English: You might have lied to me
Kannada: nIvu nannalli suLLu hELirabahudu

Tulu: rAme nanala batt‟duppaye

English: Rama might not have come yet
Kannada: rAma innU bandiralikkilla

Tulu: I iDe muTa kEnduppaya

English: You might not have heard till now
Kannada: nInu illi varege kELiralikkilla

Tulu: nikulu satya panduppayar

English: You might not have said the truth
Kannada: nIvu satya hELirlikkilla

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson
helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu

See you next week!

solmelu!
Tulu Lesson 41: Useful Phrases in Tulu
namaskAra! Welcome back!

How are you all? Let me start by wishing you and your family a joyful, bright, healthy, prosperous and
happiest new year ahead! Happy New Year! mAteregla posa varsada eDDepu!

We have finished 40 lessons so far. I think I covered all the grammar lessons in Tulu. If I missed anything
please let me know. Also, please give me your feedbacks on the lessons. Are they really helpful for you in
learning Tulu? Going forward what type of lessons do you expect from me? I will try my level best to
implement your suggestions and come back to you with new interesting lessons.

Alright! Today let us learn some useful phrases in Tulu.

English Tulu Kannada

Hi/Hello namaskAra/namastE/solmelu namaskAra/namastE

Welcome svAgata svAgata

Thank you solmelu dhanyavAdagaLu

Thank you (When someone upakAra AND upakAra Aytu

helped you)

See you again kuDora tikk‟ga innomme sigONa

Bye! barpae hOgi bartEne

How are you? Encha ullar? (formal) hEgiddIri?

encha ulla? (informal) hEgiddIya?

I am fine ushArullae / saukhya chennAgiddEne

Had your lunch/dinner? oNasANDe? (formal) UTa Ayta?

oNasANDa? (informal)

Had tea? chA paryare? (formal) chA Ayta?

chA paryana? (informal)

Had breakfast? nAshTa ANDe? (formal) tiNDi Ayta?

nAshTa ANDa? (informal)

What is this? undu dAde? (formal) idu Enu?

undu dAda? (informal)

What is the time now? gaNTae EtAND? gaNTe eshTaytu?

What is your name? pudar enchine? (formal) hesarEnu?

pudar enchina? (informal)

My name is ….. enna pudar …. Nanna hesaru ….

 Where are you from? Uru olpa? / ill olpa? yAvUru? / mane elli?

I am from Mangalore yAn kuDlaDd baidae / enna ill nAnu mangaLUrinda bandiddEne /
kuDlaD
nanna mane mangaLuralli

I am Mangalorean yAn kuDladAye (M) nAnu mangaLurinava (M)

yAn kuDladAl (F) nAnu mangaLurinavaLu (F)

Long time no see mast samayAND tUdu / nODi tumbA samaya Aytu

mast dinaAND tUdu

Do you speak Tulu? Tulu barpuNDe? / tulu tuLu bartadA? / tulu mAtADtIra?
pAteruvare? (Formal) (formal)

tulu barpuNDa? / tulu tuLu mAtADtIya (informal)

pAteruvana? (Informal)

Yes, a little (reply to „Do and, vantae vantae barpuNDu haudu, svalpa svalpa bartade
you speak Tulu?‟)

I know enk gottuNDu nanage gottu

I don‟t know enk guttuji nanage gottilla

I can understand enk arthaApuNDu nanage arthaAgtade

I don‟t understand enk arthaApuji nanage arthaAgalla

Please speak slowly vantae mella pAterle svalpa mellage mAtADi

Please say that again kuDora paNle / kuDora Innomme hELi / innomme hELtIra?
paNpare?

How do you say …. In ….. unden tuluTu encha ……. Idannu tuLuvalli hEge hELuvudu?
Tulu? paNpini?

Please dayamalt / dayadId dayaviTTu

I love you yAn iren mOkae malpuvae nAnu nimmannu prItistEne (formal)
(formal)
nAnu ninnannu prItistEne (informal)
yAn ninan mOkae malpuvae
(Informal)

I like you enk Ir ishTa (formal) nanage nIvu ishTa (formal)

enk I ishTa (informal) nanage nInu ishTa (informal)

Do you like me too? ireg‟la yAn ishTane? (formal) nimagU nanu ishTana? (formal)

nikk‟la yAn ishTana? (informal) ninagU nanu ishTana? (informal)

Get well soon bEga ushArAle (formal) bEga hushArAgi (formal)

bEga ushArAla (informal) bEga hushArAgu (informal)

 God bless you dEver eDDae malpaD dEvaru oLLedu mADali

Stop! untule / untAle (formal) nilli / nillisi (formal)

untu / untAv (informal) nillu / nillisu (informal)

Fire! tU / sU benki

Go forward dumpOle (dumbu + pOle) munde hOgi (formal)

(formal)
munde hOgu (informal)
dumpO (informal)

Go back pira pOle (formal) hinde hOgi (formal)

pira pO (informal) hinde hOgu (informal)

I want to get down here yAn mUlu jappuvae nAnu illi iLitEne

Listen! kEnle (formal) kELi (formal)

kEn (informal) kELu (informal)

Call the police! pOlis‟n leppule pOlisannu karIri

How much is this? nekk Eth? idakke eshTu?

Where are you going? Ir dUra pOvondullar? (formal) nIvu ellige hOguttiddIri?

I dUra pOvondulla? (informal)

I am hungry enk baDavonduNdu nanage hasivAgtA ide

I am thirsty enk bAjelAvonduNDu nanage bAyArike AgtA ide

Can u help me? enk onji upakAra malpuvara? nanage ondu sahAya mADuttIra?
(formal) (formal)

enk onji upakAra malpuvana? Nanage ondu sahAya mADuttIya?

(informal) (informal)

Let‟s go pOyi hOgONa

Come in ulai bale (formal) oLage banni (formal)

ulai bala (informal) oLage bA (informal)

Sit down kullule (formal) kuLitukoLLi (formal)

kullu (formal) kuLitukO (informal)

No problem / It‟s OK mallejji / tondarae ijji paravAgilla / tondare illa

How old are you? ireg prAya EtAND? (formal) Nimage vayasseshTaytu (formal)

nikk prAya EtAND? (informal) ninage vayasseshTaytu (informal)

If you need more sentences translated in Tulu, please leave a comment. If you find this lesson helpful,
please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu J
Bye!

Tulu Lesson 42: Family Relationships in Tulu

namaskAra! Welcome back!

Today let us learn some names of family relationships in Tulu.

Here is a list of relationships and their corresponding words in Tulu.

Tulu English Kannada

appae / amma Mother / Mummy tAyi / amma

amme / poppa Father / Daddy tande / appa

appae-amme Mother and Father / tande-tAyi

Parents

mage Son maga

magal Daughter magaLu

bAlae Child/Kid/Baby magu

bAlelu / jOkulu Children makkaLu

appae-magal Mother and Daughter tAyi-magaLu

amme-mage Father and Son tande-maga

appae-jOkulu Mother and Children tAyi-makkaLu

palaye / aNNe Elder brother aNNa

paldi/pali/akka Elder sister akka

megye Younger brother tamma

megdi / tangaDi Younger sister tangi

megye-palayallu Brothers aNNa-tammandiru

megdi-paliyallu Sisters akka-tangiyandiru

tage-tangaDi Brother and Sister aNNa-tangi

ajje Grand Father ajja

ajji Grand Mother ajji

pijje Great grand father muttajja

pijji Great grand mother muttajji

pulli Grand child (Grand son or mommagu

 Grand daughter)

talli Great grand child mari mommagu

kaNDane /kaNDani Husband gaNDa

boDedi Wife heNDati

kaNDani-boDedi Husband and Wife gaNDa-heDNati

mAma Father in law / Father‟s mAva

sister‟s husband

(kaNDane att‟NDa
boDedina ammer /
ammerna megdi att‟NDa
palina kaNDane)

tammalae / mAma Maternal Uncle (Mother‟s sOdara mAva

brother)

(appena megye att‟NDa

palaye)

mAmi Mother in law / Paternal atte / sOdaratte

Aunt (Father‟s sister or
Mother‟s brother‟s wife)
(kaNDane att‟NDa
boDedina appae / ammerna
megdi att‟NDa pali /
appena megye att‟NDa
palayena boDedi)

marmaye Son in law aLiya

(magalna kaNDane)

arvatte Nephew (Sister‟s son) sOdaraLiya

(megdi att‟NDa palina

mage)

marmal Daughter in law / Niece sose

(Sister‟s daughter)

(magena boDedi / megdi

att‟NDa palina magal)

mAmu-marmaye Father in law and Son in mAva-aLiya

law
 mAmi-marmal Mother in law and atte-sose
Daughter in law

tammalae-arvatte Uncle (Mother‟s brother) sOdaramAva-sOdaraLiya

and Nephew (Sister‟s son)

periyappae / mallamma / Mother‟s elder sister / doDDamma

doDDamma Father‟s elder brother‟s wife

(appena pali / ammerna

palayena boDedi)

periyamme / doDDappa Father‟s elder brother / doDDappa

Mother‟s elder sister‟s
husband
(ammerna palaye / appena
palina kaNDane)

tiddappae / elyamma / Mother‟s younger sister / chikkamma

chikkamma Father‟s younger brother‟s
wife

(appena megdi / ammerna

megyena boDedi)

tiddamme / chikkappa Father‟s younger brother / chikkappa

Mother‟s younger sisters
husband
(ammerna megye / appena
megdina kaNDane)

bhAve Brother in law (Elder bhAva

sister‟s husband /
husband‟s elder brother)
(palina kaNDane /
kaNDanna palaye)

attai / attigae / bhAbhi Sister in law (Elder attige

brother‟s wife / husband‟s
elder sister)
(palayena boDedi /
kaNDanna pali)

maitine Brother in law (Wife‟s maiduna

brother / Husband‟s
brother / younger sister‟s
husband) / Cousin
(boDedina megye att‟NDa
(Mother's brother's son and
palaye / kaNDanna meggye
/ megdina kaNDane / Father's sister's son)
tammale att‟NDa mAmina
 mage)

maitidi Sister in law (Wife‟s sister / nAdini

Husband‟s sister / younger
brother‟s wife) / Cousin
(Mother's brother's
(boDedina megdi att‟NDa
daughter and Father's
pali / kaNDanna megdi /
megyena boDedi / sister's daughter)
tammalae att‟NDa mAmina
magal

The plural forms of these relation names can be made by adding the suffix „allu‟ (or aDlu).

Examples:

mage – son
magallu – sons

palaye – Elder brother

palayallu – Elder brothers

megdi – Younger sister

megdyallu – Younger sisters

boDedi – Wife
boDedyallu - Wives

marmal – Daughter in law

marmalallu – Daughters in law

However, the word „bAlae‟ is considered as a Neuter noun. So, its plural form is „bAlelu‟ and not „bAleyallu‟.

Also, to give respect to a single person, we can add the plural suffix „er‟.

Examples:

amme – ammer

ajje – ajjer

palaye – palayer

tammale – tammaler

bhAve – bhAver
Other words related to family/relationships:
 Tulu English Kannada

sammandiker Relatives sambandhikaru

kuTuma Family kuTumba

binner Guests neNTaru

ishTer Friends geLeyaru

podu Relationship of connection by marriage vaivAhika sambandha

podder Parents in law / relatives by marriage bIgaru

dOsti Friend / friendship geLeya / geLetana

madimae Marriage/Wedding maduve

madimal Bride madumagaLu

madimaye Groom madumaga

nishchaya Engagement nishchittArtha

banjinAl Pregnant woman garbhiNi

pedmedi A lying-in woman bANanti

puru bAlae Infant (newborn child) chikka kUsu

amar Twins avaLi

bAykae Baby shower ceremony sImanta

ill Home/house mane

illokkel House-warming ceremony griha pravEsha

appae-ill / tamerill Parental house of a girl tAyimane / tavarumane

malla mage/magal Elder son/daughter hiriya maga/magaLu

elya mage/magal Younger son/daughter kiriya maga/magaLu

kaDira mage/magal The Eldest or first born son/daughter modala maga/magaLu

naDuvane The second among three brothers / madhyadavaNu

Intermediate person

naDuvandi The second among three sisters / madhyadavaLu

Intermediate person

Click here to go to Vocabulary page.

Click here to go to Tulu Exercises page.

Bye!

Tulu Lesson 43: Particles

namaskAra! Welcome back!

Particles are uninflected words that don‟t exactly belong to another class of words (such as adverbs, etc.)
but serve a function within the sentence.

„e‟ or „ne‟

These are emphatic particles used to emphasize a word. This can be translated as “only”, “just”, “merely”,
“indeed” etc.

„ne‟ is used after a final vowel „a‟, „e‟, 'ae'.

„e‟ is used after a final vowel „i‟, „u‟ or a final consonant (or half-u).

Examples:

mara – marane

rAme – rAmene
appae – appene

kAr – kAre

pakki – pakkiye

onji - onje

guru – guruve

uNDu - uNDe

Ayeg – Ayege

barpe - barpene

Tulu: mara bUruNDu

English: Tree will fall down.

Kannada: mara bILuttade

Tulu: marane bUruNDu

English: Tree only will fall down (Here it emphasizes the tree)

Kannada: marave bILuttade

Tulu: mara bUruNDe

English: Tree will fall down indeed (Here it emphasizes the action of falling)

Kannada: mara bidde bILuttade

Tulu: yAn onje dOsae tiNDini

English: I ate only one Dosa (It emphasizes the insufficiency of a single Dosa – I ate only one Dosa, not
much)

Kannada: nAnu onde dOse tindiddu

Tulu: yAne onji dOsae tiNDini

English: I only ate one Dosa (I am the one who ate Dosa, not anyone else.)

Kannada: nAne ondu dOse tindiddu

Tulu: Aye ellae barpene

English: He will come tomorrow anyhow (It emphasizes the action of coming – I am sure he will come
tomorrow)

Kannada: avanu nAle bande bartAne

Tulu: Aye ellene barpe

English: He will come tomorrow only (It emphasizes the time of coming „tomorow‟ – He will come
tomorrow not other day)

Kannada: avanu nALeye bartAne

Tulu: Ayene ellae barpe

English: He himself will come tomorrow (He only will come tomorrow not anyone else)

Tulu: Aye ninane lettini

English: He called you only (not others)

Kannada: avanu ninnanne karediddu

Tulu: Ir ellae baroDe

English: You should come tomorrow in any case

Kannada: nIvu nALe barle bEku

Tulu: yAn jeidine (jeidini + e) ijji

English: I did not sleep at all

Kannada: nAnu malage illa

Tulu: Aye barpuje

English: He does not come

Kannada: avanu baruvudilla

Tulu: Aye barpine (barpini + e) ijji

English: He does not come at all

Kannada: avanu baruvude illa

Tulu: Al eNDa pAterujal

English: She does not speak with me

Kannada: avaLu nannalli mAtADuvudilla

Tulu: Al eNDa pAterune ijji

English: She does not speak with me at all

Kannada: avaLu nannalli mAtADuvude illa

Interrogative particles „a‟, „na‟, („e‟, „ne‟)

„These are interrogative particles used in simple questions. „e‟/„ne‟ are very polite and used to give respect
when speaking to elders/strangers.

„na‟ and „ne‟ are used after a final vowel „a‟, „e‟, 'ae'.

„a‟ and „e‟ are used after a final vowel „i‟, „u‟ or a final consonant (or half-u).

Examples:

mara – marana? / marane? - Is it tree?

tUka – tUkana? / tUkane? – Let us see?

Aye – Ayena? / Ayene? – Is it him?

barpe – barpena? / barpene? – Will he come?

mOnae – mOnena? / mOnene? – Is it face?

sari – sariya? / sariye? – Is it correct?

ijji – ijja? / ijje? – No? / Is not there?

pOyi – pOya? / pOye? – Let us go?

guru – guruva? / guruve? – Is it Guru?

uNDu – uNDa? / uNDe? – Is it there?

baroDu – baroDa? / baroDe? – Shall I come?

kaNN – kaNNa? / kaNNe? – Is it eye?

barpar – barpara? / barpare? – Will you come?

Tulu: nama movie‟g pOya?

English: Let us go to movie?

Kannada: nAvu movie‟ge hOgONva?

Tulu: undu ninna illa?

English: idu ninna maneya?

Kannada: Is this your house?

Tulu: I Epa barpa? iniya, ellena?

English: When will you come, today or tomorrow?

Kannada: nInu yAvAga bartIya? ivatta, nALeya?

Tulu: enkonji upakAra malpuvare?

English: Can you please do me a favor?

Kannada: nanagondu sahAya mADuttIra?

Tulu: yAn irenoTTugu baroDe?

English: Shall I come with you?

Kannada: nAnu nimmoTTige barla?

Tulu: barsa baronduNDe ijje?

English: Is it raining or not?

Kannada: maLe bartideya ilva?

Tulu: aklen leppoDa boDcha?

English: Shall I call them or not?

Kannada: avarannu karIla bEDva?

Tulu: undu eDDena atta?

English: Is this good or not?

Kannada: idu OLLeda alva?

Tulu: anda atta?

English: Yes or no?

Kannada: hauda alva?

Tulu: undu satyana sulla?

English: Is this true or a lie?

Kannada: idu satyava suLLa?

Also, these particles are used to change interrogative pronouns into indefinite pronouns and exclamatory
expressions.

Examples:

Er – Era – Someone / Wonder who!

Erna – Ernana – Someone‟s / Wonder whose!

enchina – enchinana – Something / Wonder what!

dAda – dAdana – Something / Wonder what!

dAne – dAnna (dAne + na) – Wonder what!

vou – vovva - Something / Wonder which one!

Et – Eta – Wonder how much!

Epa – Epana – Sometime / Wonder when!

Olu – Ola – Somewhere / Wonder where!

ODe – Odena – To somewhere / Wonder whither!

onchi – onchiya – To somewhere / Wonder whither!

Tulu:

Person A: Era ninan lettonduller

Person B: Er?

Person A: Era! enk gottuji

English:

Person A: Somebody is calling you

Person B: Who?

Person A: (Wonder who) I don‟t know!

Kannada:

Person A: yAro ninnannu karItiddAre

Person B: yAru?

Person A: yAro! nanage gottilla

Tulu:

Person A: Ar Epa barper?

Person B: Epana!

English:

Person A: When he/she will come?

Person B: Wonder when! (I don‟t know)

Kannada:

Person A: avaru yAvAga bartAre?

Person B: yAvAglo!

Tulu: Ayeg dAdana At‟ND

English: Something has happened to him

Kannada: avanige Eno Agide

Tulu: akulu mUle Ola uppoDu

English: They should be here (only) somewhere.

Kannada: avaru ille ello irbEku

Tulu: mokulu ODena pOyer

English: They went somewhere

Kannada: avaru elligo hOdaru

„dAnna‟ is used to express doubt and commonly placed after the word with the interrogative particles.

Tulu: Aye illaD ullena dAnna!

English: Maybe, he is at home. I am not sure!

Kannada: avanu maneyalli iddAno Eno!

Tulu: aleg dAda ANDa dAnna!

English: I am not sure what happened to her!

Kannada: avaLige Enu Ayto Eno!

„la‟

This can be used as a simple adverb in English “too/also” or an emphatic particle which can be translated as
“even” or a conjunction “and”.

Examples:

Tulu: appaela magalla batter

English: Mother and daughter came

Kannada: tAyiyU magaLU bandaru

Tulu: nAyila puchchaela gobbondulla

English: Dog and Cat are playing

Kannada: nAyi mattu bekku ADuttive

Tulu: enk nAyilena pODigae ApuNDu

English: I am afraid of dogs.

Kannada: nanage nAyigaLa bhaya Agtade

Tulu: enkla nAyilena pODigae ApuNDu

English: I am also afraid of dogs.

Kannada: nanagU nAyigaLa bhaya Agtade

Tulu: enk nAyilenala pODigae ApuNDu

English: I am also afraid of dogs.

Kannada: nanage nAyigaLidU bhaya Agtade

The English usage of “also/too” is unclear. The sentence „I am also afraid of dogs‟ could mean “In addition
to some other person, I am afraid of dogs” or “I am afraid of dogs in addition to other things”. However, the
Tulu sentence is clear; 'la' succeeds the word that it modifies.

Tulu: yAnla niklenoTTugu barpae

English: I will come with you too.

Kannada: nAnU nimma jote bartEne

Tulu: yAn dAda paNpae aven malpuvaela

English: I also do what I say

Kannada: nAnu Enu hELtEne adannu mADtEne kUDa

Tulu: yAn onji gaNTaela jeidijae

English: I have not slept for even an hour.

Kannada: nAnu ondu gaNTeyU kUDa malagilla

Tulu: Ar enan lettijer

English: He/She didn‟t call me

Kannada: avaru nannannu karililla

Tulu: Arla enan lettijer

English: He/She also did not call me

Kannada: avarU nannannu karIlilla

Tulu: Ar enanla lettijer

English: He/She did not call me too

Kannada: avaru nannannU karIlilla

Tulu: Ar enan lettinla (lettini+la) ijji

English: He/She didn‟t even call me

Kannada: aavaru nannannu karilU illa

Tulu: yAn ayen lett‟NDala battije

English: Even though I called him, he did not come

Kannada: nAnu avanannu karedarU avanu baralilla

Tulu: akulu battijerDala Ir baroDe

English: Even though they do not come, you should come in any case

Kannada: avaru baradiddarU nIvu barale bEku

„la‟ is also used to change interrogative pronouns into indefinite pronouns

Examples:

Er – Erla – anyone

Erna – Ernala – anyone‟s

enchina – enchinala – anything

dAda – dAla – anything

vou – voula – any of them

Et – Etla – Any quantity / Sufficient

Epa – Epala – Any time / Always

Olu – Olla – Anywhere

ODe – Odela – To anywhere

onchi – onchila – To anywhere

Tulu: illaD Erla ullera?

English: Is there anyone home?

Kannada: maneyalli yArAdarU iddAra?

Tulu: EreDala pAteroDchi

English: Don‟t speak with anyone

Kannada: yArallU mAtADabEDa

Tulu: enk dAla boDchi

English: I don‟t need anything

Kannada: nanage EnU bEDa

Tulu: namak pariyerae Etla nIr uNDu

English: We have sufficient water to drink

Kannada: namage kuDiyOke sAkashTu nIru ide.

Tulu: sUrye Epala mUDAyiD mUDuve

English: The sun always rises in the east

Kannada: sUrya yAvAgalU pUrvadalli mUDuttAne

Tulu: Aye Olla tOjuje

English: He is not visible anywhere

Kannada: avanu ellU kANuttilla

Tulu: Ir ODela pOvoDchi

English: You don‟t go anywhere

Kannada: nIvu elligU hOgabEDi

„gae‟

This is a reporting particle which can be translated as “It is said”. When reporting something said by others,
we normally use „gae‟ at the end of sentences. Using „gae‟ at the end of a sentence shows that the sentence
you said was not yours, but it was said by someone else or you got the news from unknown source which
cannot be believed true completely.
For example if some people said, "There is a bomb in the bus" (Tulu: bass‟D bomb uNDu) and you want to
report that, you can say:

Tulu: bass‟D bomb uNDugae

English: It is said that there is a bomb in the bus

Kannada: bassalli bomb ideyante

Let us see more examples:

Tulu: janokulu paNper Aye ori kalvegae

English: People say that he is a thief.

Kannada: janaru hELtAre avanobba kaLLanante

Tulu: Aye nikk kAtondullegae

English: He (or someone else) said that he is waiting for you.

Kannada: avanu ninage kAytA iddAne ante

Tulu: akulu ellae barpergae

English: They (or someone else) said that they will come tomorrow

Kannada: avaru nAle bartAre ante

Tulu: ini I nela ochchoDugae

English: It‟s said that you should wipe the floor today

Kannada: ivattu nInu nela oresabEkante

„pand‟ / „ind‟

These are not actually particles but past gerunds of verbs „paNpini‟ (To tell/say) and „iNpini‟ (To tell/say).

paND‟d – pand = Having said

iND‟d – ind = Having said

Please review the lesson Tulu Lesson 18: Uses of Gerunds(Verbal Adverbs) to know how these gerunds are
used.

Apart from this, „pand‟ / „ind‟ can also be used as reporting particle in indirect speech which can be
translated as “that” or “said that”. Let us see an example:

Direct speech:

English: He said, "I will not come."

Tulu: Aye paNDe, “yAn barpujae”

Kannada: avanu hELida, “nAnu baralla”

Indirect speech:

English: He said that he would not come.

Tulu: Aye barpuje pand paNDe

Kannada: avanu baralla anta hELida

In spoken Tulu, „pand‟ / „ind‟ further shortened into „nd‟

Tulu: akulu ellae barper‟nd panter

English: They (have) said that they would come tomorrow

Kannada: avaru nALe bartAre anta hELiddAre

Tulu: Al illaDe pOvondullal‟nd paNDal

English: She said she was going to home

Kannada: avaLu manage hOgtiddALe anta hELidaLu

Tulu: Aye dAda malpoDu‟nd kENDe

English: He asked what he should do

Kannada: avanu Enu mADabEku anta kELida

Tulu: yAn Ayeg ellae baroDu‟nd paNDae

English: I told him that he should come tomorrow

Kannada: nAnu avanige nALe barabEku anta hELide

Tulu: enk dAda malpoDu‟nd gottAvondijji

English: I don‟t know (that) what should I do

Kannada: nanage Enu mADbEku anta gottAgtilla

Tulu: yAn nentae I sullu paNpini‟nd

English: I thought that you were telling a lie

Kannada: nAnu andukoNDe nInu suLLu hELtiddIya anta

Tulu: yAn, I barpuja‟nd enniyae

English: I thought that you don‟t come

Kannada: nAnu, nInu baralla anta andukoNDe

„paNDa‟

„paNDa‟ is the subjunctive form of the verb „paNpini‟ (To tell/say).

paND + Da – paNDa= If said

Example:

Tulu: Aye enk paNDa yAn ireg paNpae

English: If he tells me, I will tell you

Kannada: avanu nanage hELidare nAnu nimage hELtEne

This word can also be used as a particle which can be translated as „means‟/ „that means‟

Tulu: ancha paNDa

English: That means

Kannada: hAgandre

Tulu: mUlu sharat paNDa Er?

English: Who is Sharth here?

Kannada: illi sharat andre yAru?

Tulu: I paNDa enk ishTa

English: I like you (Lit. You mean like for me)

Kannada: nInu andre nanage ishTa

Tulu: tuluTu ____ paNDa dAda?

English: What does ____ mean in Tulu?

Kannada: tuLuvalli ____ andre Enu?

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Bye!
Tulu Lesson 44: enku paNambUrugu pOyilekAND
namaskAra! Welcome back!

“enku paNambUrugu pOyilekAND” (It‟s like Enku went to Panambur) is a Tulu saying. Enku is a foolish
guy who once went to Panambur for no reason. When anyone is seen going to somewhere for no reason or
anyone go to somewhere and return fruitlessly, then people say “enku paNambUrugu
pOyilekaAND”. There is a folk story behind this saying which I am going to tell you in Tulu today. I will not
translate this story to English/Kannada as I think it will not help you to learn Tulu language. But I will
explain the meaning of each word used in the story in English. Read the story completely first and try to
understand it in Tulu. If you didn‟t understand any of the words, then you can look at meaning in English.
Here is the audio file you can listen while reading the story.

kUlUruDu dumbori malla sirivante ittegae. Ayeg enku paNpi ori bEledAye itte. Aye bajI
pedde. onji dina rAtrae danikulu enkunu lett‟d “ellae I paNambUrugu ora pOdu
baroDumbae” pand paNper. enku “Avu danikulae” pand paNpe. manadAni kANDae enku
bEga lakk‟d “dani kODae rAtrae paNambUrugu pOvoDund panter, daniTa paND‟d bEga
pidaDuvae” pand enn‟d danina kOneg pOpe. ANDa dani nanala lakk‟dittijer. “dani
lakkunenge kAt‟NDa portApuNDu, yAn ittene paNamUrugu pOdu bEga batt‟NDa danik kushi
Avu” pand enn‟d paNambUrugu pidaDuve. naDattonde paNambUru muTTa pOpe enku.
mulpa dani lakk‟d enkunu nADuver. ANDa enku Olla tOjuje. anchene madyAna ApuNDu.
paNambUrugu pOtina enku pira barpe. apaga dani Ayen lett‟d “indambae enku, I Olitta?
ninan ini yAn paNambUrugu pOyerae pantini atambae?” pand kENuver. “yAn kANDene
paNambUrugu pOdu battae danikulae” pand enku paNpe. danik sOdyaAND. “anda! I
paNabUrugu pOdu dAda malta?” dani keNuver. “Ir dAda malpoDund pantijar danikulae.
kAli pOdu bariyerae pantini. ancha yAn paNambUrugu pOdu battae” enku paNpe. unden
kEND‟d alpa ittina mAterla telipuver.

ErANDala kAraNadAntae ODela pONDa att‟Da pOyina bElae Avandae pira batt‟NDa “enku
paNambUrugu pOyileka AND” pand jana paNper.

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1. kUlUru = Kulur, A place in Mangalore; kUlUruDu = in Kulur (Locative case)

2. dumbu = Ago, Old days, long back

3. ori = a, a man; dumbu + ori = dumbori

4. malla = big

5. sirivante = Rich man; malla sirivante = very rich man

6. itte = He was; „gae‟ = Reporting Particle used at the end of a sentence which can be translated as “It is
said that”.

7. Aye = He; Ayeg = To him (Dative case)

8. paNpi = saying (Present Participle); enku panpi jana = A person called (named) Enku

9. bEledAye = worker (Masculine); bElae = Work; bEleda + Aye = bEledAye

10. bajI = Mere, only

11. pedde = Foolish (Masculine); bajI pedde = very foolish guy

12. onji dina = one day

13. rAtrae = night; onji dina rAtrae = One night

14. dani = Lord, Master; danikulu = plural of „dani‟, a respectful form used to refer to a master; danikulae =
addressing a master (Vocative case)

15. lett‟d = having called (Past Gerund)

16. ellae = tomorrow

17. I = You

18. paNambUru = Panambur, a place in Mangalore; paNambUrugu = To Panambur (Dative case)

19. ora = once

20. pOdu = Having gone (Past Gerund)

21. baroDu = should come (Potential Mood); pOdu baroDu = should go and come; „mbae‟ suffix used to
address people (“mbae‟‟ is the male form and “de” is female form). It is extremely informal and can only be
used to address close friends, siblings or younger people.

22. pand = that (Reporting Particle)

23. paNper = He/She tells; paNpe = He tells

24. Avu = Okay

25 manadAni = Next day

26 KANDae = Morning

27. bEga = soon

28. lakk‟d = Having Got up, (Past Gerund)

29. kODae = Yesterday

30. pOvoDu = should go, (Potential Mood); pOvoDu+pand=pOvoDund

31. panter = He/She has told

32. daniTa= To/with Master (Communicative case)

33. paND‟d = Having said (Past Gerund)

34. pidaDuvae = I will depart

35. enn‟d = having thought (Past Gerund)

36. danina = Master‟s (Genitive case)

37. kOnae = Room; kOneg = To the room

38. pOpe= He goes

39. ANDa = But

40. nanala=yet
41. lakk‟dittijer = He/She had not got up

42. lakkunenge=till getting up (Postposition)

43. kAt‟NDa = If waited (Subjunctive Mood)

44. portu=time or late; ApuNDu=It will become; portu+ ApuNDu=portApuNDu=It will be late

45. yAn = I

46. ittae = now; ittene=now only (Emphatic Particles)

47. batt‟NDa = If came (Subjunctive Mood)

48. danik To Master (Dative case)

49. kushi = Happy

50. Avu = It may become; danik kushi Avu= Master may feel happy

51. pidaDuve = He departs

52. naDattondu= walking (Present Gerund); naDattonde = walking only (Emphatic Particles)

53. paNambUru muTTa= till Panambur (Postposition)

54. mulpa= Here

55. nAduver = He/She searches

56. Olla = Anywhere

57. tOjuje = He is not visible

58. ancha = Thus, like that; anchene = like that only (Emphatic Particles)

59. madyAna = afternoon; madyAna ApuNDu = It will be afternoon

60. pOtina = gone (Past Perfect Participle); pOtina enku = Enku who had gone

61. pira = back; pira barpe = He returns

62. apaga = Then

63. indambae = Hey; „indambae‟ used to address people („indambae‟ is the male form and „indade‟ is the
female form; „indaya‟ is gender-less form which can be used for both male or female). It is extremely
informal and can only be used to address close friends, siblings or younger people. („indeye‟ is the respectful
form used to address elders)

64. Olu = Where; Olitta = Where were you?

65. ninan = you (Accusative case)

66. ini = Today

67. pOyerae = To go (Second Infinitive)

68. pantini = have told (Fist Infinitive)

69. att = No; ata = Isn‟t it/right?; ata+mbae=atambae

70. kENuver = He/She asks

71. battae = I came

72. sOdya = surprise/shock; sOdya+AND =sOdyAND=Got surprised.

73. and = Yes; anda = is it?

74. dAda= what?

75. malta = You did

76. malpoDu = should do (Potential Mood); malpoDu+pand=malpoDund

77. pantijar = You have not told

78. kAli = Only

79. bariyerae = To come, (Second Infinitive)

80. unden = It (Accusative case)

81. kEnd = Having heard (Past Gerund)

82. alpa = There

83. ittina = was (Simple Past Participle)

84. mAterla = all

85. telipuver = They laugh

86. ErANDala = Anyone

87. kAraNa = reason; dAntae=without; kAraNadAntae= without reason

88. ODela = Anywhere

89. pONDa = If went (Subjunctive Mood)

90. att‟Da = Or

91. pOyina = went (Simple Past Participle)

92. bElae = work, job

93. Avandae = having not become, having not completed (Negative Gerund)

94. pOyileka = like went (Postposition)

95. AND = It became, It‟s done

96. jana = people

If you find difficulties in understanding any of the words used in the story, please leave a comment. If you
find this lesson helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu :)

Bye!
Tulu Lesson 45: How to Make Plural Nouns
namaskAra! Welcome back!

mAterla encha ullar? saukhya ate? ini nama tuluTu bahuvachana padoklen encha malpunu‟nd
teriyonuga. Today let us learn how to make plural nouns in Tulu.

If you remember, we have already learned plural suffixes in Tulu in the first lesson. Today let us
learn more about each suffix in detail.

As you know, we have following suffixes to make plural nouns in Tulu:

 „lu‟/„kulu‟ /
 „er‟
 „allu‟ (aDlu) ( )

Alright! Now let me explain how and when to use each suffix. We will first go with „allu‟ since it is
the easiest one.

1. „allu‟ (aDlu) ( ) – used with human nouns only (both masculine and feminine
nouns)

This suffix is only used to make the nouns of relationship plural.

appae + allu >>> appaellu (Mothers)

amme + allu >>> ammallu (Fathers)
palaye + allu >>> palayallu (Elder brothers)
megye + allu >>> megyallu (Younger brothers)
pali + allu >>> paliyallu (Elder sisters)
megdi + allu >>> megdyallu (Younger sisters)
boDedi + allu >>> boDedyallu (Wives)
kaNDane + allu >>> kaNDanallu (Husbands)

It was really easy right? OK. Now let us look at „er‟

2. „er‟ - used with human nouns only (both masculine and feminine nouns)
This suffix is mainly used with nouns of relationship and human names to give respect. Also, it is
used with „a‟ ending human nouns to make them plural or to give respect to a single person.

Nouns of relationship with respect:

amme >>> ammer (Father)

palaye >>> palayer (Elder Brother)
aNNe >>> aNNer (Elder Brother)
bhAve >>> bhAver (Brother in law)
ajje >>> ajjer (Grand Father)

Human names with respect:

rAma >>> rAmer (Rama)

krishNa >>> krishNer (Krishna)
harIsha >>> harIsher (Harisha)

„a‟ ending human nouns in plural forms or with respect:

javana ವ >>> javaner ವ (Young men/youths)

paraba ರ >>> paraber ರ (Old men)
kalva >>> kalver (Thieves)
buddhivanta >>> buddhivanter (Wisemen)
pedda >>> pedder (Fools)
tuluva ವ >>> tuluver (Tuluvas)
baNTa >>> baNTer (Bunts)
sadasya >>> sadasyer (Members)
rAja >>> rAjer (Kings)
dEva ವ >>> dEver (Gods)
rakkasa ರ >>> rakkaser ರ (Demons)
gurikAra ರ >>> gurikArer (Presidents/ head men)

This form is used for both making plural nouns and giving respect when speaking about a single
person. However, sometimes the nouns like „dEver‟ is used as a singular noun with respect and can
be pluralized by adding an additional „lu‟ suffix (dEverlu).

3. „lu‟/„kulu‟ / - used with both human (masculine and feminine nouns) and non-human
nouns (Neuter nouns)

This suffix is mainly used with non-human nouns to make them plural. Also, it is used with human
nouns which do not end in „a‟ sound to make them plural or to give respect to a single person.

Non-human nouns in plural forms:

petta >>> pettalu (Cows)

nAyi >>> nAyilu (Dogs)
mara ರ >>> marakulu ರ (Trees)
dai >>> daikulu (Plants)
sudae >>> sudekulu (Rivers)
pakki >>> pakkilu (Birds)
pili >>> pilikulu (Tigers)
pU >>> pUkulu (Flowers)
angi >>> angilu (Shirts)
bUku >>> bUkulu (Books)

Human nouns (which do not end in „a‟ sound) in plural forms or with respect:

dani >>> danikulu (Masters)

pagemAni >>> pagemAnilu (Enemies)
naramAni ರ >>> naramAnilu ರ (Human beings)
mantri >>> mantrilu (Ministers)
rAjakAraNi ರ >>> rAjakAraNilu ರ (Politicians)
guru >>> gurukulu (Gurus)
svAmIji >>> svAmIjilu (Swamijis)
pUjAri >>> pUjArilu (Poojaris)
AN >>> ANulu (Boys)
poNNu >>> poNNulu (Girls)

You may think what is the difference between suffixe „lu‟ and „kulu‟? Why some nouns take „lu‟
suffix and some take „kulu‟? Why the plural form of „pili‟ is „pilikulu‟, but the plural form of „petta‟
is „pettalu‟ and not „pattakulu‟? If you remember TuluLesson 3: Simple Present Tense, you know
there are two types of conjugations in Simple Present Tense depending on the „matras‟ (meters), a
root verb takes to pronounce. The same rule applies here. If a noun takes 2 „matras‟ to pronounce, then
the suffix „kulu‟ is used to make them plural. If a noun takes more than 2 „matras‟ to pronounce, then
the suffix „lu‟ is used.

pili >>> pi + li >>> 1+1= 2 matras

petta >>> pet + ta >>> 2+1= 3 matras

nAyi >>> nA + yi >>> 2+1= 3 matras
pU >>> 2 matras

Native Tulu speakers can use these suffixes appropriately without knowing about this rule.
However, some may do mistakes when they come across some rarely used nouns or new nouns.
Knowing this rule may help new learners to avoid mistakes when using plural forms in Tulu.

That‟s all we had today. To avoid any confusion, here is the summary of today‟s lesson.

 To make relationship nouns plural, use the suffix „allu‟. (appaellu, palayallu etc.)
 To give respect when using relationship nouns, use the suffix „er‟. (ammer, ajjer etc.)
 To give respect when using human names, use the suffix „er‟. (rAmer, krishNer etc.)
 To make plural or to give respect when using human nouns which end in „a‟ sound, use the
suffix „er‟ (kalver, paraber, tuluver etc.)
 To make plural or to give respect when using human nouns which do not end in „a‟ sound,
use the suffix „lu‟ or „kulu‟ depending on the „matras‟. (danikulu, mantrilu, gurukulu, naramAnilu
etc.)
 To make all non-human nouns plural, use the suffix „lu‟ or „kulu‟ depending on the
„matras‟. (pettalu, pilikulu, pakkilu etc.)

If you find this lesson helpful, please share it with your friends who wish to learn Tulu
Bye!
Tulu Verbs Class A Verbs:
Infinitives
Verb
English Kannada
Roots in Past
Equivalents Equivalents Present Past Negative
Tulu Perfect

A To Become Agu Apini Ayini Atini Avandini

pO To go hOgu pOpini pOyini pOtini pOvandini

tU To see / look nODu tUpini tUyini tUtini tUvandini

dI To place/keep iDu dIpini dIyini dItini dIvandini

mI To bathe mIyu mIpini mIyini mItini mIvandini

rA To fly hAru rApini rAyini rAtini rAvandini

sai To die sAyu saipini saitini saidini saivandini

bar To come baru barpini battini baidini barandini

kaDe To grind rubbu kaDepini kaDeyini kaDetini kaDevandini

paDe To obtain paDeyu paDepini paDeyini paDetini paDevandini

tiN To eat tinnu tiNpini tiNDini tintini tiNandini

To eat (rice or
uN uNNu uNpini uNDini untini uNandini
lunch/dinner)

paN To say/tell hELu paNpini paNDini pantini paNandini

ben To work duDi benpini bennini bentini benandini

ker To kill kollu kerpini kerini kertini kerandini

ner To scold baiyyu nerpini nerini nertini nerandini

par To drink kuDi parpini parini partini parandini

kor To give koDu korpini korini kortini korandini

bare To write bareyu barepini bareyini baretini barevandini

To remove/peel
kale kaLeyu kalepini kaleyini kaletini kalevandini
off/deduct

buDu To leave biDu buDpini buDini buDtini buDandini

koy To pluck/reap kILu koypini koyyini koytini koyyandini

To be
bey bEyu beypini beytini beydini beyyandini
cooked/boiled

mE To graze mEyu mEpini mEyini mEtini mEvandini

Class B Verbs:
Infinitives
Verb
English Kannada
Roots in Simple
Equivalents Equivalents Present Perfect Negative
Tulu Past

uppu/ippu To be iru uppuni/ippu ittini itt'dini uppandini

ni

telipu To smile/laugh nagu telipuni telitini telit‟dini telipandini

naDapu To walk naDeyu naDapuni naDatini naDat‟dini naDapandini

balipu To run ODu balipuni balitini balit‟dini balipandini

bulipu To weep/cry aLu / kUgu bulipuni bulitini bulit‟dini bulipandini

balapu To grow beLeyu balapuni balatini balat‟dini balapandini

nalipu To dance kuNiyu nalipuni nalitini nalit‟dini nalipandini

malpu To do/make mADu malpuni maltini malt‟dini malpandini

kalpu To learn kaliyu kalpuni kaltini kalt‟dini kalpandini

kApu To wait kAyu kApuni kAtini kAt‟dini kApandini

parapu To flow/crawl hariyu parapuni paratini parat‟dini parapandini

To wake
menpu someone up ebbisu menpuni mentini ment‟dini menpandini

jeppu To sleep malagu jeppuni jettini jeidini jeppandini

jappu To get down iLi jappuni jattini jaidini jappandini

leppu To call/invite kareyu leppuni lettini leidini leppandini

lappu To measure aLate mADu lappuni lattini laidini lappandini

kaDpu To cut/break kaDiyu kaDpuni kaDtini kaDt‟dini kaDpandini

kaDapu To cross dATu kaDapuni kaDatini kadat‟dini kaDapandini

kaDapuDu To send kaLuhisu kaDapuDuni kaDapuDini kaDapuDdini kaDapuDandini

torpu To kick odeyu torpuni tortini tort‟dini torpandini

sOpu To lose sOlu sOpuni sOtini sOt‟dini sOpandini

aDipu To sweep guDisu aDipuni aDitini aDit‟dini aDipandini

To remove/take
deppu out or to open tegeyu deppuni dettini deidini deppandini

dettoNu To take for tegedukoLLu dettoNuni dettoNDini dettondini dettoNandini

oneself/To
 accept

derpu To lift ettu derpuni dertini dert‟dini derpandini

madapu To forget mareyu madapuni madatini madat‟dini madapandini

korepu To bark bogaLu korepuni koretini koret‟dini korepandini

giDapu To chase away ODisu giDapuni giDattini giDatt‟dini giDapandini

guppu To spill chellu guppuni guttini gutt‟dini guppandini

maipu To pour suriyu maipuni maitini mait‟dini maipandini

Throw water or
tEpu any liquid nIru hAyisu tEpuni tEtini tEt‟dini tEpandini

talpu To sprinkle chimmisu talpuni taltini talt‟dini talpandini

oypu To pull eLeyu oypuni oytini oyt‟dini oypandini

To neneyu /
nenepu remember/think nenapu mADu nenepuni nenetini nenet'dini nenepandini

To change
(dress or baTTe
mApu clothes) badalAyisu mApuni mAtini mAt'dini mApandini

genpu To count eNisu genpuni gentini gent'dini genpandini

badalAyisu /
adalu badalu
pagapu To exchange mADu pagapuni pagatini pagat'dini pagapandini

kuDpu To shake off koDavu kuDpuni kuDtini kuDt‟dini kuDpandini

kEN To hear/ listen kELu kENuni kENDini kEndini kENandini

/ask

yOchane
enn To think/expect mADu ennuni ennini enn'dini ennandini

tAngoNu To tolerate sahisu tAngoNuni tAngoNDini tAngondini tAngoNandini

bUr To fall bILu bUruni bUrini bUrdini bUrandini

jAr To slip jAru jAruni jArini jArdini jArandini

mAr To sell mAru mAruni mArini mArdini mArandini

pAr To run ODu / hAru pAruni pArini pArdini pArandini

pAter To speak mAtADu pAteruni pAterini pAterdini pAterandini

To chase /Drive
dEr out aTTu dEruni dErini dErdini dErandini

mUru To chop koyyu mUruni mUrini mUrdini mUrandini

 mitar To climb Eru mitaruni mitarini mitardini mitarandini

kumbar To shiver naDugu kumbaruni kumbarini kumbardini kumbarandini

pugar To praise hogaLu pugaruni pugarini pugardini pugarandini

To
dUru blame/complain dUru / tegaLu dUruni dUrini dUrdini dUrandini

dakk To throw eseyu dakkuni dakkini dakk‟dini dakkandini

dekk To wash toLeyu dekkuni dekkini dekk‟dini dekkandini

lakk To get up ELu lakkuni lakkini lakk‟dini lakkandini

tikk To get/meet sigu tikkuni tikkini tikk‟dini tikkandini

kalk To shout kirichADu kalkuni kalkini kalk‟dini kalkandini

bad‟k To live baduku bad‟kuni bad‟kini bad‟k‟dini bad‟kandini

murku To sink/drown muLugu murkuni murkini murk‟dini murkandini

nUku To push/shove dUDu nUkuni nUkini nUk‟dini nUkandini

Ak To hit/beat hoDiyu Akuni Akini Ak‟dini Akandini

nakk To lick nekku nakkuni nakkini nakk‟dini nakkandini

To scratch with
parank nails parachu parankuni parankini parank'dini parankandini

donku To trample meTTu donkuni donkini donk'dini donkandini

To
nourish/bring
sAnk/tAnk up sAku tAnkuni tAnkini tAnk'dini tAnkandini

muTTu /
muTTu To touch/reach talapu muTTuni muTTini muTT‟dini muTTandini

kaTT To build/tie kaTTu kaTTuni kaTTini kaTT‟dini kaTTandini

To
paTT share/distribute hanchu pATTuni paTTini paTT‟dini paTTandini

naTT To beg bEDu naTTuni naTTini naTT‟dini naTTandini

To bounce / To
be splashed (as
raTT liquid) chimmu raTTuni raTTini raTT‟dini raTTandini

Cause to bounce
/ To splash (as chimmisu /
raTTA liquid) erachu raTTavuni raTTAyini raTTAdini raTTAvandini

To knock /
boTTu strike baDiyu boTTuni boTTini boTT‟dini boTTandini
puTTu To born huTTu puTTuni puTTini puTT‟dini puTTandini

kUTu To add kUDu / sErisu kUTuni kUTini kUT‟dini kUTandini

daNT To stumble eDavu daNTuni daNTini daNT'dini daNTandini

ottu To press ottu ottuni ottini ott‟dini ottandini

patt To catch hiDi pattuni pattini patt‟dini pattandini

pattoNu To hold hiDidukoLLu pattoNuni pattoNDini pattondini pattoNandini

ett To reach talapu ettuni ettini ett‟dini ettandini

To prick or
pierce / To
sink/set (sun chuchu /
kant set) sUryAstavAgu kantuni kantini kant'dini kantandini

untu To stand nillu untuni untini unt‟dini untandini

kullu To sit kuLituko kulluni kullini kuldini kullandini

nInd To swim Iju nInduni nIndini nInd‟dini nIndandini

gend To win gellu genduni gendini gend‟dini gendandini

Odu To read Odu Oduni Odini Od‟dini Odandini

urdu To rub tikku / ujju urduni urdini urd‟dini urdandini

ard To wash clothes ogeyu arduni ardini ard‟dini ardandini

gobbu To play ADu gobbuni gobbini gobb‟dini gobbandini

jumbu To suck chIpu jumbuni jumbini jumb'dini jumbandini

To carry as a
tumbu load horu tumbuni tumbini tumb'dini tumbandini

kirumbu To itch turisu kirumbuni kirumbini kirumb'dini kirumbandini

deng To be hidden aDagu denguni dengini deng‟dini dengandini

dengA To hide aDagisu dengAvuni dengAyini dengAdini dengAvandini

ning To swallow nungu ninguni ningini ning'dini ningandini

muchchu To close muchchu muchchuni muchchini muchch‟dini muchchandini

tuchchu To bite kachchu tuchchuni tuchchini tuchch‟dini tuchchandini

ochchu To erase oresu ochchuni ochchini ochch‟dini ochchandini

pAD To put/wear hAku pADuni pADini pAD‟dini pADandini

nAD To search huDuku nADuni nADini nAD‟dini nADandini

pidaD horaDu pidaDuni pidaDini pidaD'dini pidaDandini

To depart/get
 ready to go out

galas To use baLasu galasuni galasini galas‟dini galasandini

balas To serve food baDisu balasuni balasini balas‟dini balasandini

ubbi To spit uguLu ubbyuni ubbini ubbidini ubbyandini

aggi To chew jagiyu aggyuni aggini aggidini aggyandini

pODi To fear hedaru pODyuni pODini pODidini pODyandini

pejji To pick up hekku pejjyuni pejjini pejj'dini pejjandini

lAgi To jump jigiyu lAgyuni lAgini lAg‟dini lAgandini

To be seen/be
tOju visible kANu tOjuni tOjini tOj‟dini tOjandini

tOjA To show tOrisu tOjAvuni tOjAyini tOjAdini tOjAvandini

pollu To sew holiyu polluni pollini poll‟dini pollandini

pollA Cause to sew holisu pollAvuni pollAyini pollAdini pollAvandini

kAy To get heated kAyu kAyuni kAyini kAydini kAyandini

kAypu To make hot/fry kAyisu kAypuni kAytini kAyt‟dini kAypandini

poliy To get split/cut muriyu poliyuni polini polidini poliyandini

polipu To split/cut muriyu polipuni politini polit‟dini polipandini

uriy To burn uriyu uriyuni urini uridini uriyandini

To make it
uripu burn/To blow urisu / Udu uripuni uritini urit‟dini uripandini

oriy To remain uLiyu oriyuni orini oridini oriyandini

To save/cause to
oripu remain uLisu oripuni oritini orit‟dini oripandini

mugiy To end/cease mugiyu mugiyuni mugini mugidini mugiyandini

To
mugipu finish/complete mugisu mugipuni mugitini mugit‟dini mugipandini

maDiy To get folded maDachikoLLu maDiyuni maDini maDidini maDiyandini

maDipu To fold maDachu maDipuni maDitini maDit‟dini maDipandini

pariy To get torn hariyu pariyuni parini paridini pariyandini

paripu To tear hariyu paripuni paritini parit‟dini paripandini

To be
dariy broken/burst oDeyu dariyuni darini daridini dariyandini
 darpu To break/burst oDeyu darpuni dartini dart‟dini darpandini

To be broken/be
puDa blasted oDeyu puDavuni puDayini puDadini puDavandini

puDapu To break/blast oDeyu puDapuni puDatini puDat‟dini puDapandini

To be muriyu /
kaDiy cut/broken tuNDAgu kaDiyuni kaDini kaDidini kaDiyandini

kaDiyu /
kaDpu To cut/break tuNDu mADu kaDpuni kaDtini kaDt‟dini kaDpandini

teriy To know tiLiyu teriyuni terini teridini teriyandini

To make
teripA someone know tiLisu teripAvuni teripAyini teripAdini teripAvandini

pottu To burn hottu pottuni pottini pott‟dini pottandini

cause to hottisu / benki

pottA burn/To light hachchu pottAvuni pottAyini pottAdini pottAvandini

To be Ari hOgu /
tekk extinguished nandu tekkuni tekkini tekk‟dini tekkandini

Arisu /
tekkA To extinguish nandisu tekkAvuni tekkAyini tekkAdini tekkAvandini

Compound Verbs:

Compound English Kannada

Verbs in Tulu Equivalents Equivalents

mOkae malpuni To love prIti mADuvudu

mApu malpuni To forgive kshamisuvudu

kOpa malpuni To get angry kOpa mADuvudu

bElae malpuni To work kelasa mADuvudu

upadra
malpuni/upadra To disturb someone tondare koDuvudu
korpini

kebi korpini To listen kivi koDuvudu

To find
nAD pattuni kaNDu hiDiyudu
out/discover

beri pattuni To chase bennaTTuvudu

 pagae kaTTuni To seek revenge hagetana beLesuvudu

kana kaTTuni To dream kanasu kANuvudu

madimae Apini To marry maduve Aguvudu

peTT pADuni To beat peTTu koDuvudu

dakk‟d pADuni To lose something kaLedu hAkuvudu

dakk‟d pOpini To be lost kaLedu hOguvudu

kanapini taruvudu / koNDu

To bring
(kondu+barpini) baruvudu

konopini To take away/ To

take something to koNDu hOguvudu
(kondu+pOpini) another place
Adverbs in Tulu
Adverbs of Time:

Interrogatives:

Tulu Kannada English

Epa yAvAga When

Demonstrative:

Tulu Kannada English

ittae Iga Now

ekAD Aga / AvAga At that time / Sometime

ago

apaga AvAga Then / At that time

ini indu, ivattu Today

Ani Avattu That day

Miscellaneous:

Tulu Kannada English

bokka matte, AmEle , nantara After / Later

kODae ninne Yesterday

ellae nALe tomorrow

murani monne Day before yesterday

ellanji nALiddu Day after tomorrow

I vAra I vAra This week

pOyi vAra hOda vAra Last Week

barpi vAra baruva vAra Next week

I tingol I tingaLu This month

pOyi tingol hOda tingaLu Last month

barpi tingol baruva tingaLu Next month

I varsa / IvoDu I varsha This year

pOyina varsa / mUvoDu hOda varsha Last year

 munnoDu hOda varshada hindina Year before last year
varsha

dumbag baruva varsha / Next year / In the future

bhavishyadalli

barpi varsa baruva varsha Next year

pulya /pulyakkala munjAne Dawn / Early morning

kANDae / bolpugu beLagge Morning

madyana madhyAhna Noon / Afternoon

bayya sanje Evening

rAtrae rAtri Night

naDir / naDirl madhya rAtri Midnight

pagel hagalu Day time

ekADe / apagane avAglE Already

inchipa ittIche Recently

bEga bEga Soon

kaDEsa taDa Late

kaDes‟d / tarid / portAd taDavAgi Lately

nana / kuDa innu Henceforth / again

nanala / kuDala innU Still / yet

dumbu hindina kAla Ago / Past time / Old

days

dumbu modalu Before

dumb'nAni hindina dina Previous Day

manadAni mArane dina Next Day

Adverbs of Frequency:

Tulu Kannada English

Epola yAvAgalU Always / Any time

EpANDala yAvAgalAdarU Whenever

ora omme Once

orala ommeyU Even once

EpANDala ora yAvAgalAdarU omme Once in a long time

 oravora / kelavora ommomme / kelavomme Once in a while,
sometimes

apagapaga / gaDi gaDi AgAga Now and then, frequently

aparUpa aparUpa Seldom, Rarely

dinOla dinAlU / prati dina Daily / every day

nana / kuDa matte / punah Again

nanora / kuDora innomme / mattomme Once again / Once more

mAmUlAd mAmUlAgi Usually

Adverbs of Place:

Interrogatives:

Tulu Kannada English

olpa / Olu elli Where

ODe elli(ge) To where / Whither

onchi Eche Whither (towards what

place)

oyiTe elli In which place / Where

Demonstrative:

Tulu Kannada English

mulpa / mUlu illi Here

alpa / aulu alli There

iDe illi(ge) To this place / Hither

aDe alli(ge) To that place / Thither

inchi Iche Hither (towards this

place)

anchi Ache Thither (towards that

place)

neTe illi In this place / Here

aiTe alli In that place / There

ikara itta kaDe To this side

 akara atta kaDe To that side

Miscellaneous:

Tulu Kannada English

ulai oLage inside

pidai horage outside

tirt keLage Down / below

mitt mEle Above / Upon

aDi aDi Under

A mey A badi That side

I mey I badi This side

vA mey yAva badi Which side

mAtalpa / mAta meyi ellA kaDe everywhere

Olla (Olu+la) ellU Anywhere / Somewhere

OlaNDala ellAdarU Wherever / Somewhere

Ola (Olu+a) ellO Somewhere

ODela, ODeyANDala elligAdaru To anywhere / To

somewhere

ODena elligO To somewhere

dUra dUra To distant place

kaital / muTTa hattira Near

bariT badiyalli Adjacent / On the side

naDuT madyadalli In the middle

sutta / suttala suttalU around

mUDai pUrva East

paDDai pashchima West

baDakai uttara North

tenkai dakshiNa South

dumbu / eduru munde Front

pira / piravu hinde Back / Behind

datta mey eDagaDe Left side

 balatta mey balagaDe Right side

These adverbs are inflected in only some cases:

Locative (In, On) Instrumental (From) Dative (To) Genitive (Of)

Olu – Where oltu / oltuDd – From - olta – Of where

where
mUlu- Here multa – Of here
multu / multuDd –
aulu – There From here alta – Of there

Olla – Anywhere / altu / altuDd – From oltala – Of

Somewhere there anywhere/somewhere

oltuDd‟la – From
anywhere/somewhere

olpa – Where olpaDd – From where - olpada – Of where

mulpa – Here mulpaDd – From here mulpada – Of here

alpa – There alpaDd – From there alpada – Of there

olpala – Anywhere / olpaDd‟la – From olpadala – Of anywhere

Somewhere anywhere / somewhere / somewhere

- - ODe / ODeg- To -
where

iDe – Hither

aDe – Thither

ODela / ODegla –
To anywhere /
somewhere

- onchiDd – From which onchi / onchig – onchida – of where

way Towards what place (direction)

inchiDd – From this inchi – Towards inchida – of this way

way this place
anchida – of that way
anchiDd – From that anchi - Towards
way that place onchidala – of
any/some where
onchiDd‟la – From onchila – towards
anywhere/some where anywhere /
somewhere

oyiTe – In which oyiTeDd – From which - oyiTeda – of which

place place place

neTeDd – From this

neTe – In this place place neTeda – of this place

aiTe- In that place aiTeDd – From that aiTeda – of that place

place
oyiTela – In any oyiTeDala – of any
place/some place oyiTeDd‟la – From any place / some place
place / some place

ulai / ulaiD – inside ulaiDd – From inside ulai / ulaig – To ulaida – of inside
inside
pidai / pidaiD – pidaiDd – From pidaida – of outside
outside outside pidai / pidaig – To
outside

tirt / tirt'D – down tirt'Dd – From down tirt / tirt‟g – tirt'da – of below
Downward
mitt / mitt‟D – Upon mitt‟Dd – From above
mitt / mitt‟g -
Upward mitt‟da – of above

Adverbs of Manner:

Interrogatives:
Tulu Kannada English

encha hEge How

Demonstrative:

Tulu Kannada English

incha hIge Thus, Like this

ancha hAge Thus, like that

Miscellaneous:

Tulu Kannada English

enchala hEgU Any how / Somehow

enchANDala hEgAdarU Somehow

jOruDu / jOrAd jOrAgi loudly

bIsa bEga / vEga Fast / Speed

mella mella / mettage Softly

melAne nidhAnavAgi Slowly

rappa / rapakka / pakka pakkane / kUDale Quickly / Immediately

 /takshaNa

orAne ommele At once, suddenly

sariT sariyAgi Correctly / Properly

sulabaD sulabhavAgi Easily

jAgrateD jAgrateyinda Carefully

shOkuDu / porluDu sundaravAgi / chennAgi Beautifully

eDDae / eDDeD chennAgi / oLLe Well

ushAr hushAru, chennAgi Fine, Clever

nijavAd nijavAgi Truly / Actually

oTTugu oTTige Together

bhayankaravAd bhayankaravAgi Terribly

kOpoDu kOpadinda Angrily

samadAnoDu / tALmeyinda Patiently

samadAna Ad

pokkaDae summane Simply, In vain

guTTuDu / guTTAd guTTAgi Secretly

kushiT kushiyAgi Gladly / Happily

sukhoTu sukhavAgi Happily

bangoDu kashTadalli With Difficulty

gati dAntae gati illade Helplessly

nilae dAntae nele illade Homelessly

jAgratae dAntae jAgrate illade Carelessly

Adverbs of Purpose:

Tulu Kannada English

dAyae Eke Why

inchAd hIgAgi Because of this, So

anchAd hAgAgi Because of that, So

aik, aikAd, aikAtra adakke, adakkAgi Therefore, for that reason

aiDdAvara Addarinda Therefore, Because of it

Pronouns in Tulu
Subjective Pronouns:

Person. Singular. Plural. Plural. (to give

respect)

enkulu-We (the
person to whom
spoken is not
included)
First Person. yAn-I n/a
nama – We (the
person to whom
spoken also included)

Second I - you nikulu - you Ir – you

Person.

Gender Proximate. Remote. Proximate. Remote. Proximate. Remote.

Masc. imbe-He Aye-He

Third mokulu- akulu- mEr/imber- Ar-They

Person. They They They
Fem. mOlu/imbal- Al-she
she

Neut. undu/indu- au-it undekulu- aikulu- n/a n/a

this They They

Interrogative Pronouns:

Tulu Kannada English

dAda(u) Enu What

dAnae Enu What

enchina(u) Enu / entadu What

Er yAru Who

vou yAvudu Which one

Indefinite pronouns:

Tulu Kannada English

dAla EnU Anything

dAdANDala EnAdarU Anything / Something

dAdana EnO Something

Erla yArU Anyone

EraNDala yArAdarU Anyone / Someone

Era yArO Someone

oriye obba One person (M)

orti obbaLu One person (F)

onji ondu One thing

kuDonji innondu Another thing

kuDoriye innobba Another Person (M)

kuDorti innobbaLu Another Person (F)

mAta ella All

mAterla ellArU Everyone

mAtala ellavU Everything

kelavu kelavu Some

kelever kelavaru Some People

Adjectives in Tulu
Adjectives:

Tulu Kannada English

eDDae oLLe good

porlu/shOku chanda Beautiful

malla doDDa Big

mAmalla bahaLa doDDa Very big

nElya doDDa, bruhattAda Large

elya saNNa / chikka small

mast tumbA very much, a lot

 dinja/jAsti tumbA/jAsti much, full

vantae/chUru svalpa a little, a bit

mAta / pUra ellA All/whole

iDi iDi Full, whole

ardha ardha half

kelavu kelavu some

pAka halavu many

naraka/galEji galIju dirt

nirmala / sudda svachcha clean

para haLe Old

posa hosa new

uruNTu duNDu round/circular

sarta / sIda nEra straight

orda Ore Crooked

chouka chouka square

sari/sama sari/sama right/correct

tappu tappu wrong

chaNDi odde wet

dunna bhAra heavy

pUntae hagura light weight

piriya dubAri Costly

agga tuTTi inexpensive

gaTTi gaTTi hard

mettanae mridu soft

pajji hasi Raw/fresh

kAyi kAyi Raw

par'nd haNNu Ripe

nungel oNa Dry

khAli khAli empty

baji barE Empty/Only

 kattalae kattale dark

chIpae sihi sweet

kaipae kahi bitter

chappae sappe tasteless

khAra khAra spicy

puli huLi sour

uppu uppu salty

bechcha bisi Hot / warm

chauli taNNagina Cool / cold

tOra dappa Thick / Fat

sapura teLLagina Thin / Skinny

telpu teLu thin

udda udda tall

kudya giDDa short

ettara ettara height

agala agala wide

latt eLattu tender

bulett beLeda (well) grown

marata marada Wooden

dUrada dUrada Distant

kaitalda/muTTada hattirada Nearby

sukhata sukhada Happy

dukkhada dukkhada Sorrowful

bEneda nOvina Painful

kashTada / bangada kashTada Difficult

sulabada sulabada Easy

buddhida buddhiya Clever

koNDATada / mOkeda muddAda Lovely

eDatta / datta eDa Left

balatta bala right

Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns:

Tulu Kannada English

A A That / Those

I I This / These

At ashTu So much / That much

It ishTu So much / This much

anchina / anchitti antha Such (Remote)

inchina / inchitti intha Such (Proximate)

Interrogative Adjective Pronouns:

Tulu Kannada English

vA yAva Which

Et eshTu How much / How many

enchi / enchina / enchitti entha What / Which

dAda Enu What

Indefinite Adjective Pronouns:

Tulu Kannada English

kelavu kelavu Some / Several

mAta ella All

pUra pUrti / pUra Whole

ori obba A (M)

orti obbaLu A (F)

onji ondu A (N)

kuDonji innondu another

vantae / kammi /kaDamae / svalpa / kaDime Little / Few

chUru

pAka halavu Many

mast / dinja /jAsti tumba / hechchu Much / Many