© 2021 Shashank Rao 1

ಆರಂ$%ಗ'%(% ಕನ+ಡ -.ಠಗಳu

Ārambhiganige Kanṇada Pāṭhagaḷu
Learning Kannada from Scratch

by Shashank Rao
© 2021 Shashank Rao 2

Preface

Hello! My name is Shashank Rao, and thank you for choosing to learn Kannada, a
fascinating and rich language! As a child, I did not know Kannada very well, because of a speech
disorder, and because my parents were advised to refrain from teaching me anything but English.
My journey in learning Kannada has been an exercise in my ability to re-learn a language that I
grew up speaking poorly, and immerse myself in my heritage. The lack of a Kannada-speaking
community might have compelled me to abandon the language entirely, but I decided that I was
going to learn, because this language was a part of me and who I was. I hope this text will help
other Kannadigas who are isolated from our mother tongue as I was, and allow us to keep the
tradition of passing down our mother tongue from generation to generation.
A brief introduction to the overall background of Kannada is in order. Kannada is a
Dravidian language spoken primarily in the state of Karnataka in South India, as well as in
border areas of states surrounding it. Kannada grammar is fairly systematic, but can be complex
in its expression of deeper nuance (though that’s true of any language). Kannada’s vocabulary is
drawn primarily from its Dravidian roots, which includes words that it may share with other
South Indian Dravidian languages, and from Sanskrit, a classical and liturgical language of India.
Many common, everyday words are of primarily Dravidian origin, and most complex, technical,
and area-specific words are mostly of Sanskrit origin, though occasionally they turn up in
everyday language. The relative proportion of Sanskrit and Dravidian origin words tends to vary
by one’s location in Karnataka, though Sanskrit derived words often feature prominently in
technical discourse or in literature. In practice, many Kannada speakers that live in urban areas
speak Kannada with some English words thrown in, especially in casual conversation. If you go
to villages and less industrialized areas, the Kannada spoken there may have noticeably fewer
English loans, and will likely include dialect-specific vocabulary.
Kannada, like many other Indian languages, has an extensive literature and history dating
back to the 8th century, including a manual for writing poetry in Kannada known as the
ಕ2%3.ಜ5.ಗ (Kavirājamārga). There is a variety of literature in Kannada that ranges from
religious epics to philosophical treatises, and even a unique literary form known as ವಚನ 8.9%ತ;
(vacana sāhitya), a type of prose poetry that grew out of the Śaiva devotional movements of the
9th century. Kannada literature spans devotional poetry, modernist novels, literary criticism, and
much more, making it a culturally rich and unique linguistic heritage.
This text is intended as a guide for beginners in Kannada as well as those who are
familiar with only the basics. While by no means exhaustive of all the cultural and idiomatic
nuances of the language, this aims to provide a decent understanding of the language. Please be
advised that this guide is not able to cover the various dialects, differences in the spoken
language, or any other variations in Kannada in their entirety. This guide aims to provide, at
minimum, a foundation in written Kannada that will help in developing a command of the
spoken language through practice. Kannada speaking communities can be difficult to find
outside of Karnataka, but the best way to find them is through the Kannada Kootas in the United
States, as well as the Kannada Balaga in the UK. I hope that you enjoy learning this language,
and can begin to appreciate one of the most ancient living languages in the world!
© 2021 Shashank Rao 3

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Written Language and Grammar

Like almost every Indian language, Kannada has its own writing system (<%=% - lipi), which is
classified as an abugida, a specific type of writing system where each letter has an innate vowel.
Unlike the Roman alphabet used to write some languages in the West, Kannada’s writing system
works differently in that letters are not isolated consonants.

Consonant letters in Kannada each have an innate vowel attached to them, and for other vowels,
they change shape. Notice in the chart that each consonant has the innate vowel a [a]. There are
also subscript consonant diacritics, which are altered forms of consonant letters placed below or
to the bottom right of the letter. Below is a chart of the consonants.

Source: Omniglot

In the vowel diacritics, the letter ಕ [ka] is used as the example letter, and one can see how it
changes depending on what vowel is being used in conjunction with it. Each vowel also has a
complete form that cannot take diacritics of any kind.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 4

Source: Omniglot

As for consonant diacritics, the chart above shows the most common diacritics that you will need
to know, as well as some of the irregularly shaped ones. Most of the consonant diacritics are
formed by removing the topmost line and placing it to the bottom right of the letter being
modified. However, some are less obvious, including those for t, r, y, n, m, l, ṣ as well as a unique
form for the posterior r.

Source: Omniglot
© 2021 Shashank Rao 5

Pronunciation and vocabulary are tricky subjects in Kannada, because the written language and
spoken language sound completely different. This text will teach you speak Kannada as it is
written, since it is one medium that all Kannada speakers will understand, even if it sounds odd.
The only people who may genuinely speak this way on a daily basis are people from Mysore and
Mangalore, to an extent, as well as newscasters and public figures. Those dialects of Kannada
sometimes sound like the way most people talk, but use a very pure vocabulary that consists of
mostly Kannada words, with very little English and other loanwords. It’s important to understand
that Sanskrit-derived words are not really considered loanwords, except by Dravidian purists,
who are a minority. As for actual pronunciation of letters, use the audio files on this page: http://
www.omniglot.com/writing/kannada.htm. You can also use the IPA (International Phonetic
Alphabet), if you are familiar with it, given on this page:
http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/ charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm.

To learn the way most Kannada speakers actually talk, it is best to learn from them in person and
also to talk in Kannada often. Colloquial Kannada often takes loanwords from surrounding
languages, including English and other Indian languages, even if there are already words in
Kannada for certain concepts. This is especially true of English, since most people in India speak
English at a minimum conversational degree. Kannada speakers, especially abroad, frequently
import English words for things that might have a rather long, complicated, and Sanskrit-derived
equivalent. That said, Kannada speakers in Karnataka use a significantly lower number of
English and other loanwords, due to their greater exposure to the language on a daily basis,
though not to the extent that newscasters and public figures do. In the vocabulary lists, when
there is more than one acceptable word for any given definition, the source will be given: (D -
Dravidian, S - Sanskrit, F - Perso-Arabic).

Nouns (>%ಸರುಪದ/C.ಮಪದ - hesarupada/nāmapada) are declined into one of seven cases:

nominative - ಕತೃ 2%ಭG%H/ಪIಥಮ2%ಭG%H - kartṛvibhakti/prathamavibhakti - 1st

accusative - ಕಮ K%ಭG%H/L%MN%ಯ2%ಭG%H - karmavibhakti/dvitiyavibhakti - 2nd
instrumental-ablative - ಕರಣ2%ಭG%H/ತೃN%ಯ2%ಭG%H - karaṇavibhakti/tṛtīyavibhakti - 3rd
dative case - ಸಂಪIQ.ನ2%ಭG%H/ಚತುR% 2%ಭG%H - saṃpradānavibhakti/caturthivibhakti - 4th
genitive case - ಸಂಬಂಧ2%ಭG%H/ಪಂಚU%2ಭ % G%H - saṃbandhavibhakti/pancamivibhakti - 5th
locative case - ಅW%X.ರಣ2%ಭG%H/ಷZ%2
[ ಭ
% G%H - adhikāraṇavibhakti/ṣaṣṭhivibhakti - 6th
vocative case - ಸಂ\%ೂಧC.2%ಭG%H/ಸಪHU%2ಭ % G%H - saṃbodhanāvibhakti/saptamivibhakti - 7th

Each case will be explained individually in each chapter. A side note: Here, one can observe the
tendency of Kannada to use simpler words not only in pronunciation but also in meaning; for
most people, it is more pragmatic to label the cases by number and remember their function,
rather than use the traditional name from Sanskrit, which has requires some amount of
extrapolation to interpret the meaning.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 6

Nouns also belong to one of three genders: masculine, feminine, or neuter. Only people can have
gender, which means that even if an animal is female, it is still treated as having the neuter
gender, having no changed form. However, there are a few words, derived from the names of
certain Hindu deities (which are people and therefore have gender) that have gender, such as
ಸೂಯ (sūrya - Sun), which is masculine only because the Hindu god of the sun of the same
name is male. To pluralize nouns that are not people, append ಗಳu to the end, and for nouns that
are people, add ಗರು.

Adjectives (ಪ^%_%ಪದ/2%`%ೕಷಣ - paricepada/viśeṣaṇa) do not change based on case, gender, or any

of the criteria according to which nouns change. Adjectives and adverbs (modifiers) in Kannada
always go before the noun or verb they modify, respectively.

Verbs (ಎಸಕಪದ/G%Ic.ಪದ - esakapada/kriyāpada) conjugate according to tense, person, and

plurality, and gender in the third person singular. Verbs in the present tense can also take a
variety of affixes for various auxiliary meanings. In Kannada, tense is primarily contrasted
between past and non-past, making the future tense conveyable only through context. There is a
separate future tense, but it is found mostly in literary works.

The verb for “to be” (known as the copula) is frequently omitted from sentences that involve
“noun is noun” relationships but for “noun is adjective” relationships, the conjugation of the
copula is frequently affixed to the adjective, since predicate adjectives do not truly exist in
Kannada. It is also helpful to know that Kannada’s basic sentence order is SOV, differing from
English. So a sentence like “I kick the ball” in English would be translated roughly as “I the ball
kick” in Kannada.

Vocabulary: Basic Phrases

ನಮ8.dರ - namaskāra - Hello

>%ೂೕಗುಬರುe%Hೕf% - hōgubaruttēne - goodbye (“I’ll go and come back”)
C.ನು... - Nānu... - I am...
ನನ+ >%ಸರು... - Nanna hesaru... - My name is...
'%ನ+/'%ಮg >%ಸರು ಏನು? - Ninna/Nimma hesaru ēnu? - What is your name (informal/polite)?
>%ೕi%L%jಯ '%ೕನು/>%ೕi%L%jರ '%ೕವu? - Hēgiddiya nīnu/Hēgiddira nīvu? - How are you? (informal/
polite)
C.ನು _%C.+i%l%jೕf%. - Nānu cennāgiddēne. - I’m fine.
ಧನ;m.ದ(ಗಳu). - Dhanyavāda(gaḷu). - Thank you.
ಎn.o ಸ^%c.i%L%jಯ? - Ellā sariyāgiddiyā? - (Is) everything well/alright?
ಎn.o ಸ^%c.i%l%j. - Ellā sariyāgidde. - Everything’s fine.
ಏನು ಸ5.p.ರ? - Ēnu samācāra? - What’s the latest/What’s up?
ಏನು ಇಲo - Ēnu illa. - Not much.
C.ನು (ತುಂಬ) ಸಂe%ೂಷm.i%l%jೕf% '%ನ+/'%ಮg s%ೕt% 5.ಡL%ಂದ. - Nānu (tuṃba) santōṣavāgiddēne
ninna/nimma bhēṭi māḍadinda. - I’m (very) pleased to meet you. (informal/polite)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 7

*ಶುs%ೂೕದಯ - śubhōdaya - Good morning/day (formal and rare)

*ಶುಭ ಮv.;ಹ+ - śubha madhyāhna - Good afternoon (formal and rare)
*ಶುಭ 8.ಯಂX.ಲ - śubha sāyankāla - Good evening (formal and rare)
*ಶುಭ3.ತH^% - śubharātri - Good night (formal and rare)
ಅನಂತರ/ಆx%ೕy% f%ೂೕz%ೂೕಣ - anantara/āmēle nōḍōṇa - See you after/later
ಮುಂL%ನ {.^% f%ೂೕz%ೂೕಣ - mundina bāri nōḍōṇa - See you next time
|%ದು - haudu - Yes
ಇಲo - illa - No
ದಯ2%ಟು~ - dayaviṭṭu - please
ಸು8.Mಗತ - susvāgata - welcome
ಪರm.i%ಲo/ಏನು ಧನ;m.ದ \%ೕX.i%ಲo. - Paravāgilla/Ēnu dhanyavāda bekāgilla. - No need for thanks.
(inf/form.)
ಇಲo, ಇಲo - illa, illa - Not at all
'%ನ+/'%ಮg ಊರು c.ವದು ? - Ninna/Nimma ūru yāvadu? - Where are you from? (informal/polite)
ನನ+ ಊರು... - Nanna ūru... - I’m from...
ನನ(% (noun or verb) ಇಷ~ ಆಗುತHl%. - Nanage (noun or verb) iṣṭa āguttade/āguttave. - I like (thing).
(sing/plural)
ಇಲoವ/ಅಲoವ? - Illava/Allava? - Isn’t it?/Right?
ಅ$%ನಂl%ಗಳu! - Abhinandanegaḷu - Congratulations!
€U%•!% - Kshamisi! - Excuse me! (Very formal)
Q.^% K%ಡು/K%‚% - Dāri biḍu/biḍi - Make way/Excuse me (informal/polite)
ಏನು/c.ರು ಅದು? - Ēnu/Yāru adu? - What/Who is it? (used to answer the phone)
ಎಷು~ ಗಂƒ% ಆ„%ತು? - Eṣṭu ganṭe āyitu? - What time is it?
(Number) ಗಂƒ% ಆ„%ತು. - (Number) ganṭe āyitu. - It’s (number) o’clock.
'%ನ(%/'%ಮg(% ಎಷು~ ವಷ ಇL%jಯ? - Ninage/nimmage eṣṭu varṣa iddiya? - How old are you?
ನನ(% (number) ವಷ ಇl%. - Nanage (number) varṣa ide. - I am... years old.

*It should be noted that these words are somewhat “contrived”, in the sense that they are words
made to be equivalents to English or Western expressions. Most Kannada speakers will never use
such expressions, at least outside of formal speech. There are many such words in Kannada,
created to address relatively new concepts, most of which include words involving technology.
Kannada speakers often use English words in everyday conversation, but learning these words in
Kannada are important learn in order to comprehend texts and news in Kannada. Using these
expressions will be seen as somewhat odd, but not misunderstood.

Vocabulary: Sports

X.y%…ಂ†.ಟ - kālcenḍāṭa - football/soccer

G%I‡%ಟು - krikeṭu - cricket
ಕಬ‚%ˆ - kabaḍḍi - kabaddi (an Indian sport)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 8

Vocabulary: Food and Drink

5.ಂಸ - māṃsa - meat

x%ೂƒ%~ - moṭṭe - egg
ಸೂಪu - sūpu - soup
ಹಣು‰/X.„% - haṇṇu/kāyi - fruit (ripe/unripe) (X.„% can only be attached to the name of a fruit)
Q.IŠ% - drākśi - grape
{.‹%(ಹಣು‰/X.„%) - bāḷe(haṇṇu/kāyi) - banana/plantain
Œ%ೕಬು- sēbu - apple
ಎy%‡%ೂೕಸು/‡%ೂೕಸು(%ೕz%ˆ - elekōsu/kōsugeḍḍe - cabbage
ಜೂಸು - jūsu - juice
'%ೕರು - nīru - water
-.ನಕ - pānaka - lemonade
Q.I€ರಸ/ಮದ; - drākśārasa/madya - wine
>%ಂಡ - heṇḍa - alcohol

Vocabulary: Verbs

5.ತC.ಡು - mātanāḍu - to talk/speak

>%ೕಳu - hēḷu - to say
ಓದು - ōḍu - to run
ನz% - naḍe - to walk
N%ರುಗು - tirugu - to turn
ಈಜು/ಈಸು - īju/īsu - to swim
ಬ•% - bare - to write
ಆಟ5.ಡು/ಆ‚%ಸ ು - āṭamāḍu/āḍisu - to play
ನು‚%ಸ ು/{.^%ಸ ು - nuḍisu/bārisu - to play (music)
ಅ$%ನಯ 5.ಡು - abhinaya māḍu - to play/enact (drama/play)
•.ಡು - hāḍu - to sing
ನN% ಸು/C.ಟ;5.ಡು - nartisu/nāṭyamāḍu/kuṇi - to dance
N%ನು+ - tinnu - to eat
ಕು‚% - kuḍi - to drink
m.ಸf% 9%‚%/ಮೂ•% f%ೂೕಡು/ಆ‘.I'%ಸ ು - vāsane hiḍi/mūsi nōḍu/āghrāṇisu - to smell
Œ%ೕ’%ೕ5.ಡು/‡%ಲಸ5.ಡು - sēvēmāḍu/keḷasamāḍu - to serve (as in to help or work for)
ಬ‚%ಸ ು - baḍisu - to serve (food)
U%ೕನು9%‚% - mīnuhiḍi - to fish

Vocabulary: Question Words

c.ರು - yāru - who

ಏನು - ēnu - what
© 2021 Shashank Rao 9

c.ವದು - yāvadu - which

c.m.ಗ - yāvāga - when
ಎಷು~ - eṣṭu - how much
>%ೕ(% - hēge - how
ಎ<%o - elli - where
c.‡% - yāke - why
c.‡% ಅಂದ•% - yāke andare - because
ಎದ‡%d - edakke - for what

Vocabulary: Days of the Week and Seasons

'%U%ಷ - nimiṣa - second

ಗಂƒ% - ganṭe - hour
L%ನ - dina - day
m.ರ - vāra - week
N%ಂಗಳu - tingaḷu - month
ವಷ - varṣa - year
ಶತ5.ನ - śatamāna - century
Œ%ೂೕಮm.ರ - sōmavāra - Monday
ಮಂಗಳವರ - mangaḷavāra - Tuesday
ಬುಧm.ರ - budhavāra - Wednesday
ಗುರುm.ರ - guruvāra - Thursday
ಶುಕIm.ರ - śukravāra - Friday
ಶ'%m.ರ - śanivāra - Saturday
“.ನುm.ರ - bhānuvāra - Sunday
ವಸಂತ - vasanta - spring
\%ೕ•%(% - bēsige - summer
ಶರ”.dಲ - śaratkāla - autumn/fall
ಚ<%•.ಲ - caligāla - winter

Note: All months are all in English, unless indicated on the Indian traditional calendar, which has
separate names for the months.

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. To practice writing Kannada letters, take each individual letter, and write 2-3 lines of each
character, in groups of 5. After you finish each group of 5, write all the sets you’ve done so
far. You should be able to reproduce the entire alphabet (vowels and consonants) from
memory after you’ve reached the final set.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 10

For vowel and consonant diacritics, practice by using them on different characters repeatedly.
Note: use computer software to type Kannada letters to see what they look like with their
diacritics; some letters do not undergo obvious changes to their shapes when diacritics are
attached.

B. Practice writing the following words after completing the first exercise.

1. sēbu
2. ācaraṇe
3. gōḍe
4. manuṣya
5. mattu
6. rakta
7. raita
8. mūle
9. ṛsī
10. mṛtyū
11. mara
12. īga
13. mēle
14. amṛtā
15. lēkhani
16. arasa
17. nīliya
18. svaccha
19. kālu
20. nālkane
© 2021 Shashank Rao 11

Chapter 2: School and People

Vocabulary: School

y%ೕಖ'% - lēkhani - pen

—%ೕಲ - cīla - bag
ಕN%I - kattari - scissor
ಪuಸHಕ - pustaka - book
X.ಗದ - kāgada - paper
t%ಪ˜™% - ṭippaṇi - note/comment
ಗಣಕಯಂತI - gaṇakayantra - calculator
š.y% - śāle - school
-.ಠ - pāṭha - lesson
-.IಥU%ಕ š.y% - prāthamika śāle - primary/elementary school (often K-8 in India)
›%Iಢ8.y% - prauḍhaśāle - high school
š.•% - śākhe - department/branch
(2%ಶM)2%Q.;ಲಯ - (viśva)vidyālaya - university/college
”.<%ಮು ž.f% - tālimu khāne - gym
ಪuಸHಕ ಭಂ†.ರ/ಗIಂŸ.ಲಯ - pustaka bhaṇḍāra/granthālaya - library
ಪI %ೂೕ•.ಲಯ - prayōgālaya - laboratory
ಮf%/ಗೃಹ - mane/gṛha - house (D/S)
'%m.ಸ - nivāsa - residence
ವಗ - varga - class/category
ದ¡% - darje - rank/grade
2%ಷಯ/ವಸುH - viṣaya/vastu - subject/material (2%ಷಯ is broad in usage)
ಉಪv.;ಯ/ಅv.;ಪಕ/£%€ಕ - upādhyāya/adhyāpaka/śikṣaka - teacher
ಗುರು - guru - mentor/teacher (not necessarily academic)
2%Q.;R% - vidyārthi/śiṣya - student
ವ;G%H - vyakti - person (somewhat bookish)
5.ನವ - mānava - human
ಮನುಷ; - manuṣya - man
>%ಂಗಸು - hengasu - woman
£%ಶು/ಹಸು‹%/ಕೂಸು - śiśu/hasuḷe/kūsu - baby (human only) (£%ಶು most common)
ಮಗು - magu - child
¤%¥ೕರ - pōra - brat
(ಹುಡುಗ/{.ಲಕ)/(ಹುಡುi%/{.ಲG%) - (huḍuga/bālaka)/(huḍugi/bālaki) - boy/girl (D/S)
£%¦5.§/£%¦ಮN% - śrīmān/śrimati - mister/miss (somewhat formal)
ಅಪ˜/ಅಮg- appa/amma - dad/mom
ತಂl%/”.„% - tande/tāyi - father/mother (indirect address only)
ಮf%(%ಲಸ - manegelasa - housework
š.y%-.ಠ - śālepāṭha - schoolwork
© 2021 Shashank Rao 12

ರಸಪI`%+ - rasapraśne - quiz

ಪ^%ೕ€ - parīkśa - test
%ೂೕಜf% - yōjane - project/plan
ಪIಬಂಧ - prabandha - essay/thesis
ಪತI - patra - card
Q.ಖy% ಪತI - dākhale patra - admission document
ಪI5.ಣ ಪತI - pramāṇa patra - certificate
ಗುರುತು ಪತI - gurutu patra - ID card
ಅಂಕ - aṅka - score/grade (as in marks in school)
K%ಡುವu/2%3.ಮ - biḍuvu/virāma - break/leisure (D/S)
ರಜ - raja - vacation/holiday
ಗ™%ತ(š.ಸ¨) - gaṇita(śāstra) - mathematics
ಕಲನ(š.ಸ¨) - kalana(śāstra) - calculus
K%ೕಜಗ™%ತ - bījagaṇita - algebra
(ಅಂಕ)ಗ™%ತ - (aṅka)gaṇita - arithmetic
2%`%oೕಷ©% - viślēṣaṇe - research/analysis
ಅಂG% - aṅki - figure/data
ಸಂಖ;ಸಂಗIಹಣ - sankhyāsaṅgrahaṇa - statistics
ಅಂG%/ಸಂಖ; - anki/sankhya - number (D/S)
ಇಂi%oಷು - iṅgliṣu - English
ಬರಹ/y%ೕಖನ - baraha/lēkhana - writing/composition/article (D/S)
ಕೃN% - kṛti - work/opus
i%ೕತರಚf% - gītaracane - lyrics
2%ª.ನ - vijñāna - science
ರ8.ಯನ 2%ª.ನ - rasāyana vijñāna - chemistry
ಭೂತ2%ª.ನ - bhautavijñāna - physics
«%ೕವ2%ª.ನ - jīvavijñāna - biology
“.¬% - bhāṣe - language
ಅ“.;ಸ - abhyāsa - practice
G%¦†. - krīḍā - sports
ಕy% - kale - art
ಸಂi%ತ - saṅgīta - music
ಭೂ(%ೂಳ š.ಸ¨ - bhūgoḷa śāstra - geography
ಚ^%e%I/ಇN%•.ಸ - caritre/itihāsa - history

Vocabulary: Household and School Objects

-.ಗ/8.®ನ - jāga/sthāna - place (D/S)

x%ೕಜು - mēju - table
ಇ<%x%ೕಜು - iḷimēju - desk
(%ೂೕz% - gōḍe - wall
© 2021 Shashank Rao 13

ಅ‚%(%ಮf% - aḍigemane - kitchen

l%ೕವರಮf% - dēvaramane - altar/shrine (in one’s house)
m.;ಸಂಗದ ‡%ೂೕ©% - vyāsangada kōṇe - study room/study lounge
ಹಲ(%/ಫಲಕ - halage/phalaka - board
G%ಟG% - kiṭaki - window
{.i%ಲು - bāgilu - door
ಕು—% - kurci - chair
°%ೂೕಡ - mōḍa - stool
{.ವuಟ/ಧMಜ - bāvuṭa/dhvaja - flag
ಬುt%~ - buṭṭi - basket
ಗ‚%c.ರ - gaḍiyāra - clock
ಪಂp.ಂಗ - pancānga - calendar (Indian traditional calendar)
L%ನಸೂ—% - dinasūci - calendar (Gregorian calendar)
8.©% - sāṇe - sharpener
K%ೕಗದ ‡%ೖ/G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ - bīgada kai/kīlikai - key

Vocabulary: Adjectives

'%ೕರಸ - nīrasa - boring/dry (can also be literally “dry”)

ಸುಲಭ - sulabha - easy
ಕಷ~m.ದ - kaṣṭavāda - difficult
f%—%…ನ - neccina - favorite/preferred
ಮ-./ಸಂe%ೂಷ - majā/santoṣa - fun
ಕುತೂಹಲX.^%- kutūhalakāri - interesting
•%ೂೕಚಕ - rōcaka - exciting
_%C.+i%/ಸ^%c.i% - cennāgi/sariyāgi - well/good (adverb)
ಬಹಳ/ತುಂಬ - bahaḷa/tuṃba - rather/very
ಸ˜ಷ~m.i% - spaṣṭavāgi - clearly/fluently
ಒ‹%³/ಸ^%c./_%C.+ - oḷḷe/sariyā/cennā - good
ಮe%Hಮe%/H ಪl%ೕಪl%ೕ - mattematte/padēpadē - often
ಈಗ - īga - now
ಈಗ”.f%ೕ - īgatānē - just now
ಅಪರೂಪm.i% - aparūpavāgi - rarely (time)
2%ರಳm.i% - viraḷavāgi - scarcely
ಸರಳm.ದ - saraḷavada - simple/uncomplicated
ಸಂG%ೕಣ /ಜN%ಲ - sankīrṇa/jaṭila - complex/complicated

Vocabulary: Numbers

Like many Indian languages, Kannada has its own symbols for numbers, which you should learn
as well. They work exactly like numbers in English. See examples of how they work below.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 14

೦ - Œ%ೂf%+/ಶೂನ; - sonne/śunya - 0
೧ - ಒಂದು - ondu - 1
೨ - ಎರಡು - eraḍu - 2
೩- ಮೂರು - mūru - 3
೪ - C.ಲುd - nālku - 4
೫ - ಐದು - aidu - 5
೬- ಆರು - āru - 6
೭ - ಏಳu - ēḷu - 7
೮ - ಎಂಟು - eṇṭu - 8
೯ - ಒಂಬತುH - ombattu - 9
೧೦ - ಹತುH - hattu - 10
೧೧ - ಹf%ೂ+ಂದು - hannondu - 11
೧೨ - ಹf%+ರಡು- hanneraḍu - 12
೧೩ - ಹL%ಮೂರು - hadimūru - 13
೧೪ - ಹL%C.ಲುd - hadinālku - 14
೧೫ - ಹL%f%ೖದು - hadinaidu - 15
೧೬ - ಹL%C.ರು - hadināru - 16
೧೭ - ಹL%f%ೕಳu - hadinēḷu - 17
೧೮ - ಹL%f%ಂಟು - hadineṇṭu - 18
೧೯ - ಹe%ೂHಂಬತುH - hattombattu - 19
೨೦ - ಇಪ˜ತುH - ippattu - 20
೨೧ - ಇಪ˜e%ೂHಂದು - ippattondu - 21
೨೨ - ಇಪ˜e%ರH ಡು - ippatteraḍu - 22
೨೩ - ಇಪ˜ತHಮೂರು - ippattamūru - 23
...
೩೦ - ಮೂವತುH - mūvattu - 30
೪೦ - ನಲವತುH - nalavattu - 40
೫೦ - ಐವತುH - aivattu - 50
೬೦ - ಅರವತುH - aravattu - 60
೭೦ - ಎಪ˜ತುH - eppattu - 70
೮೦ - ಎಂಬತುH - embattu - 80
೯೦ - e%ೂಂಬತುH - tombattu - 90
೧೦೦ - ನೂರು - nūru - 100
೨೦೦ - ಇನೂ+ರು - innūru - 200
೩೦೦ - ಮುನೂ+ರು - munnūru - 300
೪೦೦ - C.ಲುd ನೂರು - nālku nūru - 400
೫೦೦ - ಐನೂರು - ainūru - 500
೬೦೦ - ಆರು ನೂರು - āru nūru - 600
೭೦೦ - ಏಳu ನೂರು - ēḷu nūru - 700
೮೦೦ - ಎಂಟು ನೂರು - eṇṭu nūru - 800
© 2021 Shashank Rao 15

೯೦೦ - ಒಂs%ೖನೂರು - ombhainūru - 900

೧೦೦೦ - 8.2%ರ - sāvira - 1,000
೧೦,೦೦೦ - ಹತುH 8.2%ರ - hattu sāvira - 10,000
೧೦೦,೦೦೦ - ಲ€ - lakśa - 100,000
೧,೦೦೦,೦೦೦ - ಹತುHಲ€ - hattulakśa - 1,000,000
೧೦,೦೦೦,೦೦೦ - ‡%ೂೕt% - kōṭi - 10,000,000

Vocabulary: Ordinal Number Adjectives

x%ೂದಲ - modala - 1st

ಎರಡf% - eraḍane - 2nd
ಮುರf% - murane - 3rd
C.ಲdf% - nālkane - 4th
ಐದf% - aidane - 5th
ಆರf% - ārane - 6th
ಏಳf% - eḷane - 7th
ಎಂಟf% - enṭane - 8th
ಒಂಬತHf% - ombattane - 9th
ಹತHf% - hattane - 10th
ಇಪ˜ತHf% - ippattane - 20th
ಮೂವತHf% - mūvattane - 30th
ನಲವತHf% - nalavattane - 40th
ಐವತHf% - aivattane - 50th
ಅರವತHf% - aravattane - 60th
ಎಪ˜ತHf% - eppattane - 70th
ಎಂಬತHf% - embattane - 80th
e%ೂಂಬತHf% - tombattane - 90th
ನೂರf% - nūrane - 100th

Vocabulary: Verbs

ಕ<%ಸ ು/>%ೕ¿%‡%ೂಡು - kalisu/hēḷikoḍu - to teach

ಕ<%ತು‡%ೂಳu³ - kalitukoḷḷu - to learn
ಅಥ 5.‚%‡%ೂಳu³ - arthāmaḍikoḷḷu - to understand
ಕುಳuತು‡%ೂಳu³ - kuḷitukoḷḷu - to sit
>%ೂಗು - hōgu - to go
ಬರು - baru - to come
ಇರು - iru - to be (located)/wait/(auxiliar verb function)
>%ೂರಡು - horaḍu - to leave (as in depart)
K%ಡು - biḍu - to leave/let go/release
‡%ೕಳu/2%p.^%ಸ ು - kēḷu/vicārisu - to ask (D/S)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 16

5.ಡು - māḍu - to do/make

ಎಂದು - endu - to be (permanent conditions)
ಓದು/ಪÀ%ಸ ು - ōdu/paṭhisu - to read (D/S)
(%ೂN%Hರು/ಅ^%/N%¿% - gottiru/ari/tiḷi - to know (factual information or abilities)
ª.ಪಕ2%ಟು~‡%ೂಳu³/f%ನ=%ಡು - jñāpakaviṭṭukoḷḷu/nenapiḍu - to remember/know (people/places)
f%ೂಡು/X.ಣು- nōḍu/kāṇụ - to see
‡%ಲಸ5.ಡು - kelasamāḍu - to work/function
ಗಮ'%ಸ ು - gamanisu - to watch/notice/heed
-.ಠ ಓದು - pāṭha odu - to study
ಮುi%ಸ ು/‡%ೂf%•.™%ಸ ು - mugisu/konegāṇisu - to finish/terminate/complete
%ೂೕ—%ಸ ು - yōcisu - to think/consider
ಭ2%ಸ ು - bhāvisu - to believe
e%(%ದು‡%ೂಳu³ - tegedukoḷḷu- to take
ಆಗು - āgu - to happen/become
ಒ=%˜‡%ೂಳu³ - oppikoḷḷu - to admit
9%‚%/8.i%ಸ ು - hiḍi/sāgisu - to carry
8.i%ಸ ು - sāgisu - to move
ತ•%/ತರು - taru - to bring (both are acceptable)
ಆ^%•‡ % %ೂಳu³ - ārisikoḷḷu - to choose
ಒಪu˜ - oppu - to agree/consent
ಇಷ~ಪಡು - iṣṭapaḍu - to prefer
‡%ೕಳu - kēḷu - to listen/hear
—%N%Iಸು - citrisu - to draw
ಮ•% - mare - to forget
°%ೂೕಸ5.ಡು - mōsamāḍu - to cheat/fool/trick/deceive
ಎ'%ಸ ು - eṇisu - to count
y%ಕd5.ಡು/ಗ™%ಸ ು - lekkamāḍu/gaṇisu - to calculate (D/S)

The Nominative, Accusative, and Declensional Class

The nominative case (“first case”) and accusative case (“second case) are easily the two most
important cases to learn in Kannada, for they are necessary to express many basic sentences.
For the nominative case, the only information one needs to know on how to use it is whether
there is any other information being associated with the noun in question. Is the noun anything
other than the subject of a verb? Is something coming from the noun, being given to the noun, or
is something in the noun? If none of such relationships to the noun apply, then the noun is in the
nominative case, and needs to be that way.

The accusative case is the other part of the basic sentence. It marks a noun as being the object of
a verb, meaning that is being acted upon. In further discussions of the accusative and other cases,
one should know the difference between an intransitive and transitive verb. A transitive verb is
an action that acts upon an object, whereas an intransitive verb does not. For example, in the
© 2021 Shashank Rao 17

sentence “I eat the apple”, the verb “to eat” is transitive, since “eat” acts upon “apple”. However,
in the sentence “I am eating”, the verb “to eat” is now intransitive, since it is not acting upon any
object.

However, there is something else one needs to know about case declension: it is key to identify
what declensional class a noun belongs to, since declensional sandhi, which are sound or spelling
changes that must be accounted for when a noun is declined a particular class. Fortunately, there
are relatively simple ways to figure out whether a noun is of a certain class. (Note: when a
complete vowel character is being given by itself in instructions, it refers to the sound, not the
letter itself. For example, if an instruction says to drop the final ಉ, it means to drop the final u
sound from the stem. So dropping the ಉ from ಬರು would make it ಬÁ.)

1. First class nouns include all masculine and feminine that end in ಅ (a). These nouns drop the
final ಅ before adding markers and declensional endings.

2. Second class nouns include all neuter nouns that end in ಅ. These nouns drop the final ಅ
(atva) before adding declension endings that begin with vowels.

3. Third class nouns include all nouns that end in ಇ (i), ಈ (ī), ಎ (e), ಏ (ē), or ಐ (ai). These
nouns add a final  (y) before adding markers and declensional endings. Merge the letter
with the ending.

4. Fourth class nouns include all nouns that end in ಉ (u), ಊ (ū), ಋ (ṛ), ೠ (ṝ), ಒ (o), ಓ
(ō), or ಔ (au). These nouns add a final Æ (v) before adding markers and declensional
endings. Merge the letter with the ending.
a. Most nouns in native Kannada end in ಉ, and many nouns that have had that ಉ
normalized for euphony do not need the final Æ to be added.
b. It’s also worth noting that in spoken Kannada, the Æ is frequently not added.

Both the nominative case and accusative case have endings to be attached to a noun to decline it,
which are all slightly different for each class. Below is a table of the endings (without alterations
listed above) for each class. The two versions given are simply variations that occur, and both are
acceptable. Then are some examples to contrast the classes and case declensions.

1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class

Nominative -ನು (singular -ವu -ಉ -ಉ
masculine)
-ಳu (singular
feminine)
-ರು (plural)
Accusative -ನನು+/ನನ+ -ವನು+/ವನ+ -(ಅ)ನು+/(ಅ)ನ+ -(ಅ)ನು+/(ಅ)ನ+
© 2021 Shashank Rao 18

Notes on nouns denoting people

Kannada nouns, historically, were distinguished by reference to “rational” or “irrational” beings.

“Rational” beings include humans, deities and other beings who have the ability to think for
themselves and have human-like qualities. “Irrational” beings then include all animals and
inanimate objects. This distinction exists in some other South Indian languages, such as Tamil.
However, this distinction is not very useful for learners as it is no longer consistently observed in
modern Kannada.

Consider how feminine nouns are marked in Kannada. It is worth noting that in the nominative
case, feminine nouns are not always marked as such. The ending -ಳu is usually used only for
words of Dravidian or native Kannada origin, while for nouns borrowed from Sanskrit have a
corresponding feminine form of their own. Occasionally, one may find -ಳu used to mark Sanskrit
nouns as feminine, but this is uncommon and considered technically incorrect.

Furthermore, nouns such as ಅಕd (“elder sister”) or ”.„% (“mother”) which convey gender
without the use of -ಳu use the “masculine” -ನು instead. However, this does not apply to Sanskrit
nouns, which take the ending associated with their spelling. However, the plurals of all feminine
nouns, regardless of their origin or spelling, take -ರು as their plural marker. As such, for the most
part, the spelling of a noun is a more consistent means of determining how it should be declined
in each case.

Use of the accusative case

For learners whose native languages are English or other Western European languages, the
concept of cases may be unfamiliar. To illustrate the difference between nominative and
accusative cases, see the following example:

Ex.

C.ನು Œ%ೕಬನು# N%ನು+e%Hೕf%.

Nānu sebannu tinnuttēne.
I eat an apple.

(Note: Case endings in bold.) As one can see, the personal pronoun “I” (C. - nā) has been
declined into the nominative case, though the rules about declension are slightly different for
pronouns. The accusative contrasts with the nominative, as “I” is the subject with no other
information attached to it, whereas “apple” is being acted upon by “to eat”. Œ%ೕಬು is a fourth
class declension noun, but since the euphonic ಉ is already in the word in its dictionary form,
there is no need to attach the final Æ.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 19

Ex.

C.ನು {.i%ಲನು+ e%(%ಯುe%Hೕf%.

Nānu bāgilannu tegeyuttēne.
I open the door.

As in the previous example, the subject “I” (C. - nā) is in the nominative because it is the agent,
the person doing the verb. The object “door” ({.i%ಲು - bāgilu) is in the accusative because it is
being acted upon by the subject through the verb “to open”. {.i%ಲು is a fourth class noun, with
no need for the final Æ, due to its default form having a normalized euphonic ಉ.

Something to keep in mind is that especially in fixed expressions such as ‡%ಲಸ 5.ಡು (“to work”)
or ಊಟ 5.ಡು (“to have a meal”), the accusative case is not marked. In standard written
Kannada, the accusative case is only marked when denoting a specific object, and in fact, the
accusative case in spoken Kannada can be dropped entirely! Consider the two following
sentences:

Ex.

ನಮg ಅಜÇವರು1 ‡%ಲಸ 5.ಡು”.H•.%

Namma ajjavaru kelasa māḍuttāre.
My grandfather works.

ನಮg ಅಜÇವರು ‡%ಲಸವನು+ 5.ಡು”.H•.%

Namma ajjavaru kelasavannu māḍuttāre.
My grandfather is doing a task.

These two sentences are very similar, but have subtly different meanings due to the marking of
the accusative case in the second sentence. The first sentence indicates that the grandfather works
habitually or is simply a statement of the fact that he works in general. The second sentence, due
to ‡%ಲಸ being declined in the accusative case, means that the grandfather is performing a specific
task. Similar meanings would be implied in the phrases ಪ¥¡% 5.ಡು (“to pray/worship”) or ಅಡು(%
5.ಡು (“to prepare food”).

1 This will not be covered until Chapter 5, but the use of ನಮ# (“our”) rather than ನನ$ (“my”) with
he word ಅಜ' is typical in Kannada when referring to family relations. This is true even if the only
person you’re talking about is yourself, rather than siblings. In addition, the appending of ಅವರು,
the polite third person pronoun, to the end of an older relative’s title or to other respected
members of society is considered polite manners when referring to an older person.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 20

Present Tense

As mentioned before, verbs conjugate with respect to person, tense, plurality, and gender (in the
third person). But before we learn the present tense, we need to know the personal pronouns. It
was said earlier in the explanation of the nominative and accusative cases that personal pronouns
decline into cases as well. However, they do so in slightly different ways, and only for certain
cases. The nominative case, for example, is the base form; C. (nā) is not a valid word by itself,
for example, and one must instead say C.ನು (nānu) The table below shows the personal
pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases. Memorize these pronouns so that you can learn
the meaning of their declined forms quickly.

C.ನು/ನನ+ನು+ - nānu/nannannu - I ****ಅದು/ಅದನು+ - adu/adannu - it

*'%ೕನು/'%ನ+ನು+ - nīnu/ninnannu - you C.ವu/ನಮgನು+ - nāvu/nammannu - we
***ಅವನು/ಅವನನು+ - avanu/avanannu - he ('%ೕವu/**”.ವu)/('%ಮgನು+/ತಮgನು+) - (nīvu/
tāvu)/ (nimmannu/tammannu) - you (polite)
***ಅವಳu/ಅವಳನು+ - avaḷu/avaḷannu - she ***ಅವರು/ಅವರನು+ - avaru/avarannu - they (m/
f; polite 3rd person)
*****”.ನು/”.ನನು+ - tānu/tānannu - oneself ಅವu/ಅವನು+ - avu/avannu - they (neuter)

*Don’t use '%ೕನು with people whose social status is unknown or ambiguous to oneself, as it can
be rude. However, one can never ask to use '%ೕನು after '%ೕವu is the established form of address.
It is also good manners to insist on using '%ೕವu, even if the person has invited one to use '%ೕನು.
'%ೕವu is also the word for the plural, second-person pronoun.
**”.ವu (tāvu) is an archaic, more polite version of '%ೕವu , used primarily in reference to God, in
sarcastic or humorous expressions, and in older texts. It uses the same conjugations as '%ೕವu, and
declines in similar ways, replacing '%ೕ with ”..
***These pronouns contain the prefix ಅ- (a-), which means “that”, and have equivalents using
the prefix ಇ- (i-), meaning “this”: ಇವನು, ಇವಳu, ಇವರು, which would mean “this he,”, “this she,”
and “this they”, literally.
****Also means “that”; when used as a pronoun, one can think of it as “that thing”; ಇ (idu)
meaning “this thing” can be used similarly; ಅದು will be used in conjugation tables.
*****This is the reflexive/impersonal pronoun, and can only be used in reference to a previously
mentioned subject. It is used to express that one does something independently. There is some
ambiguity between this and the vocative case, which will be explained later on.

To conjugate verbs in Kannada, one must take the root form given in dictionaries and in the
vocabulary lists. However, just as with nominal declensional sandhi, there is also sandhi for verb
inflection. Before continuing on, we must cover a few verbal terms. First is the root form, which
is the dictionary form of the verb. Then there’s the crude form, which is the base of most verb
© 2021 Shashank Rao 21

conjugation. The way a verb conjugates changes slightly based on the crude form. There are two
classes of verbs, with one subclass, according to how they obtain their crude form.

1. First class verbs end in ಅ or ಉ; drop this final vowel if the suffix added begins with a
vowel.
2. Second class verbs end in ಇ, ಎ, or ಆ; add a euphonic  before adding suffixes that begin
with a vowel.
a. Subclass verbs are non-crude verb forms ending in ಇ or ಎ; drop this final vowel if the
suffix added begins with a vowel.
3. Third class verbs are those that end in ಒ, which attach ಳu³ to the end before conjugation like
a first class verb ending in ಉ.

One may need or not need to remove certain sounds to obtain the crude form in order to
conjugate a verb in a certain way. From there, obtain the present adverbial participle of the verb,
by simply adding ಉತH to the crude form. The example verb is 5.ಡು (māḍu), becoming 5.ಡುತH
(māḍutta). This form is the base for all verb forms in the present tense.

C.ನು 5.ಡುe%Hೕf% - nānu māḍuttēne - I do ಅದು 5.ಡುತHl% - adu māḍuttade - it does

'%ೕನು 5.ಡುN%HೕÈ% - nīnu māḍuttīye - you (non- C.ವu 5.ಡುe%Hೕ’% - nāvu māḍuttēve - we do
polite)
'%ೕವu/”.ವu 5.ಡುN%^ H % - nīvu/tāvu māḍuttiri - ಅವರು 5.ಡು”.H•% - avaru māḍuttāre - they (m/
you (polite)/you all do f; polite 3rd person) do
ಅವನು 5.ಡು”.Hf% - avanu māḍuttāne - he does ಅವu 5.ಡುತH’% - avu māḍuttave - they (n) do
ಅವಳu 5.ಡು”.H‹% - avaḷu māduttāḷe - she does

Unlike in some other languages, Kannada distinguishes only between past and non-past. The
future tense is a latter development that is primarily used in literary works. For all intents and
purposes, the present tense (as shown as above) is also the future tense, depending on the
context. Words indicating the future can be used to imply the future.

Asking Questions

Kannada’s method of asking questions is fairly straightforward. Nearly all the time, it simply
involves changing the ending of the word (this includes nouns) to the vowel ಅ. In some
situations, one can add ನ, ಅಲoವ, or ಇಲoವ to the end of a sentence to make a statement a
question, with the meaning of “isn’t it/right?” Look at the examples below.

Ex.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 22

'%ೕನು {.ಂಸು^% ಊL%N%Hಯ?

Nīnu bānsuri ūdittiya?
Do you play the bansuri?

ನನಗ?
Nanaga?
For/to me?

But:

c.ರದು?
Yāradu?
Who is it?

Question words do not change form. Only non-question words take the final ಅ for the
interrogative form. Note that if there is a question word already in a sentence, it is not necessary
to change the ending of other words.

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. Decline the following nouns into the nominative and accusative cases.

1. y%ೕಖ'% (lēkhani)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕ (adhyāpaka; teacher)
3. ನ2%ಲು (navilu)
4. ಆf% (āne)
5. ಮರ (mara)
6. x%ೕಜು (mēju)
7. '%m.ಸ (nivāsa)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ (kīlikai)
9. ಪದುj (paddu; a type of food)
10. 3.Œ%H (rāste)

B. Conjugate the following verbs in the present tense for the given pronouns.

1. I, K%ಡು
2. He, ಬ•%
3. They (person), ಈಜು
4. We, %ೂೕ—%ಸ ು
5. She, ಮ•%
6. You (polite), 5.ಡು
7. You (non-polite), ಕು‚%
© 2021 Shashank Rao 23

8. It (singular), 9%‚%
9. They (non-person), ಇರು
10. You (honorific), ಓದು

C. Translate the following sentences into Kannada.

1. I eat the apple.

2. We write books.
3. They (person) bring fruits.
4. She reads.
5. It works/functions.
6. You (polite) sleep ('%l%I5.ಡು/ಮಲಗು; to sleep).
7. You (non-polite) hold a pen.
8. You all think.
9. She remembers you (honorific).
10. They (non-person) see us. 

© 2021 Shashank Rao 24

Chapter 3: Foods and Health

Vocabulary: Foods, Mealtime, Etc.

C.ಷ~ - nāṣṭa - breakfast (uncommon)

N%ಂ‚% - tinḍi - meal/breakfast/snack
l%ೂೕŒ% - dōse - dosa
ಇ‚%o - iḍli - idli
ಪಲ; - palya - curry (without qualification, does not contain meat)
ಹು¿% - huḷi - a type of stew
8.ರು - sāru - a type of broth/soup
x%ೂಸರು - mosaru - yogurt
ಭತH - bhatta - unhusked rice
ಅG%d - akki - uncooked rice
ಅನ+ - anna - cooked rice
ರ’% - rave - semolina
9%ಟು~ - hiṭṭu - flour
ಅG%d 9%ಟು~ - akki hiṭṭu - rice flour
x%ೖದ - maida - wheat flour
ಊಟ - ūṭa - meal (“dinner” without qualification)
ಆಲೂ(%z%ˆ - ālūgeḍḍe - potato
Œ%ೂಪu˜ - soppu - spinach
'%ಂ\%ಹಣು‰ - nimbehaṇṇu - lemon
G%ತH‹ಹ
% ಣು‰ - kittaḷehaṇṇu - orange
ಮೂಸಂK% - mūsambi - sweet lime (an Indian variety of lime)
ಕಮQ.IŠ%/ಕಪ3.Š% - kamadrākṣi/kaparākṣi - starfruit
(¤%ೕರಲ/•%ೕ\%)ಹಣು‰ - (pērala/sībe)haṇṇu - guava
_%ೕ¤%X.„% - cēpekāyi - raw guava
ಖಬೂ ಜ - kharbūja - muskmelon/cantaloupe
Q.¿%ಂ\%ಹಣು‰ - dāḷimbehaṇṇu - pomegranate
ಪರಂi%ಹಣು‰ - parangihaṇṇu - papaya
ಅC.ನಸ - anānasa - pineapple
ಕಲoಂಗ‚%ಹಣು‰ - kallaṃgaḍihaṇṇu - watermelon
ಹಲ•%ನಹಣು‰ - halasinahaṇṇu - jackfruit
ಎy%‡%ೂೕಸು/‡%ೂೕಸು(%z%ˆ - elekōsu/kōsugeḍḍe - cabbage
ಹೂ‡%ೂೕಸು - hūkōsu - cauliflower
•.ಗಲX.„% - hāgalakāyi - bitter gourd
ಹುರ¿%X.„% - huraḷikāyi - green beans
ಬೂದುಕುಂಬಳX.„% - būdukuṃbaḷakāyi - bitter melon/ash gourd
9%ೕ•%X.„% - hīrekāyi - ridge gourd
Œ%ೂೕ•%X.„% - sōrekāyi - bottle gourd
© 2021 Shashank Rao 25

ಬದf%X.„% - badanekāyi - eggplant

•%ೕx% ಬದf%X.„% - sīme badanekāyi - chayote squash
l%ೂ©% x%ನ•%ನX.„% - doṇṇe menasinakāyi - bell pepper
ಗಜÇ^% - gajjari - carrot
É%eX% .„% - sautekāyi - cucumber
ನು(%ÊX.„% - nuggekāyi - drumstick
\%ಂz%X.„% - beṃḍekāyi - okra/lady’s finger
ಬË.™% - baṭāṇi - peas
ƒ%ೂx%ೕƒ%ೂ - ṭomēṭo - tomato
ಉ=%˜ನX.„% - uppinakāyi - pickle (many varieties in India)
•%¤%˜ - sippe - peel (of a fruit or vegetable)
K%ೕಜ - bīja - seed/pit (of a fruit)
‡%ೂೕ¿% 5.ಂಸ - kōḷi māṃsa - poultry (“chicken meat”)
(%ೂೕ5.ಂಸ - gōmāṃsa - beef
ಹಂL%ಯ 5.ಂಸ - handiya māṃsa - pork
U%ೕ'%ನ 5.ಂಸ - mīnina maṃsa - fish (the food)
U%ೕನು - mīnu - fish (the animal)
‡%ೂೕ¿% - kōḷi - chicken
ಸಮುQ.I•.ರ - samudrāhāra - seafood
ಕರಟX.„% - karaṭakāyi - nut
ಕಡy%ೕX.„% - kaḍalēkāyi - peanut
{.Q.U% - bādāmi - almond
(%ೂೕದಂK% - goḍaṃbi - cashew
•.ಲು - hālu - milk
p.ಹ - chahā - tea
ತƒ%~ - taṭṭe - plate
-.e%I - pātre - pan-vessel
ಬಟ~ಲು - baṭṭalu - bowl-vessel
y%ೂೕಟ - lōṭa - cup
ಮುಳu³ ಚಮಚ - muḷḷu camaca - fork
p.ಕು/_%ೂೕ^% - cāku/cōri - knife
ಚಮಚ - camaca - spoon
ಎ©%‰ - eṇṇe - oil
\%©/%‰ ನವ'%ೕತ - beṇṇe/navanīta - butter (D/S)
ಮ8.y% - masāle - spice
x%ಣಸು - meṇasu - pepper
x%ಣ•%ನX.„% - meṇasinakāyi - chili pepper
ಉಪu˜ - uppu - salt
\%ಳu³¿%³ - beḷḷuḷḷi - garlic
ಒಗÊರ©% - oggaraṇe - a heated mix of spices
© 2021 Shashank Rao 26

ಪuL%ನ Œ%ೂಪu˜ - pudina soppu - mint

‡%ೂತHಂಬ^% Œ%ೂಪu˜/K%ೕಜ - kottambari soppu/bīja - coriander leaves/seed
ತುಳ•% - tuḷasi - basil
ಇಂಗು - iṇgu - asafoetida
ಸಕd•% - sakkare - sugar
ಏಲG%d - elakki - cardamom
ಶುಂt%/ಶುಂÀ% - śunṭi/śunṭhi - ginger (both are accepted pronunciations)
x%ಂತ; - mentya - fenugreek
ಅರ•%ನ - arasina - turmeric (often colloquially pronounced ಅಶ ನ - arśna)
8.•%’% - sāsive - mustard
«%ೕ^%(% - jīrige - cumin
ಲವಂಗ - lavanga - clove
ಹೂವu - hūvu - star anise
ಏಳG%d - ēḷakki - cardamom
ಮ8.ಲ ಎ‹% - masāla eḷe - bay leaf
ಚ‡%d - cakke - cinnamon
ಹು™%Œಹ % ಣು‰ - huṇisehaṇṇu - tamarind
ಎಳu³ - eḷḷu - sesame
e%ಂi%ನX.„% - tenginakāyi - coconut
‡%ೂK%I - kobri - dried coconut
\%ೕ‹% - bēḷe - lentil
ಕಡ‹% \%ೕ‹% - kaḍaḷe bēḷe - chana dal/Bengal gram
ಉL%jನ \%ೕ‹% - uddina bēḷe - black gram/urad dal
e%ೂಗ^% \%ೕ‹% - togri bēḷe - yellow lentil/toor dal
>%ಸರು \%ೕ‹% - hesaru bēḷe - green gram/mung bean
ಪu‚% - puḍi - powder
-.ಕ2%v.ನ/-.ಕಸೂತI - pākavidhāna/pākasūtra - recipe

Vocabulary: Adjectives

ರು—%ಕರm.ದ - rucikaravāda - tasty

ಅಸಹ;ಕರ - asahyakara - disgusting
ಸ¤%˜c.ದ/ರು—%„%ಲoದ - sappeyāda/ruciyillada - bland/dry
ž.ರm.ದ - khāravāda - spicy/pungent
•%9%c.ದ - sihiyāda - sweet
ಹು¿%c.ದ - huḷiyāda - sour
ಕ9%c.ದ - kahiyāda - bitter
K%•c% .ದ - bisiyāda - hot (temperature)
ತಣ‰fc% .ದ - taṇṇaneyāda - cold
ಒ(%Êc.ದ - oggeyāda - wet
ಸುm.ಸf%ಯ - suvāsaneya - pleasant/fragrant
© 2021 Shashank Rao 27

ದುm. ಸf%ಯ - durvāsaneya - bad-smelling/foul

ಆ•%ೂೕಗ;ಕರ - ārōgyakara - healthy
ಅC.•%ೂೕಗ;ಕರ - anārōgyakara - unhealthy
š.X.•.^% - śākāhāri - vegetarian
5.ಂಸ - māṃsāhāri - non-vegetarian (lit. “meat-eating”)

Vocabulary: Health

ಆ•%ೂೕಗ; - ārōgya - health

ತರX.^% - tarakāri - vegetable
X.„%y%/ž.„%y% - kāyile/khāyile - sickness
f%ಗ‚% - negaḍi - cold
ಜMರ - jvara - fever
‡%ಮುg - kemmu - cough
‡%ಮುg ಔಷಧ - kemmu auṣadha - cough medicine
ಸೂ«%ಮದುj - sūjimaddu - injection
ಲ•%‡% - lasike - vaccine
ಔಷಧ - auṣadha - medicine
{.ಚ'%(% - bācanige - hairbrush/comb

Vocabulary: Colors

ಬಣ‰/ವಣ - baṇṇa/varṇa - color (D/S)

ಬಣ‰ದ - baṇṇada - to be colored
ಕ^% - kari - black
'%ೕಲಯ - nīliya - blue
ಹ•%ರು - hasiru - green
ಬೂದು - būdu - grey
G%ತHy%ಯ - kittaḷeya - orange
ಗುn.K% - gulābi - pink
‡%'%+<%/f%ೕರ‹% - kennili/nēraḷe - purple
‡%ಂಪu - keṃpu - red (‡%ಂಚು - keṃcu for the color of hair)
ರಕHವಣ ದ - raktavarṇada - blood-red
K%<ಯ % /K%ಳuಪu - biḷiya - white
ಹಳL% - haḷadi - yellow
„%¿%ಯ - tiḷiya - clear/light/pale
ಕಪu˜ - kappu - dark
© 2021 Shashank Rao 28

Vocabulary: Verbs

ಕತH^ಸ % ು - kattarisu - to cut

•%¤%˜ ಸು<% - sippe suli - to peel
2%W%ಸ ು - vidhisu - to prescribe/impose/levy
‡%ಮುg - kemmu - to cough
ಸMಚÌ5.ಡು - svacchamāḍu - to clean
e%ೂ‹% - toḷe - to wash
-.ಲು 5.ಡು - pālu māḍu - to share
ಅಡು(% 5.ಡು - aḍuge māḍu - to make food
\%ೕಯು - to cook (by itself; passive voice)
\%ೕ„%ಸ ು - bēyisu - to cook (in any way, including frying, roasting, etc.)
{.‚%ಸ ು - bāḍisu - to stir-fry
ಕೂ‚%ಸ ು - kūḍisu - to boil
ಇಡು - iḍu - to put/place
N%ನು+ - tinnu - to eat
N%'%+ಸು - tinnisu - to feed
>%ೂƒ%~i%ಲol% (8.ಯು/8.„%ಸ ು) - hoṭṭegillade (sāyu/sāyisu) - to starve (intr./tran.)
‡%ೂಡು - koḍu - to give
\%ೕX.i%ರು - bēkāgiru - to need/require (something)
(noun in dative case) ಹ•%ವu ಆಗು - (...) hasivu āgu - to be hungry (3rd person singular only) (noun
in dative case)
{.c.^%‡% ಆಗು - (...) bāyārike āgu - to be thirsty (3rd person singular only)
(noun in dative case) '%l%I ಬರು - (...) nidre baru - to be sleepy (3rd person singular only)
ಇl%/ಇ’% - ide/ive - there is/are (singular, plural)

Additional Vocabulary: The Body

ಶ^%ೕರ - śarīra - body

>%ಣ/ಶವ - heṇa/śava - dead body (D/S)
‡%ೖ - kai - arm/hand
ತಲ - tale - head
ಕೂದಲು - kūdalu - hair
ತುt% - tuṭi - lips
ಮೂಗು - mūgu - nose
G%2% - kivi - ear
ಮುಖ - mukha - face
{.„% - bāyi - mouth
C.¿%(% - nālige - tongue
ಕಟು~ - kattu - neck
ಗಂಟಲು - ganṭalu - throat
© 2021 Shashank Rao 29

ಹಲುoಗಳu - hallugaḷu - teeth

ಕಣು‰ಗಳu - kaṇṇugaḷu - eyes
ಹುಬುÍ - hubbu - eyebrow
U%ದುಲು - miduḷu - brain
ಭುಜ - bhuja - shoulder
x%ೂಣ‡%ೖ - moṇakai - elbow
ಎl% - ede - chest
\%ನು+ - bennu - back
ಪ‡%dಲುಬು - pakkelubu - ribs
ಹೃದಯ - hṛdaya - heart
š.Mಸ‡%ೂೕಶ - śvāsakōśa - lungs
‡%ೖ\%ರಳu - kaiberaḷu - finger
X.ಲು - kālu - foot/leg
X.ಲ\%ರಳu - kālaberaḷu - toe
ಕಣX.ಳu - kaṇakālu - ankle
9%ಮg‚% - himmaḍi - heel
ಮ'%ಕಟು~ - maṇikaṭṭu - wrist
>%ೂƒ%~ - hoṭṭe - stomach/belly
ಉಗುರು - uguru - nail

The Instrumental-Ablative Case and Dative Case

The instrumental-ablative case is somewhat complicated, as it combines two different cases into
one declension. We will first cover the instrumental definition, which means “through, by way
of,” or “using”. The ablative definition means “from, away/moving from, since,” or “beginning
at”.

1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class

-'%ಂದ -L%ಂದ -ಇಂದ -ಇ'%ಂದ

Ex.

ಮರ+,ಂದ ಹಣು‰ ಬರುತHl%.

Maradinda haṇṇu baruttade.
Fruit comes from the tree.

C.ವu ಈ ರŒ%/ H ,ಂದ ಬಂL%l%jವu.

Nāvu ī rasteyinda bandiddevu.
We came through/by way of this road.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 30

The dative case is similar to the accusative case, in that it marks the noun that is being acted
upon by a verb. However, it is for a different kind of verb; the dative case marks a noun that is
recipient. The dative case roughly translates to “to, for,” or “on the behalf of”. It is used with
verbs that have meanings like “give, teach,” or “tell”. However, it has another use, usually with
the ablative function of the instrumental-ablative case. In this situation, the dative case can mean
“to,” or “toward” in a directional sense.

1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class

-'%(% -‡%d -(% -ಇ(%

Ex.

'%ೕನು ಅವ0,1, >%ೕ¿%‡%ೂಡುN%HೕÈ%.

Nīnu avanige hēḷikoḍuttīye.
You teach him. (Think: You give to him instruction).

ಅವಳu ಇ2,3ಂದ l%ೕವ8.®ನ4,5 >%ೂೕಗು”.H‹.%

Avaḷu illinda dēvasthānakke hoguttāḷe.
She goes to(ward) the temple from here.

There is yet another use of the dative case in Kannada, one which is purely idiomatic. Many
sensations and feelings conveyed using the dative case and the verbs ಆಗು (āgu - to become/
happen) and ಇl%/ಇ’% (ide/ive - there is/are). Look at the examples below.

Ex.

ಅವ^%(% ತುಂಬ ಜMರ ಇl%.

Avarige tuṃba jvara ide.
He/she (polite) has a a high fever.
lit. With/for him/her (polite) there is much fever.

ನಮg X.y%…ಂ†.ಟ ಇಷ~ ಆಗುತHl%.

Nammage kālceṇḍāta iṣṭa āguttade.
We like soccer.
lit. To/for us, soccer becomes much pleasure.

Personal Pronouns - Instrumental-Ablative and Dative Cases

ನ'%+ಂದ/ನನ(% - nanninda/nanage ಆದj^%ಂದ/ಅದ^%‡%. - āddarinda/adarike

'%'%+ದ/'%ನ(% - ninninda/ninage ನU%gಂದ/ನಮg(% - namminda/nammage
© 2021 Shashank Rao 31

ಅವ'%ಂದ/ಅವ'%(% - avaninda/avanige ('%U%gಂದ/ತU%gಂದ)/('%ಮg(%/ತಮg(%) -

(nimminda/tamminda)/(nimmage/tammage)
ಅವ¿%ಂದ/ಅವ¿%(% - avaḷinda/avaḷige ಅವ^%ಂದ/ಅವ^%(% - avarinda/avarige
”.'%ಂದ/ತ'%+(% - tāninda/tannige - oneself ಅವಗ¿%ಂದ/ಅವಗ¿%(% - avagaḷinda/avagaḷige

The Negative Form

A peculiar feature of Kannada grammar is that negated verbs do not indicate person, gender, or
plurality. Negation in Kannada maintains the past versus non-past distinction, with its own forms
for negative expressions in the past. To form the negative non-past, simply append -ಉವL%ಲo to
the base form. For second class verbs, add a final Â, and then append -ಉವuL%ಲo instead.

Ex.

C.ನು ಬ•%ಯುವuL%ಲo.
Nānu bareyuvudilla.
I do not write.

C.ನು >%ೂೕಗುವL%ಲo.
Nānu hōguvadilla.
I do not go.

Demonstratives

Demonstratives in Kannada are only “this” and “that”. The root forms of these two determiners
are ಈ (ī - this) and ಆ (ā - that). Unlike other adjectives, the demonstratives do decline for case,
though one could say that the demonstrative pronouns are the nouns that decline. Below is a
table for all the forms. All cases will be shown here, since it will be fairly useful later on. Special
meanings will be indicated as necessary.

Form “This" “That"

Adjectival ಈ-ī ಆ-ā
Pronoun/Nominative ಇದು - idu ಅದು - adu
Accusative ಇದನು+ - idannu ಅದನು+ - adannu
Instrumental-Ablative ಇದ^%ಂದ/ಇದj^%ಂದ - idarinda/ ಆದ^%ಂದ/ಆದj^%ಂದ - ādarinda/
iddarinda āddarinda
Dative ಇದ^%‡% - idarike ಅದ^%‡% - adarike
© 2021 Shashank Rao 32

Genitive ಇದರದುj - idaraddu ಅದರದುj - adaraddu

Locative ಇ<%o - illi “here” ಅ<%o - alli “there”
Vocative ಇl%ೕ - idē ಅl%ೕ - adē

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

1. Decline the following nouns into the instrumental and dative cases.

1. y%ೕಖ'% (lēkhani)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕ (adhyāpaka)
3. ನ2%ಲು (navilu)
4. ಆf% (āne)
5. ಮರ (mara)
6. x%ೕಜು (mēju)
7. '%m.ಸ (nivāsa)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ (kīlikai)
9. ಪದುj (paddu)
10. ರŒ%H (rāste)

C. Write the following verbs in the negative form.

1. ತ•%
2. ನz%
3. >%ೂೕಗು
4. ಈಜು
5. ಸು<%
6. e%ೂy%
7. ಕತH^ಸ
% ು
8. ಎ™%ಸ ು
9. ಬರು
10. ಕ•%

D. Translate the following sentences into Kannada.

1. He takes from the bowl.

2. We go home from school.
3. I come from America.
4. They (person) go to India.
5. It gives me food.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 33

6. Āsha (female) gives Ramā (female) an apple.

7. They (non-person) come from the south (dakṣina).
8. We go from the kitchen to the altar.
9. You (non-polite) write for me.
10. You all go from here to there.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 34

Chapter 4: Conditions and Feelings

Vocabulary: Postpositions

ಬ¿%ಯ<%o/ಹN%Hರ/ಪಕdದ<%o - baḷiyalli/hattira/pakkadalli - beside/next to

*ಹN%Hರ - hattira - near
‡%ಳ(% - keḷage - under/down
ಅ‚% - aḍi - under/on the ground/at one’s feet
ಮುಂl% - munde - in front
9%ಂl% - hinde - behind/back/ago
x%ೕy% - mēle - on top/upon/above/up/after
5.‚%/ಮಹ‚% - māḍi/mahaḍi - upstairs/up there
ದೂರ - dūra - far/distant
ಸುಟ~ - sutta - around
ಒಳ(% - oḷage - inside
>%ೂರಗz% - horagaḍe - outside
ಮುಂ_% - munce - before
ಆx%ೕy%/(ಅ)ನಂತರ - āmēle/(a)nantara - after
ತನಕ/ವ•%(% - tanaka/varege - until/till
¡%ೂe% - jote - with
ಇಲol% - illade - without
ಕು^%ತ/ಬ(%Ê/2%ಷಯ - kurita/bagge/viṣaya - about/concerning
ನಡು’% - naḍuve - between
f%ೕರm.i%/•%ೕQ. - nēravāgi/sīdā - straight
**l%Œ% - dese - cause/fault

*Unlike other postpositions, it does not use the locative case to indicate the physical relationship.
By placing it after a noun in the genitive case, one can express possession.
** ([noun in genitive] + [l%Œ% in instrumental-ablative case]) = “because of noun”

Vocabulary: Conditions

ಸು8.Hಗು - sustāgu - tired

ಹುÎ.ರು - huṣāru - well
ಹುÎ.ರುವL%ಲo - huṣāruvadilla - sick
ಖುZ% - khuṣi - happy
ದುಃಖ - duḥkha - sad
X.ಯ ಮಗ+ - kāryamagna - occupied/busy
ಸMಚÌ/ಶು—%c.ದ - svaccha/śuciyāda - clean
‡%ೂಳX.ದ - koḷakāda - dirty
\%ೕಗ - bēga - fast
© 2021 Shashank Rao 35

'%v.ನ - nidhāna - slow

ಪIN%ಭವಂತ - pratibhāvanta - talented
8.5.ನ; - sāmānya - ordinary
ಸು5.3.ದ - sumārāda - mediocre
L%ಟ~ - diṭṭa - daring
ಶಕH - śakta - capable
ದ€ - dakṣa - clever
‡%ಟ~ - keṭṭa - bad
ದುಷ~ - duṣṭa - evil
G%^G
% %^ವ
% uಂಟು - kirikirivunṭu - annoying
X.ಡುವu - kāḍuvu - bothersome
ತುಂK%ದ - tumbida - full
ž.<%c.ದ - khāliyāda - empty
8.ಧ; - sādhya - possible

Vocabulary: Animals

-.I™% - prāṇi - animal

\%ಕುd - bekku - cat
C.„% - nāyi - dog
ಹಂL% - handi - pig/swine
ಹಸು - hasu - cow
‡%ೂೕ¿%ಯ - kōḷiya - chicken
ಹG%d/ಪŠ% - hakki/pakṣi - bird (D/S)
«%ಂ‡% - jinke - deer
ಕರ‚% - karaḍi - bear
ಗೂ\% - gūbe - owl
ಕುಂL%<% - kundili - rabbit
ಅ¿%ಲು - aḷilu - squirrel
ಇ<% - ili - mouse/rat
ಕ=% - kapi - monkey
ಹಂಸ - haṃsa - swan
•%ಂಹ/•%ಂಗ - sinha/singa - lion
{.ತು‡%ೂೕ¿% - bātukōḷi - duck
ಹು<% - huli - tiger
ನ^% - nari - fox
•.ವu/ಸಪ - hāvu/sarpa - snake (D/S)
ಆf%/ಗಜ - āne/gaja - elephant (D/S)
ಕು^% - kuri - sheep
ಕುದು•%/ಅಶM - kudure/aśva - horse (D/S)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 36

ಹುಳu - huḷu - insect/bug

ಮ‹% ಹುಳu - maḷe huḷu - rain bug (a type of insect that appears in wet areas in India)
¡%ೕನು ಹುಳu - jēnu huḷu - bee
¡%ೕಡ(ರ) (ಹುಳu) - jēḍa(ra) (huḷu) - spider
ಕಣಜ (ಹುಳu) - kaṇaja hụlu - wasp
—%ƒ%~/ಪತಂಗ (ಹುಳu) - ciṭṭe/patanga (huḷu) - butterfly
L%ೕಪದ ಹುಳu - dīpada huḷu - moth
Œ%ೂ‹%³ (ಹುಳu) - soḷḷe (huḷu) - fly

*You can also add -ಮ^% (-mari) to make nouns small, young, and/or cute.

Additional Vocabulary: The Weather and the Sky

ಹ’% - have - weather

X.ಲ/ಸಮಯ - kāla/samaya - time
ಕ€ಣ - kakṣaṇa - moment
ಆX.ಶ - ākāśa - sky
ಸೂಯ - sūrya - sun
ಚಂದI - candra - moon
ನ€ತI - nakṣatra/tāre - star
ಗIಹ - graha - planet
°%ೂೕಡ/x%ೕಘ - mōḍa/mēgha - cloud
°%ೂೕಡಕ2%ದ - mōḍakavida - cloudy
•.¿% - gāḷi - wind
K%ರು•.¿% - birugāḷi - storm
ಚಂಡ5.ರುತ - caṇḍamāruta - hurricane
ಇಬÍ'% - ibbani - mist
ಮಂಜು - manju - fog
ತಂಗ¿% - tangāḷi - breeze
U%ಂಚು - mincu - lightning
ಗುಡುಗು - guḍugu - thunder
ಒl%jc.ದ - oddeyāda - humid/wet
K%•ಲ
% ು - bisilu - heat
ಉÎ.‰ನÑ - uṣṇānśa - temperature
9%ಮ - hima - ice/snow
ಮ‹% - maḷe - rain
•%ಡಲು - siḍalu - lightning bolt
ಬÈ%Ê - bayge - evening twilight
© 2021 Shashank Rao 37

*The word for anything just about anything ice-related in Kannada is just 9%ಮ, which means
“ice/snow” in Sanskrit. The only place in India that really gets any ice is the Himalayas, a
mountain range at a very high elevation that includes Mt. Everest.
For most weather phenomena the verb ಬರು (baru - to come) is used after the name of the weather
to say that it is occurring. For example, ಮ‹% ಬರು (maḷe baru) means “to rain”.

The Locative Case and Postpositions

The locative case is an important case to learn for describing the positions of nouns, especially
considering that the words that are prepositions in English are actually postpositions in Kannada.
This means that the word describing the location is placed after the noun, rather than before. The
locative case is required for this as well. The table below shows how to decline each class of
noun.

1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class

-ನ<%o -ದ<%o -ಅ<%o -ಇನ<%o

Ex.

¤%t%~(% ಒಳ(%ಯ<%o ¤%ಂ•%ಲಗಳu ಇರುತH’%.

Peṭṭige oḷageyalli pensilagaḷu iruttave.
There are pencils in the box.

ನನ+ ”.„% >%ೂರಗz%ಯ<%o ಇರು”.H•.%

Nanna tāyi horagaḍeyalli iruttāre.
My mother is outside.

In colloquial spoken Kannada, the locative case is sometimes omitted from prepositions, but not
from other locations. There are also no declensions for pronouns in the locative case according to
classical grammar, except for demonstrative pronouns (which already been given).

The Progressive Aspect

The progressive aspect is essentially an affix that denotes a verb being ongoing or in progress at
the time indicated by the tense. It is important to recognize that tense and aspect are two separate
components of a verb. The progressive aspect is marked by the affixation of the auxiliar form of
the verb ಇರು (iru), conjugated in the appropriate tense. In order to make the present progressive,
for example, take the present adverbial participle and attach the present tense conjugated form of
auxiliar ಇರು. ಇರು is an irregular verb in its auxiliar form:
© 2021 Shashank Rao 38

C.ನು ಇl%jೕf% - nānu iddēne ಅದು ಇl%j - adu idde

'%ೕನು ಇL%jೕÈ% - nīnu iddīye C.ವu ಇl%jೕ’% - nāvu iddēve

'%ೕವu/”.ವu ಇL%j^% - nīvu/tāvu iddīri ಅವರು ಇQ.j•% - avaru iddāre

ಅವನು ಇQ.jf% - avanu iddāne ಅವu ಇದj’% - avu iddave
ಅವಳu ಇQ.j‹% - avaḷu iddāḷe - she does

Note: There is a mostly defunct spelling rule for the present tense of this form of ಇರು, using ಇದುÒ
as the base of the verb. However, modern speakers and writers would pronounce and even write
this using ಇದುj.

Ex.

5.ಡುತH + ಇl%jೕf% = 5.ಡುN%Hl%jೕf%

māḍutta + iddēne = māḍuttiddēne
present adverbial participle + 1st person singular form of ಇರು

Ex.

C.ನು ಊಟ 5.ಡುN%Hl%jೕf%.
Nānu ūṭa māḍuttiddēne*.
I am eating a meal.

ಅವನು ಅವ¿%(% ಒಡ’% ‡%ೂಡುN%Q H .jf.%

Avanu avaḷige oḍave koḍuttiddāne.
He is giving her jewelry.

*Even though N%ನು+ (tinnu) does mean “to eat”, ಊಟ 5.ಡು (ūṭa māḍu) is a specific expression
that means “to eat/take a meal”. The latter is the preferred way of talking about eating a meal.

However, for the past and the future tense, one needs to pay closer attention, as now, ಇರು must
conjugated in the past and future tenses, respectively. However, the present adverbial participle
and the conjugated form of ಇರು are still elided together.

Ex.

C.ನು N%ನು+N%Hl.%j
Nānu tinnuttidde.
I was eating.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 39

'%ೕವu >%ೂೕಗುN%ರ
H ು2%^.%
Nīvu hōguttiruviri.
You (polite) will be going.

The Relative Clause

The relative clause in English is also called the dependent clause. It is a part of the sentence that
can be a phrase but not a complete sentence. For example, take the sentence “The girl that kicks
the ball”. The part after the word “that” is the dependent clause, and serves to describe
the girl. In Kannada, the equivalent is a single word, and is a complete thought in and of itself.
However, when there are multiple relative clauses, things get complicated. Kannada speakers,
even with simple one-clause constructions, avoid this part of speech, preferring the equivalent of
“That girl, she kicks the ball”.

To make this construction, consider the tense, and then find the appropriate adjectival participle.
Then simply attach the pronoun at the end. Look below for the Kannada version of the previous
example sentence.

Ex.

_%ಂಡನು+ ಒl%ಯುವಳu
Ceṇḍannu odeyuvaḷu
This girl that kicked the ball

Preferred:

ಈ ಹುಡುi%/ಇವಳu, _%ಂಡನು+ ಒl%ಯು”.H‹.%

Ī huḍugi/īvaḷu, ceṇḍannu odeyuttāḷe.

While this wouldn’t be wrong or even necessarily non-native sounding, many people avoid this
construction simply because the more information there is, the more complicated it gets. This
form can only be used in the third person, and is used to specify a particular subject that isn’t
present. A common pronoun used to refer to the subject of a relative clause is ಎಂಬ, which
essentially translates as “he/she/they who (verb)…”.

Also, notice that the euphonic ಯ is added before the pronoun. An important skill is to recognize
the patterns that require a euphonic ಯ or ವ.

The Imperative Forms

In Kannada, there are several types of commands, each with a separate connotation, and for a
different person. The low imperative distinguishes male and female, with a somewhat dismissive
© 2021 Shashank Rao 40

connotation if used with young adults and older people. The standard imperative fits all people,
though it is not polite. The polite imperative is used for people of higher status and worthy of
respect or politeness, as well as a group of people. The honorific imperative is a very polite form,
but can have connotations of pushiness or dismissiveness. There are also the optative and
hortative forms, whose endings are affixed to the verb’s base form. The optative form is used
only in the 3rd person (“shall/may...?”/“let...”) and the hortative is only used in the 2nd person
plural (“let’s...). The example verb is 5.ಡು.

Low (male) 5.z%ೂೕ - māḍō

Low (female) 5.z% - māḍe
Standard 5.ಡು - māḍu
Polite 5.‚% - māḍi
Honorific 5.‚%^% - māḍiri
Optative 5.ಡ<% - māḍali
Hortative 5.z%ೂೕಣ - māḍōṇa

Note: The low (male/female), standard, polite, and honorific forms of ಬS are irregular: {.•%ೂೕ
(bārō), {.•% (bāre), {. (bā), ಬ'%+ (banni), ಬ'%+^% (banniri).

*The hortative requires the euphonic  for second class verbs.

Supplemental Vocabulary: Clothing and Shopping

ಬ-.ರು - bajāru - supermarket/bazaar (F)

ಔಷಧದ ಅಂಗ‚% - auṣadhada aṅgaḍi - pharmacy/drug store
G%3.™% ಅಂಗ‚% - kirāṇi angaḍi - general/grocery store
ಒಡ’%/ಆಭರಣ ಅಂಗ‚% - oḍave/ābharaṇa aṅgadi - jewelry store
•%ೂt%~ಯಂಗ‚% - roṭṭiyangaḍi - bakery
=%ೕÓ%ೂೕಪಕರಣಗಳ ಅಂಗ‚% - pīṭhōpakaraṇagaḷa aṅgadi - furniture store
ಬƒ%~ಯ ಅಂಗ‚% - baṭṭeya aṅgadi - clothing store
ದ«% - darji - tailor/outfitter
Ô%^ಕ% /ಹ-.ಮ - kṣaurika/hajāma - barber (S/F)

Vocabulary: Items for Sale and Other Terms

ರತ+/ಮ™% - ratna/maṇi - jewel (D/S)

ಒಡ’%/ಆಭರಣ - oḍave/ābharaṇa - jewelry (D/S)
ಅಲಂX.ರ - alankāra - decoration/ornament
© 2021 Shashank Rao 41

ಉಂಗುರ/ಅಂಗು<%ೕಯ - ungura/angulīya - ring (D/S)

‡%ೖಬ‹% - (kai)baḷe - bangle/bracelet
ಕಂಠ•.ರ/ರತ+•.ರ - kanṭhahāra/ratnahāra - necklace
ಸರ - sara - chain (usually for jewelry; can also be a very plain necklace)
ಓ‹%/ಕಡಕು - ōḷe/kaḍaku - earring
‡%ೖಗ‚%c.ರ - kaigaḍiyāra - wristwatch
(ಬƒ%~/ಉಡು(%)/ವಸ¨ - (baṭṭe/uḍuge)/vastra - clothing (D/S) (ಬƒ%~ can also just mean “cloth”)
ಕುತ (¤%ೖ-.ಮ) - kurta (paijāma) - kurta (Indian menswear) (¤%ೖ-.ಮ refers to the pants)
•%ೕ•% - sīre - sari (Indian womenswear)
ಪt%~ - paṭṭi - belt
ಲಂಗ - langa - skirt
Õ%ೂೕತI/ಪಂ_% - dhotra/pance - a cloth worn by men around the waist
_%‚%ˆ - ceḍḍi - underwear
‡%ೖಗವಸು - kaigavasu - glove
ಚಪ˜<% - chappali - sandal
ನಡುವಂi%/ಕವಚ - naḍuvangi/kavaca - coat/jacket
¡%ೕಬು/G%Œ% - jēbu/kise - pocket (S/F)
Ö%ೖ<%/‡%ೖ—%ೕಲ - thaili/kaicīla - purse/wallet (D/S)
¡%ೂೕ‚% - jōḍi - pair/set
•.•%(%/•.L% - hāsige/gādi - bed
ಶÈ%; - śayye - bedding
°%ೂೕಡ - mōḍa - a type of cylindrical stool
L%ಂಬು - diṃbu - pillow/cushion
ಜಮž.f% - jamakhāne - carpet
p.¤% - cāpe - mat
ಚದರ K%y%o - cadara bille - tile
\%y%/G%ಮgತುH - bele/kimmattu - price (D/F)
ಆÈ%d - āyke - choice
n.ಭ/ಸಂ-.ದf% - lābha/sampādane - profit
ವಟ~/Œ%ೂೕ‚% - vaṭṭa/sōḍi - discount
ಖಚು - kharcu - expense
ಡಂಡ/×%ರ - ḍaṇḍa/caura - waste of money
ಮದುj/ಔಷಧ - maddu/auṣadha - medicine (D/S)
ಸೂ«% —%G%e%Ø - sūji cikitse - acupuncture
ಆಯು’%ೕ ದ - āyurveda - traditional Indian medicine
5.3.ಟ/K%ಕ^%/m.;-.ರ - mārāṭa/bikari/vyāpāra - sale (transaction)

Vocabulary: Verbs

N%5. '%ಸ ು - tirmānisu - to decide

ಸಂW%5.ಡು - sandhimāḍu - to negotiate
© 2021 Shashank Rao 42

×%X.£%- caukāśi - to bargain

ಸ^%c.i%ರು/ಒಪu˜ - sariyāgiru/oppu - to fit/look good
ಆ^%ಸ ು - arisu - to choose

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. Decline the following nouns into the locative case.

1. 5.‚%
2. C.ಡು
3. ಮ•%ೕL%
4. ಮf%
5. K%ರು•.¿%
6. -.ಗ
7. ಆX.ಶ
8. ಅಂಗ‚%
9. 9%5.ಲಯ
10. ಬ-.ರು

B. Conjugate the following verbs in the present progressive for the given pronoun.

1. ತ•%, I
2. ನz%, you (non-polite)
3. >%ೂೕಗು, they (non-person)
4. ಈಜು, it
5. ಸು<%, we
6. e%ೂy%, you all
7. ಕತH^ಸ% ು, she
8. ಎ™%ಸ ು, he
9. ಬರು, they (person)
10. ಕ•%, you (honorific)

C. Conjugate the following verbs in the given imperative form.

1. ತ•%, optative
2. ನz%, low (male)
3. >%ೂೕಗು, polite
4. ಈಜು, low (female)
5. ಸು<%, hortative
6. e%ೂy%, honorific
7. ಕತH^ಸ% ು, standard
© 2021 Shashank Rao 43

8. ಎ™%ಸ ು, polite
9. ಬರು, standard
10. ಕ•%, hortative
© 2021 Shashank Rao 44

Chapter 5: Travel and Tourism

Vocabulary: Words for Travel

•.‚% - gāḍi - car

{.‚%(% X.ಲು - bāḍige kālu - taxi
•%ೖಲು •.‚% - railu gāḍi - train (a normalized word meaning “rail vehicle”)
m.ಹನ - vāhana - vehicle
l%ೂೕ™% - dōṇi - boat/ferry
X.ಲು’% - kāluve - canal
ತ'% - tani - alone/solo (typically of music or the arts)
-.ಡ - pāḍa - alone (preceded by a noun in the genitive case)
ಒಬÍ - obba - one person
ಇಬÍ - ibba - two people

Vocabulary: Giving Directions

L%ಕುd/ಕz% - dikku/kaḍe - direction (ಕz% also means “side”)

ಉತHರ(L%ಕುd) - uttara(dikku) - north (L%ಕುd is optional)
ದŠ%ಣ - dakṣiṇa - south
ಪ£%…ಮ - paścima - west
ಪ¥ವ - pūrva - east
ಬಲಗz% - balagaḍe - right
ಎಡಗz% - eḍagaḍe - left
ಭೂಪಟ - bhūpaṭa - map
ರŒ%H - raste - road/street
Œ%ೕತು’%/ಸಂಕ - sētuve/sanka - bridge

Vocabulary: Attractions and Tourism

ಪIm.Œ%ೂೕದ;ಮ - pravāsōdyama - tourism

ಪIm.•% - pravāsi - tourist
ಸಂŒ%® - sansthe - agency
ಮೂN% - mūrti - form/statue (usually religious)
£%ಲ˜ - śilpa - statue
>%ೂೕƒ%ಲು - hōṭelu - restaurant/hotel (the word “hotel” can mean a restaurant in India)
ಹಬÍ - habba - festival/parade
—%ತIಮಂL%ರ - citramandira - movie theater (lit. “picture temple”)
C.ಟಕš.y% - nāṭakaśāle - theater
ಬ-.ರು - bajāru - market/bazaar
© 2021 Shashank Rao 45

ಅಂಗ‚% - angaḍi - store

ರಜ - raja - vacation/holiday ಜನ - jana - people
8.gರಕ- smāraka - monument
ಸಂಗI•.ಲಯ - sangrahālaya - museum

Vocabulary: Domestic/International Travel

ಹ¿%³ ಕz%/•.I5.ಂತರ ಪIl%ೕಶ - haḷḷi kaḍe/grāmāntara pradēśa - countryside (D/S)

l%ೕಶ - dēśa - country
3.ಷÙ - rāṣṭra - nation
3.ಜ; - rājya - state
C.ಡು - nāḍu - province
c.N%Iಕ - yātrika - traveler/farer
ಪIc.ಣ/ಪIm.ಸ - prayāṇa/pravāsa - travel
N%ೕಥ c.ತI - tīrthayātra - pilgrimage
ಪರm.ನi% - paravānagi - license
ರಹQ.^% ಪತI/-.ರಪತI - rahadāri patra/pārapatra - passport
¤%t%~(% - peṭṭige - suitcase
ಪIc.ಣದ —%ೕt% - prayāṇada cīṭi - ticket (for transport)
ಪIl%ೕಶದ ಪತI - pravēśada cīṭi - ticket (for entry)
ಪIc.™%ಕ - prayāṇika - passenger
3.ಯ“.ರ - rāyabhāra - embassy
*ಪಟ~ಣ/ಶಹರು/ನಗರ - paṭṭaṇa/śaharu/nagara - city
¤%¥<%ೕಸು (ದಳ) - polīsu (daḷa) - police
Q.^% - dāri - space/path/way
ಪI’%ೕಶ - pravēśa - entrance
Q.Mರ - dvāra - gate
'%ಗ 5.ನ - nirgamana - exit
2%5.ನ - vimāna - plane
2%5.ನ '%n.jಣ - vimāna nildāṇa - airport
2%5.ನc.ನ ಸಂŒ%® - vimānayāna sansthe - airline
ಹಣ/•%ೂಕd/ಧನ/ದುಡುˆ - haṇa/rokka/dhana/duḍḍu - money
ರೂ-.„% - rūpāyi - rupee
¤%ೖŒ% - paise - 100th of a rupee
C.ಣ; - nāṇya - coin
<%=% - lipi - script/writing system
ಅ€ರ - akṣara - letter (of the alphabet)
ಪತI - patra - letter (written message)
ದೂರm.™%/ƒ%<Ú % ೋನು - dūravāṇi/ṭelifōnu - telephone (the word ƒ%<Ú
% ೋನು is normalized)
x%ೂ\%ೖಲು - mobailu - cell phone (normalized)
2%'%ಮಯ - vinimaya - exchange/trade
© 2021 Shashank Rao 46

ಸಂಬಳ - saṃbaḷa - salary/paycheck

*These are all words for “city”, ಪಟ~ಣ and ನಗರ being present in the names of many places.

Vocabulary: Verbs

ಪIc.ಣ 5.ಡು - prayāṇa māḍu - to travel

2%'%ಮಯ 5.‚%‡%ೂಳu³ - vinimaya māḍikoḷḷu - to exchange/trade
2%ತರ©% 5.ಡು - vitaraṇe māḍu - to distribute
ಹಂಚು - hancu - to share
ತಲು=%ಸ ು - talupisu - to deliver
ಕಳu9%ಸ ು/ರm.'%ಸ ು - kaḷuhisu/ravānisu - to send (D/S)
•.ರು/•.^%>%ೂೕಂದು - hāru/hārihōndu - to fly
ಸ<%oಸ ು - sallisu - to pay
(‡%ೂ‚%ಸ ು2/‡%ೂಂಡು‡%ೂಳu³)/ಖ^%ೕL%ಸ ು - (koḍisu/konḍukoḷḷu)/kharīdisu - to buy (D/F)
5.ರು - māru - to sell
K%ಕ^% 5.ಡು - bikari māḍu - to vend
5.3.ಟG%dಡು - mārāṭakkiḍu - to offer (for purchase)
'%ೕಡು - nīḍu - to offer
\%y%c.ಗು - beleyāgu - to cost
ಖಚು - kharcu - to spend
ತಲುಪu/ಆಗU%ಸ ು - talupu/āgamisu- to arrive/reach (D/S)
“.ಷಂತ^%ಸ ು/ಅನುm.L%ಸ ು - bhāṣāntarisu/anuvādisu - to translate
ಓ‚%ಸ ು/p.ಲf% 5.ಡು - oḍisu/cālane māḍu - to drive
ಕ•%ತರು - karetaru - to bring (someone)
Ü%¥ೕನು 5.ಡು - fōnu māḍu - to call by telephone (normalized)
'%l%I5.ಡು/ಮಲಗು - nidremāḍu/malagu - to sleep
ಒಳ>%ೂೕಗು/ಪI’%ೕ£%ಸ ು - oḷahogu/pravēśisu - to enter
'%¬W % %ಸ ು/ಪIN%ಬಂW%ಸ ು - niṣēdhisu/pratibandhisu - to forbid/prohibit
ಮುಚು…/ಮು—%…‡%ೂ - muccu/mucciko - to close/seal
e%•/% e%(% - tere/tege - to open
{.‚%(% ‡%ೂಡು - bāḍige koḍu - to rent/lease out
{.‚%(% e%(%ದು‡%ೂಳu³ - bāḍige tegedukoḷḷu - to rent
N%ರುಗು - tirugu - to turn
ಸುತH>%ೂೕಗು - suttahōgu - to go (all the way) around
ನಗು/ನಕುd - nagu/nakku - to laugh
ನಸುನಗು - nasunagu - to smile

2 +ೂ-ಸು is the causative form of +ೂಡು (“to give”), literally meaning “to cause to give”, but
idiomatically means “to buy”.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 47

ª.=%ಸ ು - jñāpisu - to remind

ಅ'%ಸ ು/e%ೂೕರು - anisu/tōru - to seem/appear (like)
”.ಳu/ತ‚% - tāḷu/taḍi - to wait
*ಖ^%ೕL%ಸ ು (kharīdisu) is a loan from Hindi, which in turn borrowed it from Farsi. Though not as
many, there is a sizable group of words in Kannada borrowed from Farsi. Some are primarily
used by Muslim speakers of Kannada, though some have entered common parlance.
**ಮು—%…‡%ೂ (mucciko) has a very specific meaning, usually in the context of closing something
that is attached to oneself. It can also have somewhat dismissive or rude connotations.

Useful Adverbs:

ಎ¬%ೂ~ೕ - eṣṭō - so (adverb)

ಸುಮgf% - summane - just/simply
Ýö ತರಹ = “like an apple”)
-ತರಹ - -taraha - like/similar to (attach to word being compared; ôÝ
mತ< -5.ತI - mātra - only (a postposition)
ಅ¬%~ೕ - aṣṭē - enough
ಇನೂ+ - innū - more
ಕU% - kami - less
ಸMಲ˜ - svalpa - some (also means “a little”)
ಚೂರು - cūru - some (also means “a little”; something that can be broken into pieces)
‡%ಲು - kelu - some
>%ೕ•.ದರೂ - hēgādarū - somehow
ಏC.ದರು - ēnādaru - any/anyhow
c.3.ರು - yārāru - someone/whoever
ಏf%ೕನು - ēnēnu - something/whatever
'%ಜm.ಗಲು - nijavāgalu - actually/in truth
ಖಂ‚%ತ - khanḍita - sure/of course
’%ೕಗm.i% - vēgavāgi - quickly
'%v.ನm.i% - nidhānavāgi - slowly

Affirmative Words

ಸQ./c.m.ಗಲೂ/'%ರಂತರ - sadā/yāvāgalū/nirantara - always

(nominative case of nouns) - also/even
ಎಲo - ella - all/everything
ಎn.oರೂ - ellarū - everyone

Negative Words

Unlike many other languages, Kannada has no semantically negative words. This is to say that
there no words that are innately negative, such as the words never or nothing. In order to convey
© 2021 Shashank Rao 48

such meanings, one must negate the affirmative version of the word. Notice that some words are
slightly different.

c.ರು ಇಲo - yāru illa - no one

ಏನು ಇಲo - ēnu illa - none/nothing
(vocative case of nouns) - not even (will be covered later on)
c.ವತುH ಇಲo - yāvattu illa - never/ever

Dismissive Words

Kannada has a special category of words that have dismissive, insistent, and/or impatient
undertones, all derived from the question words.

ಏf%ೕf%ೂೕ - ēnēnō - something

c.3.•%ೂೕ - yārārō - someone
ಎy%ೂoೕ/ಎy%oy%ೂoೕ - ellō/ellellō - somewhere
>%ೕ(%ೕ(%ೂೕ - hēgēgō - however/somehow/some way
ಇ¬%~ೕಷು~/ಅ¬%~ೕಷು~ - iṣṭēṣṭu/aṣṭēṣṭu - only this/that much

The Past Tense

The past tense, just like the present tense, is based off of attaching various stems to an adjectival
participle. The past adverbial participle is slightly more complicated than the present, because
there are verbs with irregular forms. However, the common way of forming the past adverbial
participle is to add ಇ to the crude form of a verb whose base form ends in ಉ. If it ends in any
other vowel, then attach L%.

Ex.

5.ಡು (māḍu) -> 5.‚% (māḍi)

e%(% (tege) -> e%(%ದು (tegedi)

The following verbs have ತು appended to the past adverbial participle instead of ಇ/L%:

ಕವಲು - kavalu - to branch (out)/differentiate

ಮಡಲು - maḍalu - to grow (as in crops or plants)
ಬ<% - bali - to ripen/grow strong (for foods)
ಕ<% - kali - to learn (by practicing)
>%ೂೕಲು - hōlu - to resemble/be similar to
8.ಲು - sālu - to be enough/sufficient
Œ%ೂೕಲು - sōlu - to lose/fall short/fail
© 2021 Shashank Rao 49

>%ೕಲು - hēlu - to shit (vulgar)

ನೂಲು - nūlu - to spin thread/thread for sewing
—%ಗುರು - ciguru - to sprout
\%ವರು - bevaru - to sweat
ಅಳu - aḷu - to cry
ಉಳu - uḷu - to be similar to
G%ೕ¿% - kīḷi - to drag/move forcefully
ಚ¿% - caḷi - to chill
x%ೂ‹% - moḷe - to grow/spread (organic things)
ಅ^% - ari - to know (factual information)

Certain final consonants are replaced with other consonants before the “ದು” or the “ತು” of the
past participle. Before 'ದು': Þ → ß; à → ß; ತು’: á → â; ಱು → â. (Note: ಱ (ẓa) is an
obsolete character, only used in the transcription and translation of Tamil.)

It should be noted that the past adverbial participle is used only for the 3rd person neuter
conjugation. The rest use the past adjectival participle, formed from the past adverbial participle.
If the past adverbial participle of a verb ends in ಉ, add ಅ to the end of the past adverbial
participle. If the past adverbial participle of a verb ends in ಇ, add ದ to the end of the past
adverbial participle.

Irregular past adjectival participles include the following:

ಆಗು -> ಆ„% (3rd person neuter only)

¤%¥ೕಗು -> ¤%¥ೕದ
>%ೂೕಗು - >%ೂೕದ
ಬರು -> ಬಂದ
N%ನು+ -> N%ಂದ
ತ•% -> ತಂದ
‡%ೂಡು -> ‡%ೂಟ~
K%ಡು -> K%ಟ~
ಇಡು -> ಇಟ~
ಕ•% -> X.ಯ (optional; some people opt for the regular ಕ^%)

The example verb below is 5.ಡು, whose past adjectival participle is 5.‚%ದ.

C.ನು 5.‚%l%ನು - nānu māḍidenu - I did ಅದು 5.‚%ತು- adu māḍitu - it did
'%ೕನು 5.‚%l% - nīnu māḍide - you did C.ವu 5.‚%l%ವu - nāvu māḍidevu - we did
'%ೕವu 5.‚%L%^% - nīvu/māḍidiri - you (polite)/ ಅವರು 5.‚%ದರು - avaru māḍidaru - they (m/f;
you all did polite 3rd person) did
© 2021 Shashank Rao 50

ಅವನು 5.‚%ದ(ನು) - avanu māḍida(nu) - he did ಅವu 5.‚%ದವu - avu māḍidavu - they (n) did
ಅವಳu 5.‚%ದ(ಳu) - avaḷu māḍida(ḷu) - she did

Modal Expressions: “Must”, “Should,” and “Might/Could”

In Kannada, the modal expressions, “might”, “should”, and “must”, are used exclusively in the
third person singular. Take the base form of a verb and change the final vowel to ಅ. To express
“must”, the subject must be in the nominative case, and the verb must have \%ೕಕು suffixed to it.
You should remember that \%ೕX.i%ರು means “to need/require (something)”, and while this is true,
it comes across as somewhat formal and most people would still just say \%ೕಕು instead.

Sometimes, y%ೕ is also added to the verb for emphasis.* For “should”, the concept is conveyed by
suffixing ಬಹುದು . Note that it can also carry the connotation of strong possibility or suggestion.

Ex.

C.ನು ಮf%„%ಂದ m.ಪಸ(>%ೂೕಗ\%ೕಕು/>%ೂೕಗy%ೕ\%ೕಕು).

Nānu maneyinda vāpasa(hōgabēku/hōgalēbēku).
I (have to/must) go back from my house.

C.ವu ಪ¥ಜ 5.ಡಬಹುದು.

Nāvu pūja māḍabahudu.
We should perform the ritual/It is possible for us to perform the ritual.

*The emphatic y%ೕ can be attached to many words, to call attention to it, and contrast it. For
example: ಈಗy%ೕ >%ೂೕಗ\%ೕಕ? (Īgalē hōgabēka? - Go now (as opposed to later)?”

The form expressing “might/could” is slightly different, and is referred to as the contingent-
future, or simply contingent. To construct the stem of this form, take the polite imperative form
of the verb, and attach ಯ to the end. The example verb is 5.ಡು, whose stem is ಮ‚%ಯ.

C.ನು 5.‚%È%ೕನು - nānu māḍiyēnu - I might ಅದು 5.‚%„%ೕತು - adu māḍiyītu - it might do
do
'%ೕನು 5.‚%È%; - nīnu māḍīyye - you might do C.ವu 5.‚%È%ೕವu - nāvu māḍiyēvu - we might
do
'%ೕವu 5.‚%„%ೕ^% - nīvu māḍiyīri - you (polite)/ ಅವರು 5.‚%c.ರು - avaru māḍiyāru - they (m/
you all might do f; polite 3rd person) might do
ಅವನು 5.‚%c.ನು - avanu māḍiyānu - he ಅವu 5.‚%c.ವu - avu māḍiyāvu - they (n)
might do might do
© 2021 Shashank Rao 51

ಅವಳu 5.‚%c.ಳu - avaḷu māḍiyāḷu - she

might do

The Genitive Case and Idiomatic Expressions

The genitive case denotes possession or relation. The declensions are given in the table below.
A handy way to remember the genitive case is to take the locative case declension, and drop the
<%o. Now, look at some examples of the genitive case.

1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class

-ನ -ದ -ಅ -ಇನ

Ex.

ನನ+ ಕುಟುಂಬ
Nanna kuṭuṃba
My family

ಕನ+ಡದ ಪuಸHಕ
Kannaḍada pustaka
A “Kannada” book (a book in Kannada)

ಅವನ+ ಹN%Hರ ಮೂರು Œ%ೕಬುಗಳu ಇl%.

Avanna hattira mūru sēbugaḷu ide.
He has three apples. (Lit. There are three apples near him.)

Personal Pronouns - Genitive Case

ನನ+ - nanna ಅದದ/ಅದರದುj - adada/adaraddu

'%ನ+ - ninna ನಮg - namma
ಅವನ - avana '%ಮg/ತಮg - nimma/tamma
ಅವಳ - avaḷa ಅವರ - avara
ತನ+ - tanna ಅವಗ¿%ನ - avagaḷina

The Comparative Case

To make comparisons in Kannada, there is a special pseudo-case that is used, which we’ll call
the comparative case. The comparative case is a pseudo-case in that it is not a formally
© 2021 Shashank Rao 52

recognized declensional form, but behaves much like one. It is very similar to the dative case in
how it forms each ending. Look at the table below.

1st Class 2nd Class 3rd Class 4th Class

-'%i%ಂತ -G%dಂತ -i%ಂತ -ಇi%ಂತ

Ex.

ಈ ಹಣು‰ ಆ ಹಣು‰6,ಂತ ಇನೂ+ •%9%c.i%l%.

Ī haṇṇu ā haṇṇuginta innū sihiyāgide.
This fruit is sweeter than that fruit.

C.ನು '%ಮg6,ಂತ ಕU% '%ಶÑಬjm.i%l%jೕf%.

Nānu nimmaginta kami niśśabdavāgiddēne.
I am less quiet than you (polite).

It should be noted that in colloquial Kannada, simply adding -i%ಂತ to the end of a noun often
suffices for forming the comparative case.

ನನi%ಂತ - nanaginta ಅದG%dಂತ/ಅದ^%G%dಂತ - adakkinta/adarikkinta

'%ನi%ಂತ - ninaginta ನಮgi%ಂತ - nammaginta
ಅವ'%i%ಂತ - avaniginta '%ಮgi%ಂತ/ತಮgi%ಂತ - nimmaginta/tammaginta
ಅವ¿%i%ಂತ - avaḷiginta ಅವ^%i%ಂತ - avariginta
ತನi%ಂತ - taniginta ಅವಗ¿%i%ಂತ - avagaḷiginta

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense for the given pronoun.

1. ತ•%, I
2. ನz%, you (non-polite)
3. >%ೂೕಗು, they (non-person)
4. ಈಜು, it
5. ಸು<%, we
6. e%ೂy%, you all
7. ಕತH^ಸ% ು, she
8. ಎ™%ಸ ು, he
9. ಬರು, they (person)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 53

10. ಕ•%, you (honorific)

B. Translate the following sentences into Kannada using modal expressions.

1. I have to eat dinner right now.

2. She had to sleep.
3. We need to leave.
4. It might be possible.
5. He should study.
6. They (non-person) might go from here.
7. I might go home.
8. They (person) should run.
9. You all need to cook.
10. You (polite) might sing.

C. Decline the following nouns into the genitive case.

1. y%ೕಖ'% (lēkhani)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕ (adhyāpaka)
3. ನ2%ಲು (navilu)
4. ಆf% (āne)
5. ಮರ (mara)
6. x%ೕಜು (mēju)
7. '%m.ಸ (nivāsa)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ (kīlikai)
9. ಪದುj (paddu)
10. ರŒ%H (rāste)

D. Translate the following sentences into Kannada using the comparative form. Note: ಇ^# (innu -
more), ಕJ (kami - less)

1. This is harder than that.

2. I have more work than you (non-polite).
3. She is prettier than you (polite).
4. They are less hungry than we are.
5. There is less of this here than there.
6. We have fewer apples than you all do.
7. The deer is quieter than the rabbit.
8. The tiger is smaller than the bear.
9. (That) They (non-person) eat more than (this) they (non-person) do.
10. You (non-polite) are more boring than I am.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 54

Chapter 6: Events and Celebrations

Vocabulary: Events and People

ಮದು’%/2%m.ಹ - maduve/vivāha - wedding (D/S)

8.Mಗತ - svāgata - reception/welcome (the reception comes before the wedding in India)
ಆಚರ©% - ācaraṇe - celebration/festivity/ceremony
ಪ¥¡% - pūje - (religious) ritual
ಹುಟ~ದ ಹಬÍ - huṭṭada habba - birthday
N%R% - tithi - death anniversary
ಉಪನಯನ/ಮುಂ«% - upanayana/munji - Hindu rite of passage (similar to a bar mitzvah)
ಹಬÍ - habba - festival
‡%äಸH l%ೕm.ಲಯ/ಇಗ«% - kraista dēvālaya/igarji - church
l%ೕವ8.®ನ/l%ೕm.ಲಯ - devasthāna/dēvālaya - temple
ಮ•%ೕL% - masīdi - mosque
È%ಹೂದ;ರ ಪ¥ಜಮಂL%ರ - yehūdyara pūjāmandira - synagogue
*ಸಂi%ೕತ/C.ಟ;/ಅ$%ನಯ ಪ^%ೕå% - sangīta/nāṭya/abhinaya parīkśe - audition (music/dance/acting)
X.ಯ ಕIಮ - kāryakrama - show/event/program
•.ನ(%ೂೕZ%[ - gānagōṣṭhi - concert
ನೃತ;/ನತ ನ/C.ಟ; - nṛtya/nartana/nāṭya - dance
ಆಟ - āṭa - game
ತ5.¬%/•.ಸ; - tamāṣe/hāsya - joke/humor (D/S)
_%ೕ¬%~ - chēṣṭe - mischief
ಪಂದ;/ಸ˜Õ% - pandya/spardhe - match
ವರ - vara - groom
ವಧು - vadhu - bride
8.+ತಕ - snātaka - bachelor/bachelorette
((%‹ಯ % /(%ಳN%)/(Œ%+ೕ9%ತ/U%ತI) - (geḷeya/geḷati)/(snēhita/mitra) - friend (D (m/f)/S)
•.ಡು•.ರ/ಸಂi%ೕತ•.ರ - hāḍugāra/sangītagāra - musician (D/S)
ನಟ - naṭa - actor/actress
ಸMತಂತI L%ನ - svantantra dina - Independence Day
ಗಣಪN% ಹಬÍ - gaṇapati habba - Gaṇapati Habba
ಗf%ೕಶ ಪ¥¡% - gaṇēśa pūje - Ganesh Puja
ಸಂX.IಂN% - sankrānti - Sankranti
ಗು•. ಪ¥¡% - durgā pūje - Durga Puja
ಸತ;C.3.ಯಣ ಪ¥¡% - satyanārāyaṇa pūje - Satyanarayan Puja
ನವ3.N%I - navarātri - Navaratri
ಉ•.L% - ugādi - Indian New Year
ನವವಷ - navavarṣa - New Year
ಬG%¦ß - bakrīd - Eid al-Adha
ಈß ಅÞ-Úಿತೃ - īd al-fitṛ - Eid al-Fitr
© 2021 Shashank Rao 55

G%IಸHಜಯಂN%/G%Iಸgç ಹಬÍ - kristajayanti/krismas habba - Christmas

ಈಸ~Á ಹಬÍ - īsṭar habba - Easter
ಮುಖm.ಡ - mukhavāḍa - mask
x%ರವ™%(% - meravaṇige - parade/procession

Vocabulary: Adverbs of Time

ಈವತುH/ಇಂದು - īvattu/indu - today (lit. “this day”)

ಆವತುH/ಅಂದು - āvattu/andu - that day
C.‹% - nāḷe - tomorrow
f%f%+ - nenne - yesterday
C.¿%ದುj - nāḷiddu - day after tomorrow
x%ೂf%+ - monne - day before yesterday
\%ಳ(% - beḷage - daytime/morning
\%ೕಳi%ನ -.ವ - beḷagina jāva - early morning
ಮುಂ-.f% - muṃjāne - dawn
8.ಯಂX.ಲ - sāyankāla - evening
ಮುಚ…ಂ¡% - muccaṃje - dusk/just before sunset
ಇರುಳu/(3.N%I/'%`)% - iruḷu/(rātri/niśe)- night (D/S)
ಮv.;ಹ+/ನಡುಹಗಲು/ಅಪ3.ಹ+ - madhyāhna/naḍuhagalu/aparāhṇa - afternoon

Vocabulary: Verbs

ಮಜ 5.ಡು - maja māḍu - to have fun

•.ಜ3.ಗು - hājarāgu - to attend
“.ಗವ9%ಸ ು/-.y%ೂÊಳu³ - bhāgavahisu/pālgoḷḷu - to participate
5.ತು ‡%ೂಡು/m.•.jನ 5.ಡು - mātu koḍu/vāgdāna māḍu - to promise
ಕ•%/ಕೂಗು - kare/kūgu - to call
ಆèm.'%ಸ ು/ಆಮಂN%Iಸು - āhvānisu/āmantrisu - to invite
ಹುಡುಕು - huḍuku - to look for
ಕಂಡು9%‚% - kaṇḍuhiḍi/sigu - to find
ಚG%ತ(%ೂ¿%ಸ ು - cakitagoḷisu - to surprise
ಆಗು - āgu - to take place/happen/occur
ಹರƒ% >%ೂಡು - haraṭe hoḍe - to gossip (ಹರç alone means “nonsense/gossip”)
(%ಲುo/ಜ„%ಸ ು - gellu/jayisu- to win (D/S)
Œ%ೂ<%ಸ ು/ಅಪಜಯ(%ೂ¿%ಸ ು - sōlisu/apajayagoḷisu - to defeat/beat (D/S)

The Perfective Aspect

The perfective aspect is a suffix that adds the meaning of something having been already
completed. This includes tenses such as the present and past perfect, “have done” and “had
© 2021 Shashank Rao 56

done”, respectively. To give the perfective aspect to a verb, take the past adverbial participle and
affix the conjugation of ಇರು, similar to the progressive aspect. Look at the example.

Ex.

C.ನು N%ಂL%l%jೕf%.
Nānu tindiddēne.
I have eaten.

The verb can be broken down the same way the progressive forms were:

N%ಂದ + ಇl%jೕf% = N%ಂL%l%jೕf%

tinda + iddēne = tindiddēne
past adverbial participle + 1st person singular present tense of ಇರು

Here’s an example of the past perfect:

C.ನು N%ಂL%l%jನು.
Nānu tindiddenu.
I had eaten.

Remember that ಇರು is an irregular verb in its auxiliary function. For your reference, the past and
present tenses are shown below to highlight the differences between the conjugations.

Present

C.ನು ಇl%jೕf% - nānu iddēne ಅದು ಇl%j - adu idde

'%ೕನು ಇL%jೕÈ% - nīnu iddīye C.ವu ಇl%jೕ’% - nāvu iddēve

'%ೕವu/”.ವu ಇL%jೕ^% - nīvu/tāvu iddīri ಅವರು ಇQ.j•% - avaru iddāre

ಅವನು ಇ8'9f% - avanu iddāne ಅವu ಇದj’% - avu iddave
ಅವಳu ಇ8'9‹% - avaḷu iddāḷe

Past

C.ನು ಇl%jನು - nānu iddenu ಅ ಇತುH - adu ittu

'%ೕನು ಇl%j - nīnu idde C.ವu ಇl%jವu - nāvu iddevu
'%ೕವu ಇL%j^% - nīvu/nīvugaḷu iddiri ಅವರು ಇದjರು - avaru iddaru
© 2021 Shashank Rao 57

ಅವನು ಇದjನು - avanu iddanu ಅವu ಇದjವu - avu iddavu

ಅವಳu ಇದjಳu - avaḷu iddaḷu

For the past tense, you can drop the gender marking ನು and ಳu from the end if it is obvious from
context who you are talking about.

It’s important to know that the present perfect is more commonly heard in Kannada than the past
perfect. The past perfect (and also the future perfect) is fairly uncommon, but it’s still good to
know. The basic patterns for the progressive and perfective aspects are as follows:

present adverbial participle + auxiliary ಇರು in desired tense = (tense)

progressive past adverbial participle + auxiliary ಇರು in desired tense = (tense) perfect

The Prohibitive

To give negative commands, Kannada has a separate set of five prohibitive verb forms, each with
a slightly different nuance. The example verb is 5.ಡು.

Dismissive/Insistent/Low “don’t” (Male/ 5.ಡ\%ೕz%ೂMೕ/5.ಡ\%ೕz%Mೕ (māḍabēḍvō/

Female) māḍabeḍvē)
Non-polite “don’t” 5.ಡ\%ೕಡ (māḍabēḍa)
Polite “please don’t” 5.ಡ\%ೕ‚% (māḍabēḍi)
Discouraging “shouldn’t” 5.ಡ{.ರದು (māḍabāradu)

Forbidding “mustn’t” 5.ಡಕುಡದು (māḍakūḍadu)

Ex.

ನನ+ನು+ >%ೂೕ‚%ಯ\%ೕz%Mೕ.
Nannannu hoḍiyabēḍve.
Please don’t hit me.

-.•%H ಸ‡%I N%ನ+{.ರದು.

Jāsti sakre tinnabāradu.
You shouldn’t eat too/so much sugar.

š.y%(% m.ಪಸ>%ೂೕಗ\%ೕಡ!
Śālege vāpasahōgabēḍa!
Don’t go back to the school!
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ನಮg(% ವ-. 5.ಡ\%ೕ‚%(^%).

Nammage vajā māḍabēḍi(ri).
Please don’t fire us.
You’ll notice that though the first example is translated with “please”, the tone of the command
itself is not polite, but rather it is softened. This is the insistent form, and can be used with young
children or to issue a command without too much force. The “female” form is used regardless of
whether the recipient is actually female, though that is true when used dismissively. The “male”
form is usually only used in the dismissive form.

The polite prohibitive sometimes takes the polite suffix ^% (ri), which has a similar effect of
softening, but with a more intimate context. This particular use may be used, for example, by
someone to their spouse. If your mom or dad is scolding you, your other parent might use this
form to tell them to calm down or to be more lenient. Similarly, coworkers in a workplace who
are also somewhat close might use this form with one another.

Second Person Referents

The three second person singular pronouns in Kannada are 0,ೕನು (nīnu), 0,ೕವu (nīvu), and ='ವu
(tāvu). In this section we’re going to be discussing the cultural dynamics of these pronouns and
other second person referents.

As you already know, '%ೕನು means “you”, and is non-polite, and '%ೕವu means “you” and is polite,
as well as plural. The singular use of '%ೕವu is used to give respect, such as with elders and
teachers. However, even though older siblings are typically higher in the social hierarchy, they
are almost never addressed with '%ೕವu, because of a special relationship between siblings. The
only exception might be if the siblings are very far apart in age (such as 15 years or more). For
the most part, siblings use '%ೕನು with one another.

Within the family, the use of these terms varies between families. Most often, spouses will refer
to each other as '%ೕವu, but more in more socially conservative households, husbands refer to their
wives as '%ೕನು.

On the other hand, wives use '%ೕವu, but more often, they refer to their husbands obliquely with
nouns like ಯಜ5.ನರು (yajamānaru - lord), and also with ಏನು (ēnu). The latter does mean
“what”, but it is common way for women to refer to their husbands. Spouses in general may
rarely use their first names to address one another directly, though this is changing in modern
Kannada-speaking society.

Children who are friends will use '%ೕನು, since there is no real need for respect. Between adults,
however, it gets a little complicated. If the adults met as children or young adults, they may use
'%ೕನು. But if they became friends only as adults, or in the workplace, they likely use '%ೕವu.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 59

Other second person referents include ^%/^%ೕ (ri/rī), the former being attached to the end of words
to address someone politely. The latter is often its word, and is often said to be a contraction of
the word 3.ಯ (rāya), meaning “master”. ^%ೕ is often used to address a stranger politely, though
this can easily be interchanged with '%ೕವu. ^%ೕ can also have sarcastic uses, where one addresses
someone else politely for the purpose of mocking their stuck up attitude or haughty behavior.

”.ವu can also have similar uses to sarcastic ^%ೕ, but in reality, this pronoun is archaic and shares
the same conjugations '%ೕವu. ”.ವu is used almost exclusively with God and royalty, and doesn’t
have much use other than its sarcastic uses.

Modal Expressions - “Can” and “In Order To”

In Kannada, the verb ಆಗು (āgu) expresses the meaning of “able to”. In order to use it, you have
to use the conjunctive form, which, by itself, often means “in order to”. To make the conjunctive
form, change the last vowel of the base form to ಅ, and then attach ‡%d. Place the conjunctive form
of the verb and then the third person singular form of ಆಗು. The subject pronoun declined in the
dative case should be included, unless obvious from context. Look at the example.

Ex.

'%ನ(% >%ೂೕಗ‡%d ಆಗುತHದ?

Ninage hōgakke aguttada?
Can you go? (lit. “Does it happen that you go?”)

The conjunctive form can also be used in other ways:

Ex.

ಪದುjವನು+ 5.ಡ‡%d, \%ೕಯ\%ೕಕು.

Padduvannu māḍakke, bēyabēku.
To make paddu*, you must cook/fry it.

*Paddu is a fried food, similar to takoyaki. It is more widely known by its Tamil name,
paniyaram.

There is another way to say “can”, though with a different meaning. In Kannada, you can use
ಬರು to express that you can do something because you have the skills or the knowledge. Look at
the example below.

Ex.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 60

ನನ(% ಕನ+ಡ ಬರುತHl%.

Nanage Kannaḍa baruttade.
I can speak Kannada. (lit. “Kannada comes to me.”)

When you include the pronoun or noun, then you have to put it in the dative case. For knowing
how to do actions, you need to change the verb into its conjunctive form.

ಅವ¿%(% ಅ‚%(% 5.ಡ‡%d ಬರುತHl%.

Avaḷige aḍige māḍakke baruttade.
She can cook.

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. Conjugate the following nouns in the given perfective tense for the given pronoun.

1. ತ•%, present perfect, I

2. ನz%, present perfect, you (non-polite)
3. >%ೂೕಗು, past perfect, they (non-person)
4. ಈಜು, past perfect, it
5. ಸು<%, past perfect, we
6. e%ೂy%, present perfect, you all
7. ಕತH^ಸ% ು, past perfect, she
8. ಎ™%ಸ ು, present perfect, he
9. ಬರು, past perfect, they (person)
10. ಕ•%, present perfect, you (honorific)

B. Translate the following sentences into Kannada, using the prohibitive forms.

1. Please don’t eat that!

2. Rāṇi (female), don’t go to sleep yet (insistent). (Hint: “yet” = ಇನೂ+)
3. You (non-polite) shouldn’t run so fast.
4. We mustn’t eat so much.
5. Rāju, don’t go home.
6. It is forbidden to smoke (ôÝÝ - sēdu).
7. He shouldn’t sleep so much.
8. Don’t play here (insistent; to male)!
9. They (person) aren’t allowed to come in.
10. You all shouldn’t leave.

C. Translate the following sentences into Kannada using modal expressions.

1. Can you (polite) sleep here?

© 2021 Shashank Rao 61

2. In order to go to school, you go here.

3. What do I need to do to use this?
4. We know how to play this game.
5. She couldn’t sleep last night.
6. They (non-person) can’t eat rice.
7. My mother can’t speak Hindi.
8. You (non-polite) used this to read.
9. Our families went by plane to go to India.
10. You (polite) paid money to play here.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 62

Chapter 7: Family

Vocabulary: Family-Related Words

«%ೕವ/-.Iಣ - jīva/prāṇa - life (D/S)

8.ವu/(ಮರಣ/ಮೃತು;) - sāvu/(maraṇa/mṛtyu) - death (D/S)
ಕುಟುಂಬ/ಸಂ8.ರ - kuṭumba/sansāra - family (D/S)
ವಂಶ ವೃ€ - vanśa vṛkṣa - family tree
ವಂಶಸ®/ವಂಶಜ - vanśastha/vanśaja - descendant
ಪ¥ವ ಜ/ಪ¥2% ಕ - pūrvaja/pūrvika - ancestor
9%^ಯ % - hiriya - the elderly
ಮೂಲಪuರುಷ - mūlapuruṣa - forefather
ವಂš.ವ¿%/=%ೕ¿%(% - vanśāvaḷi/pīḷige - lineage
ಅಮg/ಅಪ˜ - amma/appa - mother/father (direct address)
ತಂl%/”.„% - tande/tāyi - mother/father (indirect address)
ಅU%g/ಅಬÍ - ammi/abba - mother father (direct address; Muslim variant)
5.ವ - māva - maternal uncle/father-in-law (often pronounced 5.ಮ - māma)
5.2% - māvi - maternal uncle’s wife (often pronounced 5.U% - māmi)
ಅe%H - atte - paternal aunt/mother-in-law
ಅe%5 H .ವ - attemāva - paternal aunt’s husband
ಅ¿%ಯ - aḷiya - son-in-law
Œ%ೂŒ% - sose - daughter-in-law
—%ಕdಪ˜ - cikkappa - father’s younger brother/mother’s younger sister’s husband
—%ಕdಮg - cikkamma - mother’s younger sister/father’s younger brother’s wife
l%ೂಡˆಪ˜ - doḍḍappa - father’s elder brother/mother’s elder sister’s husband
l%ೂಡˆಮg - doḍḍamma - mother’s elder sister/father’s elder brother’s wife
x%ೖದುನ - maiduna - husband’s younger brother
C.L%'% - nādini - younger brother’s wife
“.ವ - bhāva - brother-in-law
ಅN%(H % - attige - sister-in-law
ಮಕdಳu - makkaḷu - children
ತಂl%”.„% - tandetāyi - parents
ಮಲತಂl% - malatande - stepfather
ಮಲ”.„% - malatāyi - stepmother
ಅಜÇ/ಅ«%Ç - ajja/ajji - grandfather/grandmother
ಅಜÇ5.ವ/ಅಜÇ5.2% - ajjamāva/ajjamāvi - grandmother’s brother/grandmother’s brother’s wife
ಮುತHಜÇ/ಮುತH«%Ç - muttajja/muttajji - great-grandfather/great-grandmother
l%ೂಡˆಜÇ/l%ೂಡˆ«%Ç - doḍḍajja/doḍḍajji - great-uncle/great-aunt (older than the grandparent)
—%ಕdಜÇ/—%ಕd«%Ç - cikkajja/cikkajji - great-uncle/great-aunt (younger than the grandparent)
ಹುಟ~/ಜನನ - huṭṭa/janana - birth (D/S)
ಸ>%ೂೕದರ/ಸ>%ೂೕದ^% - sahōdara/sahōdari - sibling (male/female)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 63

ಅಣ‰ - aṇṇa - older brother/older male cousin

ಅಕ/ - akka - older sister/older female cousin
ತಮg - tamma - younger brother/younger male cousin
ತಂi% - tangi - younger sister/younger female cousin
ಮಲಸ>%ೂೕದರ/ಮಲಸ>%ೂೕದರ - malasahōdara/malasahōdari - stepbrother/stepsister
ಮಗ/ಪuತI - maga/putra - son (D/S)
ಮಗಳu/ಪuN%I - magaḷu/putri - daughter (D/S)
x%ೂಮgಗ/x%ೂಮgಗಳu - mommaga/mommagaḷu - grandson/granddaughter
ಮ^%(x%ೂಮgಗ/x%ೂಮgಗಳu) - mari(mommaga/mommagaḷu) - great-grandson/great- granddaughter
ಮಲಮಗ - malamaga - stepson
ಮಲಮಗಳu - malamagaḷu - stepdaughter
ಗಂಡ/ಪN% - gaṇda/pati - husband (D/S)
>%ಂಡN%/ಪN%+ - heṇḍati/patni - wife (D/S)
ಮದು’%ಯ ರದÒN/% 2%m.ಹ 2%_%Ìೕದನ - maduveya raddhati/vivāha vicchēdana - divorce (D/S)
ಆ•%/H ಸMತುH/ಸಂಪತುH/ಜU%ೕನು - asti/svattu/saṃpattu/jamīnu - property
ಉ„%ಲು/ಮೃತು;ಪತI - uyilu/mṛtyupatra - will (the document) (D/S)
ಸಂಪIQ.ಯ/ರೂé% - saṃpradāya/rūḍhi - tradition/custom
ವಯಸುØ - vayassu - age

Vocabulary: Adjectives

`%¦ಷ[ - śrēṣṭha - excellent/perfect

ಕು<%ೕನ - kulīna - noble
ಬಡವC.ದ/^%ಕH/'%ಗ N%ಕ - baḍavanāda/rikta/nirgatika - poor
•%^ವ
% ಂತ/ಹಣವಂತ - sirivanta/haṇavanta - rich
3.ಜನ - rājana - royal
ಅN%ಮುಖ;/ಪIಮುಖ - atimukhya/pramukha - important
ಪ2%ತI - pavitra - holy
ಕುರೂಪದ - kurūvada - ugly
_%ಲುm.ದ/ಸುಂದರfದ - celuvāda/sundaravāda - beautiful/handsome (D/S)
ಅಂದm.ದ/ಮುQ.jಡ - andavāda/muddāda - cute/pretty
ಹ‹%ಯ - haḷeya - old (of things)
ವಯ8.Øದ - vayassāda - old (of people)
-.Iಯದ/ê%ವನದ - prāyada/yauvanada - young
>%ೂಸ/ನವ - hosa/nava - new (D/S)
ಪI—%ೕನ/ಪu3.ತನ - prācīna/purātana - ancient
(ಅl%ೕ/ಒಂl%ೕ)/ಏಕಪIX.ರದ - (adē/ondē)/ekaprakārada - same (D/S)
'%ಜm.ದ/ಸತ;m.ದ - nijavāda/satyavāda - true (D/S)
ಸುಳ³ದ/ಹು•%c.ದ - suḷḷāda/husiyāda - false/untrue
2%'%ೕತ/ಸಭ; - vinīta/sabhya - courteous/humble
ಮೃದು/ದc.ಪರ - mṛdu/dayāpara - nice/good-hearted/sweet-tempered
© 2021 Shashank Rao 64

ಬುL%ÒವಂತC.ದ/-.ಣ - buddhivantanāda/jāṇa - intelligent/smart

x%ೖಗಳ³C.ದ - maigaḷḷanāda - lazy
(ಅಸಭ;/ಅ2%ನಯದ)/ಮc. l%„%ಲoದ - (asabhya/avinayada)/maryādeyillada - rude (D/S)
ಕರು©%„%ಲoದ - karuṇeyillada - unkind
ಮೂಢ/¤%ದj/ದಡˆ - mūḍha/pedda/daḍḍa - stupid/idiotic/foolish
ಶಂತ - śānta - calm/peaceful
ಸ5.«%ಕ - samājika - social/sociable
ಗಂ$%ೕರm.ದ - gambhīravāda - composed/humble
>%ದರುವ - hedaruva - timid/scared
ಅಹಂX.ರದ/ಜಂಬದ - ahankārada/jaṃbada - arrogant
“.ರm.ದ - bhāravāda - heavy
ಹಗುರm.ದ - haguravāda - light
l%ೂಡˆ - doḍḍa - large/big
ಸಣ‰/ಪuಟ~/—%ಕd - saṇṇa/puṭṭa/cikka - small
ದೂರದ/ದೂರm.ದ - dūrada/dūravāda - far
ಉದjm.ದ - uddavāda - long
ಬಲš.<%c.ದ - balaśāliyāda - strong
ಗt%~ - gaṭṭi - solid/firm/hard
ದಪ˜ - dappa - fat
ಸಣ‰ - saṇṇa - fine (as in thickness)
e%ಳ³f%ಯ - teḷḷaneya - thin
ಎತHರ{.ದ - ettaravāda - tall/high
ಕುಳu³ - kuḷḷu - short/low

Vocabulary: Verbs

ಮದು’% 5.‚%ಸ ು - maduve māḍisu - to marry (as in to cause someone else to get married)
ಮದು’% 5.ಡು - maduve māḍu - to get married/have a wedding
ಅ=%˜‡%ೂ/ತK%͇%ೂ - appiko/tabbiko - to hug
ಮುತುH‡%ೂಡು - muttukoḍu - to kiss
ಮುದುj5.ಡು - muddumāḍu - to show affection (usually to children)
(c.ರ x%ೕy%) ಆŒ% ಪಡು‡%ೂ/(c.ರನು+) ಇಷ~ಪಡು- (yāra mēle) āse paḍuko/(yārannu) iṣṭapaḍu - to
love3
8.MಗN%ಸ ು/ಅ$%ವಂL%ಸ ು - svāgatisu/abhivandisu - to greet/welcome
ಮುತುH - muṭṭu - to touch
ಬƒ%~ •.G%‡%ೂ - baṭṭe hākiko - to get dressed

3 Romantic love is rarely expressed as an action in Kannada. The use of words like 01ೕ3ಸು or
41ೕ5ಸು, which also mean “to love”, are relatively uncommon and can be seen as excessively
forward. ಆ7 ಪಡು+ೂ has the implication of experiencing love or affection as a personal
emotional state rather than an act directed at someone else.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 65

ಬƒ%~ ಕಳಚು - baṭṭe kaḷacu - to undress

ಬಳಸು/ಉಪ %ೂೕi%ಸ ು - baḷasu/upayōgisu - to use (D/S)
8.+ನ 5.ಡು/U%ೕಯು - snāna mādu/mīyu - to take a bath
\%ೂೕ¿%ಸ ು/Ô%ರ5.ಡು - bōḷisu/kṣauramāḍu - to shave
ತy%/ಕೂದಲು {.—%‡%ೂ - tale/kūdalu bāciko - to comb one’s hair
¤%ಟು~ 5.‚%‡%ೂ - peṭṭu māḍikō - to hurt/injure oneself
_%ೕತ^%•‡ % %ೂಳu³ - cētarisikoḷḷu - to recover/get better
ಹುt%~ರು - huṭṭiru - to be born
\%‹/% l%ೂಡˆm.ಗು - beḷe/doḍḍavāgu - to grow (up)
ತ•.l% 5.ಡು/ವ3.e% ಹೂಡು - tagāde māḍu/varāte hūḍu - to demand
X.™%ಸ ು/e%ೂೕ^%ಸ ು - kāṇisu/tōrisu - to show/be visible
Q.^% e%ೂೕ^%ಸ ು - dāri tōrisu - to lead/guide (lit. “to show the way”)
ನz%ದು‡%ೂ - naḍeduko - to behave
s%ೕt%5.ಡು - bhēṭimāḍu - to meet
ಗುರುN%ಸ ು - gurutisu - to recognize
(ಮದು’% ರದುj/2%m.ಹ 2%_%Ìೕದ) 5.ಡು - (maduve raddu/vivāha vicchēda) māḍu - to divorce (D/S)
f%ನ=%ಡು - nenapiḍu - to remember/recall
ª.ಪಕಯ<%o ಇಡು‡%ೂ - jñāpakayalli iḍuko - to remember (keep in mind)
ಮ•% - mare - to forget
ಏಳu/ಎದುj - ēḷu/eddu - to get up (out of bed)
\%ೕಸ^%ಸ ು/•%ೕದಪಡು - bēsarisu/khēdapaḍu - to regret
>%ದರು - hedaru - to fear
‡%ರಳu - keraḷu - to be annoyed (literally “to itch”)
‡%ೂೕಪ ಆಗು - kōpa āgu - to get angry
ಕಷ~ಪಡು - kaṣṭapaḍu - to struggle/make an effort
\%ೕ-.ರು 5.ಡು‡%ೂ - bējāru māduko - to be worried
\%ೕ-.ರು ಆಗು - bējāru āgu - to be bored/sad
ತಪu˜ 5.ಡು - tappu māḍu - to make a mistake
ಅ™%c.ಗು/•%ದÒm.i%ರು/ತc.3.i%ರು - aṇiyāgu/siddhavāgiru/tayārāgiru - to be/get ready (D/S/F)
ಅ™%(%ೂ¿%ಸ ು/•%ದÒ(%ೂ¿%ಸ ು/ತc.ರು 5.ಡು - aṇigoḷisu/siddhagoḷisu/tayāru māḍu - to prepare (D/S/F)

Verb Derivation

In Kannada, a convenient way to “create” new verbs is the use of existing verbs or verbal
suffixes which add meaning to another verb. There are six types of derived verbs in Kannada:
causative, reflexive, benefactive, andative, venitive and resultative.

A causative verb is one that compels or causes someone to do something. Causative I is a verb
that causes someone to do something, such as “to feed”, or literally, “to cause to eat”. Causative
II is a verb that causes something to cause something else to do something; “to cause to feed”.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 66

A benefactive verb is one that does something for someone or for their benefit. The reflexive
form indicates an action whose result comes unto oneself, and in Kannada, may also indicate
doing something by oneself without assistance. 5.ಡು‡%ೂ could then mean “make for oneself”,
while ನz%‡%ೂ can mean “go by oneself”.

The andative form indicates the meaning of “go and (verb)”, such as “she went and slept”.
Similarly, the venitive form indicates the meaning of “come and (verb)”: “she came and slept”.
The resultative form suggests force, suddenness, or a result being realized: “she just fell asleep”,
“she knocked right out”.

One will notice that some of these verbs seem like two verbs combined, and some of them are
indeed like that. The benefactive, andative, venitive and resultative forms are fairly
straightforward, where one simply conjugates the suffixed verb in its appropriate form. For that
reason, we can organize verb derivation into two groups: true derivation and serialization.

The first group consists of verbs which change their spelling with a suffix or ending which is not
an independent word; this is true derivation, and consists of the following forms:

1. Causative: Delete the final vowel and add -ಇಸು; if the final vowel is ಎ, add -ಸು instead.
a. To add a second degree of causation, repeat the process with an existing causative verb.
2. Reflexive: At the end of the crude stem, add -‡%ೂ.

Consider the verb 5.ಡು (māḍu), meaning “to do”. The causative form is 5.‚%ಸ ು (māḍisu),
which means “to cause to do” or “compel to do”. An additional causative form suggests a second
level of causation, meaning “to cause to compel to do”, which is 5.‚%•ಸ
% ು (māḍisisu). This isn’t
a common structure in Kannada, but technically exists.

The reflexive form is 5.ಡು‡%ೂ (māḍuko), “to do to/for oneself”. The suffix -‡%ೂ is unique, in
that it is not a verb itself but has its own conjugated forms (similar to the copula form of ಇರು).
When conjugating verbs in their reflexive forms, -‡%ೂ should be treated as the auxiliary verb
‡%ೂಳu³. It is conjugated regularly in all tenses except the past tense, where its past stem is ‡%ೂಂಡು.

The second group of derived verbs falls under the category of serialization, a grammatical
phenomenon in which verbs are strung together in a sequence to suggest succession or
simultaneity. Four common verbs are serialized with other verbs in unique ways: ‡%ೂಡು, >%ೂೕಗು,
ಬರು and K%ಡು.

1. Benefactive: At the end of the crude stem, add ‡%ೂಡು.

2. Andative: Take the relevant adjectival participle and then add >%ೂೕಗು.
3. Venitive: Take the relevant adjectival participle and then add ಬರು.
4. Resultative: Take the relevant adjectival participle and then add K%ಡು.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 67

The benefactive form is 5.ಡು‡%ೂಡು (māḍukoḍu), which means “to do for someone”, or literally,
“to do and give”. The andative form is 5.ಡು>%ೂೕಗು (māḍuhōgu), meaning “to go and do”. The
venitive form is 5.ಡುಬರು (māḍubaru). The resultative form is 5.ಡುK%ಡು (māḍubiḍu). These
verbs are special because the affixed verb is not used in its conventional sense, but rather to
indicate a more subtle aspect of the main verb, such as motion or a particular kind of result.
These are called verbal complements, and they are part of a broader type of grammatical
construction known as serialization.

In serialized verb sequences, the conjugated verb is always the final affixed verb. The verb(s)
that come(s) before is/are always in the past participial form. This is because, literally, the
sequence of verbs in a serial construction suggests successive action. However, this is not always
the case, as will be shown shortly. While ಬರು and ‡%ೂಡು serve as verbal complements, the verbs
to which they are attached are the main verbs. Let’s take the following sentence for example:

Ex.

’%ೖದ;ರು ಮಗಳ (%ೂೕಸdರ ಅv.;ಪಕ^%(% ಪತI ಬ•%ದು ‡%ೂಟ~ರು.

Vaidyaru magaḷa gōskara adhyāpakarige patra baredu koṭṭaru.
The doctor wrote a letter to the teacher for their (own) daughter.

Notice that the main verb ಬ•%, in the phrase ಪe%I ಬ•% (“to write a letter”), is conjugated in the past
participial form. This because the phrase ಬ•%ದು ‡%ೂಟ~ರು can literally be translated as “having
written, they gave”. However, because ‡%ೂಡು is being used as a benefactive complement, the
sense of “give” is folded in more subtly, making the more idiomatic translation: “they wrote for
(their daughter)”. More than two verbs can be combined in this manner as well:

Ex.

'%ೕನು X.y%ೕಜ‡%d -.ಠ ಓದ‡%d >%ೂೕi%ೕ, ಸಂಬಳ ಸಂ-.L%•%ೕ, ಮf%(% m.ಪಸ ಬಂL%L%jೕÈ%.
Nīnu kālējakke pāṭha ōdakke hōgī, sambaḷa sampādisī, manege vāpasa bandiddīye.
You went to college to study, earned a salary and came home.

This sentence contains three different main verbs: >%ೂೕಗು, ಸಂ-.L%ಸ ು, and ಬರು. The first two
verbs are conjugated in their past participle forms, while ಬರು, as the last verb in the sentence, is
conjugated in the past tense. The succession of each event is clear from context. But let’s see a
different example with less explicit meanings:

Ex.

C.ವu ಪದ2% ಪt%~‡%ೂಂಡು ಅx%ೕ^%ಕದ<%o l%ೂಡˆ ಪIc.ಣ‡%d >%ೂೕi% ಬಂದು K%t%~l%ವ j u.

Nāvu padavi paṭṭikoṇḍu Amērikadalli doḍḍa prayāṇakke hōgi bandu biṭṭiddevu.
After getting our degrees, we went off on a long trip in America (and came back).
© 2021 Shashank Rao 68

In this example, it might make more sense to put the preposition x%ೕy% after ಪt%~‡%ೂಂಡು to
indicate the succession of the events. However, the use of a serial expression this way serves to
convey the idea that these events happened and concluded rapidly, especially with the use of the
resultative complement K%ಡು. The use of multiple serial verbs like this is common when people
are relating past events in detail. However, they can also appear in the form of instructions:

Ex.

-.e%Iಯ<%o ಎ©%‰ಯನು+ K%•% 5.‚%ೕ, >%—%…ದ ತರX.^%ಗಳನು+ •.G%ೕ, ಏದು '%U%ಷಗ¿%(% {.‚%ಸ ುವuದು.
Pātreyalli eṇṇeyannu bisi māḍī, heccida tarakārigaḷannu hākī, aidu nimiṣagaḷige bāḍisuvudu.
Heating the oil in the veseel and putting in the cut vegetables, cook for five minutes.

The same serial construction as before is used here with final verb being used in the future tense.
However, the previous serialized verbs are all in the past participle form, indicating a succession
of steps as would be indicated in a recipe.

Some notes on usage

While serial constructions and derived verbs are a common and versatile part of the Kannada
language, there are some restrictions on how they are used. Not all verbs can be put into all of
these forms, at least not mechanically. One example is ಬ•% (bare), “to write”. There exist words
like ಬ•%ಸ ು, ಬ•%‡%ೂಡು and ಬ•%‡%ೂ, but andative or venitive forms such as ಬ•%ದುಬರು or ಬ•%ಯುವ
>%ೂೕಗು would be unusual though not impossible. They could mean some one “wrote and came”,
or “writes and goes”, though there would need to be context for such a construction.

In addition, some verbs meaning change in subtle and important ways when new verbs are
derived from them. An important example is the verb ‡%ೕಳu and its derived form ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು. ‡%ೕಳu by
itself means “to listen” or “to hear”, and for some reason, ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು also means that! One would
think that ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು might mean “to make listen”, but it is never used that way. In fact, ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು is
usually used in its reflexive form, ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು‡%ೂ. There is a very subtle difference:

Ex.

ಸಂi%ೕತವನು+ ‡%ೕಳue%Hೕf%.
Saṅgītavannu kēḷuttēne.
I listen to music.

ಸಂi%ೕತವನು+ ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು‡%ೂಳu³e%Hೕf%.

Saṅgītavannu kēḷisukoḷḷuttēne.
I listen to music.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 69

ನನ(% ಸಂi%ೕತವu ‡%ೕ¿%ತು/‡%ೕ¿%•ತ

% ು.
Nanage saṅgītavu kēḷitu/kēḷisitu.
I heard music.

In the first two sentences, the difference between ‡%ೕಳu and ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು‡%ೂ is essentially that ‡%ೕಳu by
itself can by used both actively and passively: “to hear” and “to be heard”. These two usages of
‡%ೕಳu are equivalent in nuance, while ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು‡%ೂ is not. ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು‡%ೂ implies attentiveness, and
indicates intent or careful listening.

‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು without the reflexive affix has a similar contrast with the passive meaning of ‡%ೕಳu: ‡%ೕ¿%ಸ ು
can mean “to be heard” in that a sound may be suddenly known or perceived. It can mean that
the music, as in the third sentence, was not previously heard and is now especially audible. The
passive sense of ‡%ೕಳu, on the other hand, is a neutral statement of the setting: “I could hear
music”. However, these two verbs are sometimes used interchangeably in spoken Kannada.
Admittedly, ‡%ೕಳu is a particularly complex example of how verb derivation can bring new shades
of meaning to speech.

In reality, learning these forms is less about having a functional strategy to form new words so
much as understanding how verbal complements are essential parts of daily speech. A good rule
of thumb is that all verbs have a causative form, nearly all have a benefactive and reflexive form,
only transitive verbs (ones that take direct objects) can have andative, venitive, and energetic
forms.

Below are some more examples of different forms for the verb 5.ಡು, for reference.

Ex.

ನನ+ ತಂl%”.„% ಅಡು(% 5.‚%ಸ ು”.H•.%

Nanna tandetāyi aḍuge mādisuttāre.
My parents are having the meal made.

ನಮg ಅಜÇ-ಅ«%Ç ನಮg ತಂl%”.„%ಯನ+ ಅಡು(% 5.‚%•ಸ % ು”.H•.%

Nanda ajja-ajji nanda tandetāyiyanna aḍuge māḍisisuttāre.
My grandparents are making my parents have the meal made.

Œ%ೕವಕರು ನಮg(% ಅಡು(% ತಂದು‡%ೂಟ~ರು.

Sēvakaru nammage aḍuge tandukoṭṭaru.
The servants brought (and gave) us the meal.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 70

C.ವu >%ೂೕi%ಬಂl%ವu.
Nāvu hōgibandevu.
We went and came back.

ಅವನು ¤%ಟು~ 5.‚%‡%ೂಂಡನು.

Avanu peṭṭu māḍikoṇḍanu.
He hurt himself/He got hurt.

ಅವಳu ಊ^%(% m.ಪಸ>%ೂೕಗK%ಟ~ಳ?!

Avaḷu ūrige vāpasahōgabiṭṭaḷa?!
She went back to the city?!/She just up and left for the city?!

Coordinating Sentences

In Kannada, complicated sentences with a lot of information can be difficult to construct without
coordinating conjunctions. These are words such as “and, or, but, if,” or “while/when”. In
Kannada, some of these are postpositions, making them a little different from how they’re used
in English.

To include two thoughts in the same sentence using “and”, use ಮತುH (mattu) in between the
clauses. However, it is possible to omit ಮತುH; from the sentence, using a pause or given context.

Ex.

ಅವS ಊಟ N%ಂದರು ಮತುH >%ೂರಗz%(% >%ೂೕದರು.

Avaru ūṭa tindaru mattu horagaḍege hōdaru.
They ate dinner and went outside.

'%ೕವu -.ಠ ಓದುN%^ H ,% ಮf%(%ಲಸ 5.ಡುN%^

H .%
Nīvu pāṭha ōduttiri, manegelasa māḍuttiri.
You study, (and) do housework.

•.ಗೂ (hāgū) is also a valid alternative to ಮತುH.

To include two thoughts and contrast them using “or/otherwise”, use ಅಥವ (athavā).

Ex.

'%ೕ’%n.o 5.ಂಸ N%ನು+N%Hರ, ಅಥವ (ಬ^% ತರX.^%/ತರX.^% 5.ತI)?

Nīvellā māṃsa tinnuttira, athavā (bari tarakāri/tarakāri mātra)?
Do you all eat meat, or only vegetables?

'%ೕನು ಒಂದು ಆಟದ 8.5.ನು ‡%ೂಂಡು‡%ೂಳ³ಬಹುದು, ಅಥವ ಏನು ‡%ೂಂಡು‡%ೂಳu³ವL%ಲo.

© 2021 Shashank Rao 71

Nīnu ondu āṭada sāmānu koṇḍukoḷḷabahudu, athavā ēnu koṇdukoḷḷuvadilla.

You can get one toy, or you can’t buy anything.

For “but”, use ಆದ•% (ādare). Note that just like ಮತುH, it is possible to omit it with intonation,
phrasing, or context.

Ex.

—{., C.ವu ಮf%(% m.ಪಸ>%ೂೕಗ\%ೕಕು.

—ಆದ•% ನನ(% >%ೂೕಗ\%ೕG%ಲo.

—Bā, nāvu manege vāpasahōgabēku.

—Ādare nanage hōgabēkilla.

—Come, we have to go home.

—But I don’t want to go.

To use “if” in Kannada is a peculiar construction, as it only accounts for tense and aspect. To use
it, change the final syllable of the base form to -ದ•%.

Ex.

'%ೕನು -.ಠ _%C.+i% ಓದ•%, ಒ‹%³ 2%Q.;ಲಯ(% >%ೂೕಗುN%HೕÈ%.

Nīnu pāṭha cennāgi ōdare, oḷḷe vidyālayage hōguttīye.
If you study well, you’ll go to a good university.

C.ನು ಅಂಗ‚%(% >%ೂೕi%ದj•,% ಹಣು‰ವಣು‰ ‡%ೂಂಡು‡%ೂಳu³ ಆi%ರಬಹುದು.

Nānu angaḍige hogiddare, haṇṇuvannu koṇḍukoḷḷu āgirabahudu.
If I had gone to the store, I could have bought a fruit.

To say that something is happening while something else is happening, Kannada’s construction
does not account for tense, aspect, or anything else. To use this construction, suffix -m.ಗ to the
end of the base form of a verb.

Ex.

C.ವu N%ನು+m.ಗ, ಮಹ‚%ಯ‡%d >%ೂೕಗು.

Nāvu tinnuvāga, mahaḍiya hōgu.
While/when we eat, go upstairs.

'%ೕನು ‡%ಲಸ 5.ಡುm.ಗ, C.ನು ಮಲi%l.%j

Nīnu kelasa māḍuvāga, nānu malagidde.
While/when you were working, I was sleeping.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 72

Note that the tense of the “while/when” construction is determined entirely by the conjugated
verb in the main clause.

ಕನ>ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. Translate the following sentences into Kannada, using coordinating conjunctions.

1. You (non-polite) either take the test, or you fail. (Note: “to take a test” = ಪ^%ೕå% ‡%ೂಡು)
2. He was studying while you (polite) were at work.
3. I need to go the mosque and talk to the imam.
4. Do birds sing often, or rarely?
5. If we’re ready, we should get going.
6. They (person) would like to go, but they need to do housework first. (Hint: “would like to
go” >%ೂೕಗ‡%d ಇಷ~)
7. If you (polite) go to temple today, please go and get some darbha grass. (Hint: use
e%(%ೕದು‡%ೂಂಡುಬರು for “to go and get”)
8. Don’t be so lazy! Otherwise your (polite) mother will be upset.
9. I’ll get eggs from the store, and you (non-polite) buy the vegetables.
10. We’re tired right now, but after a little nap ('%l%I >%ೂಡು- nidre hoḍu), we’ll come.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 73

Chapter 8: The Arts

Vocabulary: Fine Arts Terminology

X.ಲ - kāla - era/time period

ಕy% - kale - art
ಸಂಸë - sanskṛti - culture
ಅ$%ನಯ - abhinaya - pantomime
ಅ“.;ಸ - abhyāsa - rehearsal/practice
{.ಂಸು^% - bānsuri - Indian bamboo flute
8.9%ತ;/m.ಙgಯ - sāhitya/vāṅmaya - literature
X.ದಂಬ^% - kādambari - novel
ಇಂಪu/5.ಧುಯ - iṃpu/mādhurya - melody (D/S)
”.ಳ/ಛಂl%ೂೕಗN% - tāḷa/chandōgati - rhythm (D/S)
ಪದ - pada - word/lyric
•.ಡು - hāḍu - song
X.ವ;/ಕವನ - kāvya/kavana - poetry
ವಸುHš.ಸ¨ - vāstuśāstra - architecture
—%ತIಕy%/ವಣ —%ತI - citrakale/varṇacitra - painting
£%ಲ˜/2%ಗIಹ/ಮೂN% - śilpa/vigraha/mūrti - sculpture/statue
ಬಣ‰•.ರ/(ವಣ X.ರ/ವಣ —%ತIX.ರ) - baṇṇagāra/(varṇakāra/varṇacitrakāra) - painter (D/S)
£%<%˜/ಮೂN% X.ರ - śilpi/mūrtikāra - sculptor
m.ಸುH£<% %˜/ಸ®ಪN% - vāstuśilpi/sthapati - architect
ಕ2%/X.ವ;ಕತ - kavi/kāvyakarta - poet
2%ಮ`% - vimarśe - critique/review
ಕÖ% - kathe - story
›%3.™%ಕ ಕÖ% - paurāṇika kathe - mythology
ಕ<%˜ತ - kalpita - fantasy/fiction
ಗುಟು~/ರಹಸಸ; - guṭṭu/rahasya - secret (ರಹಸe also can mean “mystery)
ಭc.ನಕ - bhayānaka - horror
ಅರಸ/ರಜ - arasa/rāja - king (D/S)
ಅರ•%/3.™% - arasi/rāṇi - queen (D/S)
3.ಜಕು5.ರ/3.ಜಕು5.^% - rājakumāra/rājakumāri - prince/princess
(5.ಟ•.ರ/5.ಟ•.N%)/ಮಂN%Iಕ - (māṭagāra/māṭagāti)/māntrika - magician (D/S)
\%ೕƒ%•.ರ/m.;ಧ - bēṭegāra/vyādha - hunter (D/S)
-.L%I - pādri - Christian priest
ಪu-.^% - pūjāri - Hindu priest
ಇ5.ಮು - imāmu - imam
È%ಹೂದ; ಪಂ‚%ತ- yehūdya panḍita - rabbi
l%ೕವ/l%ೕ2% - dēva/dēvi - god/goddess (l%ೕ2% can refer to the supreme female form of God as well)
l%ೕವರು - dēvaru - God (there are many words for God, but this fits most purposes)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 74

ಪƒ%~Q.ರ - pattēdāra - detective

ಅಪ3.W%/ದುಷdU% - aparādhi/duṣkarmi - criminal
3.€ಸ - rākṣasa - demon/monster
ಋZ% - rṣi - sage/wise person
ಮ•.ª.ನ - mahājñāna - genius
Œ%ೖ'%ಕ/ಯುದÒ2%ೕರ - sainika/yuddhavīra - warrior
Œ%ೖನ; - sainya - army
'%W% - nidhi - treasure
ಐಶMಯ - aiśvarya - wealth
ಉn.oಸ/ಸಂe%ೂೕಷ - ullāsa/santōṣa - joy (D/S)
ಸುಖ - sukha - happiness
°%ೂೕ‚% 5.ಟ/ಮಂತI2%ದ; mōḍi māṭa/mantravidya - magic
ಶತುI/2%•%ೂೕW% - śatru/virōdhi - enemy
ಸುಳu³/ಅನೃತ - suḷḷu/anṛta - lie (D/S)
(%ಲುವu/2%ಜಯ - geluvu/vijaya - victory (D/S)
Œ%ೂೕಲು/ಅಪಜಯ - sōlu/apajaya - defeat/loss (D/S)

Vocabulary: Verbs

ಬಣ‰ ಬ¿% - baṇṇa baḷi - to paint

\%ಳi%ಸ ು/ಪIX.£%ಸ ು - beḷagisu//prakāśisu - to illuminate/light up/brighten (D/S)
£%ಲ˜ '%U% ಸು - śilpa nirmisu - to sculpt
'%U% ಸು - nirmisu - to construct/weave
¡%ೂೕ‚%ಸ ು - jōḍisu - to assemble
ಅ“.;ಸ 5.ಡು - abhyāsa māḍu - to practice/rehearse/train
ಪIಯN%+ಸು/ಪIಯತ+ 5.ಡು mä - prayatnisu/prayatna māḍu - to try
ಪIಕt%ಸ ು - prakaṭisu - to publish
‡%ೂಲುo/8.„%ಸ ು - kollu/sāyisu - to kill
*8.ಯು - sāyu - to die
>%ೂೕi%Kಡ % ು - hōgibiḍu - to pass away
{.ಳu/«%ೕ2%ಸ ು - bāḷu/jīvisu - to live
m.•%ಸ ು/f%y%ೕಸು - vāsisu/nelesu - to live (as in to inhabit or reside)
ಪe%Hಹಚು… - pattehaccu - to discover
ಕ‹%ದು‡%ೂಳu³ - kaḷedukọḷḷu - to lose
f%ಚು…/2%š.M•%ಡು - neccu/viśvāsaviḍu - to trust
5.ಟ5.ಡು - māṭamāḍu - to enchant (as in delight/charm)
(%ೂಂದಲ(%ೂ¿%ಸ ು - gondalagoḷisu - to confuse
•%ೕi%ಸ ು/‡%ರ¿%ಸ ು - rēgisu/keraḷisu - to anger/annoy/irritate
=%ೕ‚%ಸ ು - pīḍisu - to bother
ಸಂe%ೂೕಷಪಡು/ಖುZ%ಪಡು - santoṣapaḍu/khuṣipaḍu - to rejoice (S/F)
ಬ†.„%‡%ೂಚು…/ಜಂಬ ಪಡು - baḍāyikoccu/jaṃba paḍu - to brag/boast
© 2021 Shashank Rao 75

ಅಳu/•%ೂೕL%ಸ ು - aḷu/rōdisu - to cry

ಶುರು 5.ಡು - śuru māḍu - to start
ಮುi% - mugi - to end
K%ೕಳu/K%ಳu - bīḷu/biḷu - to fall (both accepted pronunciations)
ಎಚ…^%ಸ ು/ಎK%Íಸು - eccarisu/ebbisu - to wake up (someone)
'%ಲುo - nillu - to stand up
ನಂಬು/“.2%ಸ ು - nambu/bhāvisu - to believe (D/S)
•.•%ೖಸು/ಆ£%ಸ ು - hāraisu/āśisu - to hope/wish
**ಹರ‡% ಕಟು~ - harake kaṭṭu - to make a vow/bargain with God (for trivial things)
X.-.ಡು/ರŠ%ಸ ು - kāpāḍu/rakṣisu - to protect/defend/save (D/S)
N%^/% $%å%\%ೕಡು - tiri/bhikṣebēḍu - to beg
’%ೖರ”.ಲು/l%MೕZ%ಸ ು - vairatāḷu/dvēṣisu - to hate
5.ತು ‡%ೕಳu - mātu kēḷu - to obey
ಕL% - kadi - to steal
-.IR% ಸು - prārthisu - to pray
ಸುಳu³ >%ೕಳu - suḷḷu hēḷu - to lie
ಯುದÒ5.ಡು - yuddhamāḍu - to fight/battle/go to war
m.ಪಸ>%ೂೕಗು - vāpasahōgu - to return (go back somewhere)
m.ಪಸ‡%ೂಡು - vāpasakoḍu - to return (give something back)
ಒz% - oḍe - to break

*A very important cultural convention to observe in Kannada is that Kannada speakers (as well
as other Indians) avoid the direct mention or discussion of death as much as possible, because it
is seen as inauspicious and bad luck. Instead of using 8.ಯು, most speakers opt for >%ೂೕi%Kಡ % ು. It
is similar to saying “to pass away” instead of “to die”.
**An idiomatic phrase that means to make promises to God in exchange for something, usually
in the context of desperation. It would be as if one said “I’ll give up dessert for a year if you’ll
give me one more chance”.

The Vocative Case and Contrast with the Nominative Case

The last case, the vocative case, is formally understood to be the form of noun used for
addressing or calling it. While this is a function of the vocative cases, there are other, more useful
meanings.

In Kannada, the vocative case also serves as what might be called an “exclusionary” case. This
means that a noun declined in the vocative case excludes everything but the noun itself. It would
be something like “This thing, and nothing else”. Fortunately, the vocative case declension for
all nouns is simply changing the final vowel to ಏ (ē), and adding it, if there isn’t already a
vowel.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 76

Ex.

c.ರು 5.ಡು”.H•?%
'%ೕf% 5.ಡುN%HೕÈ%.

Yāru māḍuttāre?
Nīne māḍuttīye.

Who will do it?

You (alone/and no one else) will do it.

It can also be used to clarify something said.

Ex.

c.ರು 5.”.ಡುN%Q
H .j•?% —C.f%(f%).

Yāru mātāḍuttiddare? —Nāne(ne).

Who is speaking? —It is I (and no other).

Through contextual clues, the first person is probably able to tell who the person on the other end
of the line, so the second person needs to give no further information than to say, “It is I”.

The vocative case contrasts with the nominative case, which as covered so far, is the base form
of all nouns. The nominative case has what might be called an “inclusionary” meaning, doing the
opposite of the vocative case.

Ex.

A: c.ರು ಈಜು”.H•?% B: 3.ಮ ಈಜು”.Hf.% C: C.ನು ಈಜುe%Hೕf%.

A: Yāru ījuttāre? B: Rāma ījuttāne. C: Nanu ījuttēne.
A: Who swims? B: Rama swims. C: I, too, swim.

In this context, this the only conceivable meaning of the nominative case. The “inclusionary”
function of the nominative case is derived entirely from context.

It should be noted that one can extend the functions of the nominative-vocative contrast to
declined nouns. Just as changing the final vowel of a word to ಅ (a) gives most words to an
interrogative meaning, changing the ending of a noun to ಊ (ū) and ಏ (ē) gives the
© 2021 Shashank Rao 77

“inclusionary” and “exclusionary” meanings to words, and even be combined, for another
meaning. See the example.

Ex.

ಇy%oೕ! (Locative + Vocative)

Illē!
Here (and no other place)!

ನನಗುಅ? (Dative +Nominative + Interrogative)

Nanagu’a?
For me as well?

ಅವನf%+ೕ! (Accusative + Vocative)

Avanannē!
Him (only)! (This would require context where the verb was acting on a direct object)

ಮf%ಯಲೂo? (Locative + Nominative)

Maneyallū.
In the house as well.

ನಮgಗುಏ? (Dative + Nominative + Vocative)

Nammagu’ē?
Even for us?

Note: These are largely colloquial constructions and are not seen in written Kannada.
Earlier in the text, ”.ನು (tānu), the reflexive and impersonal pronoun, was explained to be
somewhat confusing with respect to the vocative case. ”.ನ can only be used after a subject has
been introduced, or to refer to an impersonal “you”, or “one”. Compare these two examples.

Ex.

ಅವಳu ”.ನ š.y%(% >%ೂೕಗು”.H‹.%

Avaḷu tāna śālegē hōguttāḷe.
She goes to school herself.

ಅವ‹% š.y%(%ೕ >%ೂೕಗು”.H‹.%

Avaḷe śālegē hōguttāḷe.
(Only) She (alone) goes to school.

The first sentence differs in meaning from the second in that it calls attention to a different detail;
the sentence is referring to the fact that the “she” goes to school without assistance or company.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 78

The second sentence refers to the fact that the “she” is the only one going to school, as opposed
to anyone else.

The Future Tense

As explained previously, the use of the future tense in Kannada is restricted primarily to literary
and formal contexts. The practical use of the future tense is understanding Kannada news, more
than Kannada literature. News in Kannada is notoriously difficult to understand if one is not used
to hearing and understanding it, especially with the use of the future tense. The future tense is
also found in legal documents, some instruction manuals, and in literature.

In everyday conversation, the future tense is conveyed using the present tense with future
context. To construct the future tense stem, simply find the present-future adjectival participle.
To construct it, simply take the crude form, and affix -ಉವ. Then add the appropriate endings.

C.ನು 5.ಡು’%ನು - nānu māḍuvenu - I will do ಅದು 5.ಡುವuದು - adu māḍuvudu - it did
'%ೕನು 5.ಡು’% - nīnu māḍuve - you will do C.ವu 5.ಡು’%ವu - nāvu māḍuvevu - we did
'%ೕವu 5.ಡು2%^% - nīvu/nīvugaḷu māḍuviri - you ಅವರು 5.ಡುವರು - avaru māḍuvaru - they (m/
(polite)/you all will do f; polite 3rd person) will do
ಅವನು 5.ಡುವನು - avanu māḍuvanu - he will ಅವu 5.ಡುವವu - avu māḍuvavu - they (n) did
do
ಅವಳu 5.ಡುವಳu - avaḷu māḍuvaḷu - she will
do

Ex.

C.ವu £%ವx%ೂಗʇ%d >%ೂೕಗು’%ವu.

Nāvu śivamoggakke hōguvevu.
We will go to Shivamogga (a city in central Karnataka).

ಅವರು ಸಂi%ೕತ -.ಠ ಓದುವರು.

Avaru sangīta pāṭha ōduvaru.
They will study music.

The future tense also has a conditional meaning, which is heard more often than the actual future
tense meaning. This conditional meaning is different from the contingent form, meaning
“would”, as opposed to “maybe”. See the example.

ಅವನು •.ಗಲX.„%ಯನು+ N%ನ+ದ•%, ಅವನು m.ಂN% ಮಡುವನು.

Avanu hāgalakāyiyannu tinnadare, avanu vānti māḍuvanu.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 79

If he eats bitter gourd, he will/would vomit.

C.ನು -.•%H ಪI`%+ ‡%ೕಳL%ದ•%, ಅv.;ಪಕರು ತುಂ{. ‡%ೂೕಪ ಆಗವರು.

Nānu jāsti praśne kēḷadidare, adhyāpakaru tuṃbā kōpa āguvaru.
If I asked too many questions, the teacher would get angry.

It is also worth pointing out that the future tense can be seen as a synthetic tense, which is to say
it is a combination of different grammatical futures in a regular fashion to convey a functional
equivalent to the future tense. Specifically, the future tense can be a

Participial Adjectives

Participial adjectives are adjectives formed from verbs, and unlike normal adjectives, they can be
inflected for tense. You should already know all three participles: past, present, and future. The
future is not often used, but sometimes appears in instructions and recipes as a command or
directive.

To form a participial adjective, simply take the given participle (taking the tense into account),
and add ದ to the end (except the future tense). See the example for the verb 5.ಡು, and with the
noun ವಸುH (thing):

5.ಡದ ವಸುH- māḍada vastu - something that is done/to be done (latter is in colloquial speech)
5.‚%ದ ವಸುH - māḍida vastu - something that was done
5.ಡುವ ವಸುH - māduvada vastu - something that will be done

ಕನ#ಡ ಅ&'(ಸ - Kannaḍa Abhyāsa - Kannada Practice

A. Decline the following nouns into the vocative case.

1. y%ೕಖ'% (lēkhani)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕ (adhyāpaka)
3. ನ2%ಲು (navilu)
4. ಆf% (āne)
5. ಮರ (mara)
6. x%ೕಜು (mēju)
7. '%m.ಸ (nivāsa)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ (kīlikai)
9. ಪದುj (paddu)
10. ರŒ%H (rāste)

B. Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense for the given pronoun.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 80

1. ತ•%, I
2. ನz%, you (non-polite)
3. >%ೂೕಗು, they (non-person)
4. ಈಜು, it
5. ಸು<%, we
6. e%ೂy%, you all
7. ಕತH^ಸ% ು, she
8. ಎ™%ಸ ು, he
9. ಬರು, they (person)
10. ಕ•%, you (honorific)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 81

Chapter 9: The World

Vocabulary: The Natural World

ಪIಕೃN%/'%ಸ ಗ - prakṛti/nisarga - nature

ಪIಪಂಚ - prapanca - world
ನL% - nadi - river
‡%•/% ಸ°%ೂೕವರ - kere/samōvara - lake
ಕಡಲು/ಸಮುದI - kaḍalu/samudra - sea
8.ಗರ - sāgara - ocean
‡%ೂೕಳ - kōḷa - pond
ಹುL%ಲು - hudilu - marsh
ಜಲ-.ತ/ಅK%Í - jalapāta/abbi - waterfall
‡%ೂ<%o/ž.^% - kolli/khāri - bay/gulf
ಹುಲುo•.ವಲು - hullugāvalu - meadow/grassland
ಹುಲುo - hullu - grass
ಮರುಭೂU% - marubhūmi - desert
X.ಡು/ಅರಣ; - kāḍu/araṇya - forest (D/S)
ಭೂU% - bhūmi - land
f%ಲ - nela - ground
\%ಟ~/ಪವ ತ - beṭṭa/parvata - mountain (D/S)
ಗುಡˆ - guḍḍa - hill

Vocabulary: The Man-made World

ಕž. f% - kārkhāne - factory

ಅ©%ಕಟು~/ಒದುj/ಏ^% - aṇekaṭṭu/oḍḍu/ēri - dam
5.<%ನ; - mālinya - contamination/pollution
ಕಟ~ಡ/ಭವನ - kaṭṭaḍa/bhavana - building
5.ನವಕೂಲ/ಮನುಷ;ವಗ - mānavakūla/manuṣyavarga - humanity
•%ೕx% - sīme - border
ಉQ.;ನವನ/ಉಪವನ - udyānavana/upavana - park
Œ%ೖನ;/Úೌಜು - sainya/fauju - military (S/F)
ಸX. ರ - sarkāra - government building
ಸಂಸತುH - sansattu - parliament
ಮಂN%Iಮಂಡಲ - mantrimanḍala - cabinet/ministry
ಅರಮf%/3.ಜಗೃಹ/ಮಹಲು - aramane/rājagṛha/mahalu - palace (D/S/F)
ಕೂಟ/ಸಂಘ - kūṭa/sangha - association/organization/union (D/S)
ಸಮŒ%;/ಪI`%+ - samasye/praśne - issue/problem
ಕಷ~ - kaṣṭa - difficulty
›%ರ/C.ಗ^%ಕ - paura/nāgarika - citizen
© 2021 Shashank Rao 82

›%ರತM - pauratva - citizenship

m.ದ2%m.ದ/m.ಗMದ - vādavivāda/vāgvada - debate
m.”.ವರಣ - vātāvaraṇa - environment
3.ಜ;/ಅW%ಪತ; - rājya/adhipatya - rkingdom
«%ಲo - jilla - district
-.Iಂತ/ಪIl%ೕಶ - prānta/pradēśa - region
3.ಜ;/3.ಷÙ)/ಸಂ8.®ನ - rājya/rāṣṭra/sansthāna - state
3.ಜತM - rājatva - monarchy
ಹಂತ/•%N ® /% ಮಜಲು - hanta/sthiti/majalu - phase (D/S/F)
ಏ-. ಡು/ %ೂೕಜf% - ērpāḍu/yōjane - plan (D/S)
ಕಟು~ಕಟ~y%/'%ಯಮ - kaṭṭukaṭṭaḷe/niyama - rule (D/S)

Vocabulary: Professions

’%ೖದ;/—%G%ತØಕ - vaidya/cikitsaka - doctor

ದಂತ’%ೖದ; - dantavaidya - dentist
C.;ಯm.L%/ವG%ೕಲ - nyāyavādi/vakīla - lawyer (S/F)
ಯಂತI£%<%˜ - yantraśilpi - engineer
‡%ಲಸ•.ರ - kelasagāra - worker
ಆಳj/3.ಜX.ರ™% - āḷda/rājakāraṇi - politician
Œ%ೕವಕ/ï%ಕರ - sēvaka/naukara - maid/worker/servant (refers to many kinds of menial laborers)
ಗು5.ಸH - gumāsta - clerk
ಒz%ಯ - oḍeya - owner/lord
ಪತIಕತ - patrakarta - journalist
2%ª.'%/ಅ^%ಗ - vijñāni/ariga - scientist
ಅನುm.ದಕ - anuvādaka - translator

Verbs:

ತc.^%ಸ ು/ಉ”.˜L%ಸ ು - tayārisu/utpādisu - to produce

•.ಳu5.ಡು/(C.ಶಪ‚%ಸ ು/ಧMಂಸ5.ಡು) - hāḷumāḍu/(nāśapaḍisu/dhvansamāḍu) - to destroy (D/S)
K%ಚು… - biccu - to undo/remove
ಹ^% - hari - to flow
‡%ೂ‹% 5.ಡು - koḷe māḍu - to pollute/contaminate
ಲಂಚ N%'%+ಸು - lanca tinnisu - to corrupt/bribe
ಸಂ8.d^%ಸ ು - sanskarisu - to recycle
m.ದ ಮಂ‚%ಸ ು/m.L%ಸ ು/ಚ—% ಸು - vāda maṇḍisu/vādisu/carcisu - to debate/deliberate
9%‚%ತ - hiḍita - to control
3.ಜ;“.ರ - rājyabhāra - to rule
ಕಷ~ ಪz% - kaṣṭa paḍe - to make an effort
Œ%ೕ^%ಸ ು - sērisu - to join/connect (something/someone) to something else
© 2021 Shashank Rao 83

Œ%ೕರು - sēru - to be related to/connected to/join (as a member or student)

Speaking Colloquial Kannada

To speak colloquial Kannada requires some knowledge of the way written Kannada differs from
the spoken language. The majority of Kannada speakers will speak in a manner completely
different from the written form of the language. Pronunciation is the biggest difference, as it
often involves the shortening of vowel lengths and even the dropping of entire syllables.
However, when reading written Kannada aloud, such as from a book, it will be pronounced as
written.

People from Mysore and Mangalore speak the most similar to the written form. Moreover,
certain people will speak with varying amounts of Sanskrit, Dravidian, and Perso-Arabic
influences, depending on where they’re from. This section will do the best possible to help make
spoken Kannada easier.

One of the distinctive and important features of spoken Kannada is the absence of a separate
future tense. Instead, Kannada speakers take the present adverbial participle, and use an partially
different set of endings. This conjugation is called the present-future tense, used for both present
and future tense.

C.ನು 5.ಡುN%H'% - nānu māḍuttini ಅದು 5.ಡುತHe%H - adu māḍuttatte

'%ೕನು 5.ಡುN%Hಯ - nīnu māḍuttiya C.ವu 5.ಡುN%2
H % - nāvu māḍuttivi
'%ೕವu 5.ಡುN%(H ^%) - nīvu māḍutti(ri/rā) ಅವರು 5.ಡು”.H•% - avaru māḍuttāre
ಅವನು 5.ಡು”.Hf% - avanu māḍuttāne ಅವu 5.ಡುತH’% - avu māḍuttave
ಅವಳu 5.ಡು”.H‹% - avaḷu māḍuttāḷe

In questions, spoken Kannada frequently appends ನ to the ends of words declined in the vocative
case, for no particular reason.

Ex.

ಔ•%ೕನ?
Aurēna?
Them?

Now, to pronunciation. The change in pronunciation from written to spoken Kannada will be
called “reduction” from here on. Please keep in mind that these are not hard and fast rules, nor
are they exhaustive; they are the best approximations of spoken Kannada that I know.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 84

1. The general absence of aspirated consonants in rapid speech, despite their appearance in
writing. This is more true in the south of Karnataka, near the border with Tamil Nadu. In
the north, aspirated consonants will be pronounced almost all the time, and in most
standard spoken forms. Kannada speakers generally don't have consistent patterns as to
when they aspirate consonants and when they don’t.
2. Drop weak vowels such as ಉ and ಎ from a word, unless it makes the word
unpronounceable or odd.
3. Pronounce initial ಒ/ಓ and ಎ/ಏ with euphonic “w” and “y” sounds, respectively, at the
beginning.
4. Shorten ಆ to ಅ almost all the time, unless it sounds odd.
5. Frequently (though not all the time) destress tt, dd, ṭṭ, ḍḍ, to t, d, ṭ, and ḍ.
6. The syllables ಇವ (iva) and ಅವ (ava) are almost invariably changed to ಯೂ (yū) and ಔ
(au) respectively. Many instances of ವ are dropped or become some kind of vowel. Ex.
ಇವರು -> ಯೂವರು -> ಯೂರು
7. If two of the same vowel or vowels differing only in length occur together, merge them
into one long vowel. Ex. ಅಥ ಆಗು is often pronounced ಅŸ. ಗು
8. Foreign words (usually from English) take a final ಉ if the end in a consonant. After this,
all other rules in Kannada apply.

Now, look at an example sentence of how a written sentence changes to its spoken form. Ex.
“We go to the store and buy fruit.

Ex.

C.ವu ಅಂಗ‚%(% >%ೂೕಗುe%Hೕ’% ,ಹಣ‰ನು+ ‡%ೂಂದು‡%ೂಳu³e%Hೕ’%/ಖ^%ೕL%ಸ ುe%Hೕ’%.

Nāvu aṅgaḍige hōguttēve, haṇṇannu kharīdisuttēve.

C.ವu ಅಂi%ˆ(% >%ೂೕi%H2,% ಹಣ‰ನು+ ‡%ೂಂz%ೂd¿%2

H /% ಖ^%ೕL%H2.%
Nāvu aṅgḍige hōgtivi, haṇṇannu kharīdtivi.

There are other changes that Kannada speakers can make to words, including nasalizing syllables
or even other variations on the conjugations of verbs. Here is another example: “She ate dinner
and went out with her friends.”

Ex.

ಅವಳu ಊಟ 5.‚%ದಳu, >%ೂರಗz%(% Œ%+ೕ9%ತರು ¡%ೂe% >%ೂೕದಳu.

Avaḷu ūṭa māḍidaḷu, horagaḍege snēhitaru jote hōdaḷu.

ಔಳu ಊಟ 5.ಡುj ð, >%ೂಗ z%(% Œ%+ೕ9%ತುI >%ೂೕದು³.

Auḷu ūṭa māḍdlu matu horgaḍege snehitru jote hōdḷu.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 85

As you might be able to tell, Kannada’s spoken and written forms differ considerably.
Unfortunately there’s no easy way to learn the spoken form without listening to people speak a
lot. The advantage to learning written Kannada before spoken Kannada is that you will be able to
acquire vocabulary from a wider variety of sources, and the majority of those educated in
Kannada will be able to understand you, even if that’s not the way they talk.

It’s also worth noting that verbs, which differ the most from their written forms, can sound
extremely different. For that reason, they’re written below. Even the present-future tense shown
two pages ago is not really said the way it’s been written. Here are tables for the way that most
verbs (roughly) are spoken, in each tense. Again, this is not exhaustive, and may not describe
dialects outside of urban places.

Present-Future

C.ನು 5.‚%H'% - nānu māḍtini ಅದು 5.ಡe% - adu māḍate

'%ೕನು 5.ಡñ - nīnu māḍtya C.ವu 5.‚%2
H % - nāvu māḍtivi
'%ೕವu 5.‚%H(^%/ರ) - nīvu māḍti(ri/ra) ಅವರು 5.ಡH•% - avaru māḍtare
ಅವನು 5.ಡHf% - avanu māḍtane ಅವu 5.ಡH’% - avu māḍtave
ಅವಳu 5.ಡH‹% - avaḷu māḍtaḷe

Past

C.ನು 5.z%j - nānu māḍde ಅದು 5.ಡುH - adu māḍtu

'%ೕನು 5.z%j/5.ಡj ò - nīnu māḍde/māḍdya C.ವu 5.‚%j ó/5.ಡುjಂ - nāvu māḍdvi/māḍdvuṃ
(statement/question)
'%ೕವu 5.‚%j ô - nīvu māḍdri ಅವರು 5.ಡುj ô - avaru māḍdru
ಅವನು 5.ಡj/5.ಡುj õ - avanu māḍda/maḍdnu ಅವu 5.ಡುj ó - avu māḍdvu
ಅವಳu 5.ಡj/5.ಡುj ð - avaḷu māḍda/māḍdḷu

Present Progressive

C.ನು 5.z%öL%'% - nānu māḍtaidini ಅದು 5.z%öl% - adu māḍtaide

'%ೕನು 5.z%öl%/5.z%öದ; - nīnu māḍtaide/ C.ವu 5.z%öL%2% - nāvu māḍtaidivi
māḍtaidya (statement/question)
'%ೕವu 5.z%öL%^% - nīvu māḍtaidiri ಅವರು 5.z%öದ•% - avaru māḍtaidare
© 2021 Shashank Rao 86

ಅವನು 5.z%öದf% - avanu māḍtaidane ಅವu 5.z%öದ’% - avu māḍtaidave

ಅವಳu 5.z%öದ‹% - avaḷu māḍtaidaḷe

Present Perfect

C.ನು 5.ಡL%'% - nānu māḍidini ಅದು ಮ‚%l% - adu māḍide

'%ೕನು 5.‚%L%ಯ - nīnu māḍidiya C.ವu 5.‚%L%2% - nāvu māḍidivi
'%ೕವu 5.‚%L%^% - nīvu māḍidiri ಅವರು 5.‚%ದ•% - avaru māḍidare
ಅವನು 5.‚%ದf% - avanu māḍidane ಅವu 5.‚%ದ’% - avu māḍidave
ಅವಳu 5.‚%ದ‹% - avaḷu māḍidaḷe

Past Progressive

C.ನು 5.z%öಇl%j - nānu māḍtai-idde ಅದು 5.z%öಇತುH - adu māḍtai-ittu

'%ೕನು 5.z%öಇl%j - nīnu māḍtai-idde C.ವu 5.z%ö(ಇL%j ó/ಇದುj óಂ) - nāvu māḍtai-(iddvi/
iddvuṃ)
'%ೕವu 5.z%öಇL%j ô - nīvu māḍtai-iddri ಅವರು 5.z%öಇದುj ô - avaru māḍtai-iddru
ಅವನು 5.z%öಇದj - avanu māḍtai-idda ಅವu 5.z%öಇದುj ó - avu māḍtai-iddvu
ಅವಳu 5.z%öಇದj/5.z%öಇದುj ð - avaḷu māḍtai-
idda/māḍtai-iddḷu
© 2021 Shashank Rao 87

Appendix A: Idioms and Sayings

Just like any other language, Kannada is rich in idioms. A Kannada proverb is called a •.l%
(gāde), meaning “saying” or “dictum”. This section details several such common or useful
idioms. You’ll notice that some of the idioms of have parts in parentheses or variations in the
words included in them. There are variations in these sayings that appear across different regions
of Karnataka.

ಅಡˆ (%ೂೕz%ಯ x%ೕy% L%ೕಪ ಇಟ~ •.(%

Aḍḍa gōḍeya mēle dīpa iṭṭa hāge
“Like a lamp set on a partition wall”

Meaning: Used when someone is caught in a situation where if they take either side, they will be
blamed for taking a position

ಅG%dಯ x%ೕy% ಆŒ%, f%ಂಟರ x%ೕy% =%¦N% (ನz%ಯುವL%ಲo/ಆಗುವL%ಲo)

Akkiya mēle āse, neṃṭara mēle prīti (naḍeyuvadilla/āguvadilla)
Desire for rice, affection for relatives (can’t be/won’t work)

Meaning: You can’t have your cake and eat it too; Literally: you can’t want rice and still give it
to your relatives

ಗಂ«% ಕು‚%ಯುವ'%(% U%ೕŒ%ಯನು+ 9%‚%ಯುವf%ೂಬÍ

Ganji kuḍiyuvanige mīseyannu hiḍiyuvanobba
For one who drinks ganji (congee), there’s someone to hold his mustache

Meaning: Used to refer to someone living beyond their means, or to describe someone being lazy
and asking others to do simple things for them all the time

ಅ‚%‡%(% >%ೂೕದ 5.ನ, ಆf% ‡%ೂಟHರೂ ಬರದು

Aḍikege hōda māna, āne koṭṭarū baradu
The reputation lost on a betel nut, giving an elephant will not bring it back.

Meaning: The reputation lost on small or trivial things cannot be brought back by making grand
gestures or other big things.

ಅ«%Ç(% ಅ^%’%ಯ —%ಂe%, x%ೂಮgಗ¿%(% ಕ-.Çಯದ/ಮದು’%ಯ —%ಂe%

Ajjige ariveya cinte, mommagaḷige kajjāyada/maduveya cinte
A grandmother worries about her clothes/dress, her granddaughter worries about having kajjāya
(a sweet dish)/her wedding
© 2021 Shashank Rao 88

Meaning: Elders and parents struggle to make ends meet, while children are concerned about
unimportant things. Used to chastise or remark on young people who are irresponsible about
finances or are otherwise unconcerned with the welfare of their elders. This saying remarks on
the need for young people to have their priorities straight, especially in regards to taking care of
aging parents and being considerate to their relatives.

ಅಂತು ಇಂತು ಕುಂN%ಯ ಮಕd¿%(% ಎಂತು 3.ಜ; ಇಲo

Antu intu kuntiya makkaḷige eṃtu rājya illa
Somehow, the children of Kunti have no kingdom

Meaning: After much struggle, there is nothing to claim (usually said to refer to unlucky people
who work hard but ultimately receive nothing)

ಅe%H(%ೂಂದು X.ಲ, Œ%ೂಸ(%ೂಂದು X.ಲ

Attegondu kāla, sosegondu kāla
There is a time for the mother-in-law, and there is a time for a daughter-in-law

Meaning: “Every dog has his day”; refers to the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-
law in joint families, where the dynamic changes over time

ಆŒ%È%ೕ ದುಃಖ‡%d ಮೂಲ

Āseyē duḥkhakke mūla
Greed/desire is the root of suffering

Meaning: Self-evident.

ಆà x%ೕy% ಆà K%ದುj (%ೂೕಣು ಬ^%Q.„%ತು

Āḷ mēle āḷ biddu gōṇu baridāyitu
One servant put their burden on another, and then there was no one left to carry it.

Meaning: Refers to a situation where multiple people passed the buck and then there was no one
left to deal with the problem.

ಅ^%ಯl%ೕ 5.‚%ದ -.ಪ ಅ^%ತಂದು ಪ^%•.ರ

Ariyadē māḍida pāpa aritaṃdu parihāra
A sin done unaware is undone when realized

Meaning: When committing a wrong without knowing, it might be set right if acknowledged; “A
fault confessed is half redressed”
© 2021 Shashank Rao 89

ಅಕd•%„%ದj<%o ದುಃಖವuಂಟು
Akkareyiddalli duḥkhavuṃṭu
Where there is love there is suffering

Meaning: There is no love without pain (not necessarily romantic); refers to relationships that
involve trials and tribulations

ಆಯಕಟು~ ಇಲoದವ'%(% ಆರುಕಟು~ 2%ಭೂN%

Āyakaṭṭu illadavanige ārukaṭṭu vibhūti
One who has no physique/physical strength/vitality/spirit (only) has six packs of holy ash

Meaning: Someone without conviction or practice is only pseudo-religious

ಅವನು ಸಗ™% N%ನು+”.Hf,% '%ೕನು N%ನು+N%Hೕc.?

Avanu sagaṇi tinnuttāne, nīnu tinnuttīya?
He eats dung, would you?

Meaning: Would you follow someone blindly?

ಅ‚%(% K%ದjರೂ ಮೂಗು x%ೕy%(„%l%)

Aḍige biddarū, mūgu mēle(yide)
Even if they fell, their nose is still on top/upright

Meaning: Down, but not out

ಆರು X.•%ನ ಸಂಬಳ ಆದರೂ, ಅರಮf%ಯ ‡%ಲಸ 5.ಡು

Āru kāsina saṃbaḷa ādarū, aramaneya kelasa māḍu
Even if the salary is only six coins, work in a palace.

Meaning: Even if the pay is low, it is better to find respectable/stable/safe job.

ಆಲ8.;â ಅಮೃತಂ 2%ಷಂ

Ālasyāt amṛtaṃ viṣaṃ
Delay makes nectar into poison

Meaning: Being idle or lazy can become harmful

ಆರುವ L%ೕಪ‡%d X.ಂN% >%ಚು…

Āruva dīpakke kāṃti heccu
A dying flame burns brighter

Meaning: The attractive but false promise before the inevitable end of something
© 2021 Shashank Rao 90

ಅಪ˜ನ 5.ತು, ಆf%ಯ ಬಲ

Appana mātu, āneya bala
Father’s word, elephant’s strength

Meaning: Having a father (or someone else, usually family member) approve gives motivation

ಆಣ‰ ತಮgನ \%ೕ•% 5.ಡ \%ೕಡ

Aṇṇa tammana bēre māḍa bēḍa
Don’t part two brothers

Meaning: Refers to people (or siblings) who work really well together; advises not to part them
for fear of something bad happening, reducing efficiency of work, etc.

ಆ•%ೂೕಗ;’%ೕ “.ಗ;
Ārōgyavē bhāgya
Health is wealth

Meaning: Self explanatory

ಅಲ˜'%(% ಐಶMಯ ಬಂದ•%, ಅಧ 3.N%Iಯ<%o ‡%ೂz% 9%‚%•‡ % %ೂಂಡ

Alpanige aiśwarya bandare, ardha rātriyalli koḍe hiḍisikoṃḍa
If a lowly person obtains wealth, in half a night they demand an umbrella be held for them

Meaning: When fortune smiles on someone, they should be careful and not be too hasty/arrogant

ಅ¿%ವul%ೕ X.ಯ ಉ¿%ವul%ೕ G%ೕN%

Aḷivudē kāya uḷivudē kīrti
The body dies, fame lives on

Meaning: Self-explanatory

ಅ¿%ಯ ಅಲo, ಮಗಳ ಗಂಡ

Aḷiya alla, magaḷa gaṃḍa
He’s not my son-in-law, he’s my daughter’s husband
Meaning: Facts don’t change based on how they’re said

ಆ‚%ದ•% ಅರi%™% X.‚%ದ•% C.ಗರ X.ಟ

Āḍidare aragiṇi kādidare nāgara kāṭa
At play, a royal parrot, if bothered, a cobra

Meaning: Someone who behaves amicably and helpful when things are easy or good, but
behaves poorly or irritably when things go bad
© 2021 Shashank Rao 91

“ಅÈ%ೂ; -.ಪ!” ಅಂದ•%, ಅಧ ಆಯಸುØ

“Ayyo pāpa!” andare ardha āyassu
If one says “Oh dear”, one has half a life

Meaning: If one has too much pity or sympathy for others, they will be taken advantage of

ಆಡುವವ ಆ‚%ದ•% f%ೂೕಡುವವ(% •%ಗುÊ

Āḍuvava āḍidare nōḍuvavage siggu
If the actor performs (indecently), the spectator is ashamed

Meaning: If someone behaves indecently, onlookers will be embarrassed

ಅಂ«%ದವನ/>%ದರವನ x%ೕy% ಕಪ˜ •.^%ದ •.(%

Aṃjidavana/Hedaravana mēle kappa hārida hāge
Like a frog that jumps on someone who is afraid (of the frog)

Meaning: Used when something that was expected occurs and brings bad consequences; Similar
to “when it rains, it pours”, but a little different

ಅಲoದ ಕನಸು ಕಂಡ•% ಎದುj ಕುಂಡರು

Allada kanasu kaṃḍare, eddu kuṃḍaru
If you have a nightmare, get up and sit

Meaning: Be aware of bad omens and be prepared

© 2021 Shashank Rao 92

Appendix B: Perso-Arabic Vocabulary

Despite Muslims being a relative minority in India, the two languages traditionally spoken by
Muslims in India, Farsi (AKA Persian) and Arabic, have influenced the languages of India
considerably. Kannada is no exception, and there are quite a few words that have entered
common usage. The speakers of this Muslim variety of Kannada primarily reside in the north of
Karnataka, in the Mysore area, where the Nizams of Hyderabad, Aurangzeb, and other Islamic
rulers had once lived. It should be noted, however, that the language spoken by most Muslim
people in this area is not necessarily Kannada, but a variety of Urdu known as Dakhni.

Perso-Arabic loans in Kannada are peculiar cases in terms of spelling, because while many
Muslims can pronounce Arabic and Farsi words, it is difficult to write such words in Kannada,
because certain sounds in those languages do not exist in Kannada. You may notice that some of
the letters have two dots underneath them, reflecting that they are foreign sounds. Even though
the formatting of the Kannada is not quite right for these letters, you should know that things like
Úಾ should be read as fā, ಅಲd ø is read as alq, and so on.

The following list details the protocol for pronunciation. The corresponding Nastaliq letter will
be given, its Kannada equivalent, common pronunciation by non-Muslims and people unable to
pronounce the sounds, and then the IPA of each. Note: the pronunciation, for lack of better
methods, will be written in IPA. Pronunciation guides for IPA can be found here: http://
web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm.

Nastaliq [IPA] -> Muslim Kannada [IPA] (use two dots) -> Common Kannada [IPA] (no dots)

‫[ ف‬f] -> Ú [f] -> ಪ/ಫ [p/ph]

‫[ ص‬ṣ] -> ಷ [ṣ] -> ಷ [ʂ]
‫[ ق‬q] -> ù [q] -> ಕ [k]
‫[ ز‬z] -> ಜ [z] -> ಜ [j]
‫[ ث‬θ] -> ಥ [θ] -> ಥ [th]
‫[ و‬w] -> ವ [w] -> ವ [v]
‫[ خ‬χ] -> ಖ [χ] -> ಖ [kh]
‫[ غ‬ɣ] -> ಘ [ɣ] -> ಘ [gh]
‫[ ذ‬ð] -> ಧ [ð] -> ಧ [dh]
‫[ آ‬ɒ] -> ಔ [ɒ] -> ಔ [au]
‫[ ه‬h] -> ú [h] -> ú [ø]

The vocabulary list gives the pronunciation of words in Standard Kannada, in which only [f] and
[q] have separate characters to represent them. It should go without saying that Muslim Kannada
speakers with some knowledge of Arabic and/or Farsi will know how to pronounce a particular
word from these languages, even if the word is not written to reflect it.
© 2021 Shashank Rao 93

Arabic Vocabulary

ಅùಲು - aqalu - wisdom

ಅ‡%ೖS - akairu - end
ಅತHರು - attaru - perfume
ಅದC. - adanā - ordinary
ಆದಬ - ādaba - respect
ಅದವN% - adavati - enmity
ಅÚೀಮು - afīmu - opium
ಅಮಲು - amalu - action
ಅ5.ನತು - amānatu - trust
ಅ5.'% - amāni - irregular work
ಅU%ೕನ - amīna - trustworthy
ಅಷIÚ - aṣrafa - a noble man
ಐನು - ainu - original
ಔಇಬು - au’ibu - defeat
ಅ„%ವಜು - ayivaju - reward
ಅಲ„%ದ - alayida - separate
ಅÞùಬು - alqabu - title
ಅವಲ - avala - best/first
ಅಹವಲು - ahavalu - conditions
ಆ8.U% - āsāmi - person/fellow
ಇಂX.ರ 5.ಡು - inkāra māḍu - to deny
ಇಜ - ija - trouble
ಇಜÇತು - ijjatu - honor/reputation
ಇತ{.^% - itabāri - confidence
ಇಜÚೆ - ijafe - addition
ಇN%ಲ
H o - ittilla - information/report
ಇC.ಮು - inamu - reward
ಇC.ಯತು - ināyatu - favor
ಇ5.ರN% - imārati - building
ಇರ8.ಲು - irasālu - sending
ಇ3.ದ - irāda - purpose
ಇಲùೆ - ilaqe - territory
ಇಲಜು - ilaju - remedy
9%8.•% - hisāre - sign
ಇಸHù{.>% - istaqabāhe - welcome/receiving a visitor
ಇ•%H•.ರ - istihāra - announcement/proclamation
ಊದು - ūdu - incense
ùತHಲ - qattala - slaughter
ಖತುH - khattu - letter
© 2021 Shashank Rao 94

ùL%ೕಮು - qadīmu - old

ùಂL% - qandi - lantern
ùಬರ - qabara - grave
ùಬೂಲ - qubūla - acceptance
ùಲಮು - qalamu - pen
ಕಸಬು - kasabu - profession
ಕಸರತ - kasarata - gymnastics
ಕಸರು - kasaru - deficiency
ಕ8.y% - kasāle - disorder of the body
X.ಯಮು - kāyamu - permanent
ùೈl% - qaidē - rule
ùಿಸಮು - qisamu - division/kind (as in type)
ùೌಲು - qaulu - agreement
ž.<% - khāli - empty
ಖm.ಲು - khayālu - thought
ಗರಜು - garaju - need
ಗ^%ೕಬ - garība - poor
ಗ<%ಜು - galiju - dirty
ಜರ - jara - little
ಜm.ಬ - javāba - reply
ಜm.9%ರು - javāhiru - gem/jewel
«%x%g - jimme - to charge
ಜುಲುಮು - julumu - to force
ತÚ•%ಲು - tafasilu - details
ತÚಾವN% - tafāvati - difference
ತಬಲ - tabala - a type of Indian pitched drum
ತK%jಲ - tabdila - exchange
ತರಹ - taraha - like (as in “similar to”)
ತಸ<% - tasali - to salute
”.^%Úು - tārifu - praise
ತುÚಾನು - tufānu - storm
ತùುH û; - taqttu - strength
ದm. - davā - medicine
ನùಲು - naqalu - copy/transcript
ನ•%ೕಬು - nasību - luck/fortune
Úಿಕರು - fikaru - anxiety
ÚIಸತುH - frasattu - leisure
Úೈಸಲ - faisala - settlement
ÚಾವuN% - fāvuti - death
ಬರಕತುH - barakattu - success
{.ùಿ - bāqi - remainder/leftover
© 2021 Shashank Rao 95

{.ಬತು - bābatu - with regard to

ಮಜಬೂತು - majabūtu - strong
ಮ-.ಕು - majāku - teasing/making fun of
ಮಂಜೂರು 5.ಡು - manjūru māḍu - to accept
ಮರಹಮgತ - marahammata - repair
ಮ«% - marji - wish
ಮಲÚೂÚು 5.ಡು - malafūfu māḍu - to cover
ಮಸಲ - masala - for instance
5.«% - māji - past
ಮತುಬ^% - matubari - trusted
5.<%ಕ - mālika - owner
5.ಲು - mālu - goods
5.ಲುಮ - māluma - known
U%ರ•% - mirasi - inheritance
U%ಲùತುH - milaqattu - meeting
ಮುದjಮು - muddamu - permanent
ಮುZ%døಲು - muṣkilu - difficult
ಮು8.Úರ - musāfara - traveler
ಮುŒ%öl% - mustaide - prepared
x%ಹ+ತು - mehnatu - labor
x%ೂG%Hc.ರ - moktiyāra - absolute/free
ರùಮು - raqamu - article
ರದುj - raddu - to cancel
3.«% - rāji - to agree
ಇವಜು - ivāju - custom
^%c.ಯN% - riyāyati - concession
<%ÚಾÚಿ - lifāfi - envelope
ವಜ'% - vajani - weight
ವತನ - vatana - hereditary estate
ವರಕು - varaku - leaf
2%Q.ಯ - vidāya - farewell
8.U%ಲ - sāmila - comprehension/understanding
ü%ಕ - śauka - voluptuousness/litheness
ಸಂದುù - sanduqa - box
ಸಬೂಬು - sabūbu - excuse
ಸಲo - salla - peace
ಸn.ಮು - salāmu - salutation
ಅಸØn.ಮು ಅy%ೖಕುý - assalāmu alaikuṃ - Muslim greeting
ಸವಲತುH - savalattu - facilities
ಸm.ಲು - savālu - challenge
8.'% - sāni - second/another
© 2021 Shashank Rao 96

ಹù್ùು - haqqu - truth

ಹವ - hava - wind/air
•.ಜ^% - hājari - present
9%Œ%Ø - hisse - part/share
>%ೖ3.ನು - hairānu - restlessness/indecisiveness
ùೈದು - qaidu - prison
C.ಯಬ - nāyaba - deputy
x%ೂG%Hc.ರ C.ಮ - moktiyāra nāma - power of attorney
x%ೂಹಲ - mohala - neighborhood/borough/quarter
ಹುಕುಂ - hukuṃ - order
ಹm.ಲe% - havālate - transfer
ಹಮಲ - hamāla - bearer
•%‡%d - sikke - royal seal
ಅಲoÞ 9%ಸಬು - allal hisabu - according to the contract
ಇಜರ - ijara - contract
ùಿಸುH - qistu - installment
ಜುಮಲ - jumala - total
ÿ%ಲತುH - daulattu - property
ನÚೆ - nafe - profit
x%ೂಬಲಗು - mobalagu - sum/account
x%ೂಹತÁÚ - mohatarfa - tax imposed on traders
x%ೂಹಸy% - mohasale - one who collects something
ಲುùಸಮು - luqasamu - loss
ವಸುಲು/ವಸೂಲು - vasulu/vasūlu - things collected as revenue/rent
ಸ3.Ú - sarāfa - cashier
ಹ•%ಲು - hasilu - revenue/tax
ಅದಲತು - adalatu - justice/court
ù«% - qaji - judge
ùಾನೂಮು - qānūmu - law
ಜ=%H - japti - to confiscate
ಮುl%j ೖ - muddai - complaint
ಮುC.ಸಬು - munāsabu - munsiff (an Indian low court handling civil cases)
ಸನ+ದು - sannadu - warrant
ಅÁù - arqa - juice
ಮಬುಜು - mabuju - plantain
ಮುರಬÍ - murabba - jam
ಹಲM - halva - a kind of Indian sweet
ಅಹÎ.ಂ - ahaṣāṃ - a group of military people
^%8.ಲು - risālu - a troop of horses
ಬುರುಜು - buruju - tower/bastion
U%C.ರ - mināra - minaret
© 2021 Shashank Rao 97

ಅn.o - allā - Allah

ಕುತುK% - kutubi - sermon
=%ೕರ - pīra - Muslim religious teacher

Persian Vocabulary

ಅಜ5.„%•% - ajamāyisi - to examine/estimate

ಅ-.^% - ajāri - disease
ಅಂಜೂರ - anjūra - fig tree
ಅಂQ.ಜು - andāju - estimation
ಅಬರು - abaru - honor
ಅಂ{.^% - aṃbāri - howdah (a seat with a canopy placed on top of an elephant)
ಆ„%C. - āyinā - mirror
ಅm.ಜು - avāju - voice
ಆ3.ಮು - ārāmu - rest/comfort
ಆ3.ಮು ಕು—% - ārāmu kurci - easy chair/resting chair
ಆಸ5.'% - āsamāni - sky blue
ಇಸುgm.ರ - ismuvāra - according to names
ಇ•%H•.ರು C.x% - istihāru nāme - a written proclamation
ಉx%ೕದು - umēdu - hope
ಉx%ೕದm.ರ - umēdavāra - candidate
ಎಕ8.ಲ - ekasāla - one year
ùL%U% - qadimi - long standing
ಕU% - kami - less
ಕ5.ನು - kamānu - bow/arch
ಕU%g - kammi - deficiency
ಕn.ಬತುH - kalābattu - embroidery
ùn.„% - qalāyi - coating of the vessel
ಖn.•% - khalāsi - seaman
X.ರ8.Hನ - kārastāna - cleverness
ž.ಸQ.ರ - khāsadāra - groom
ž.ವಂದ - khāvanda - master
ž.8.i% - khāsāgi - private
ಕ<%ೕಜ - kalīja - liver
G%C.•% - kināre - riverbed
G%3.ಯ - kirāya - rent
ಕುಮುಕು - kumuku - help
ಖು•%d - khuski - dry land
ಕು•%H - kusti - wrestling
ಕೂಚು - kūcu - march
ùೈದು ಖೂf% - qaidu khūne - prison
© 2021 Shashank Rao 98

ùೊಮು ವ¥ರು - qomu vūru - caste-wise

ž.f% - khāne - house
ಖುದುj - khuddu - self
ಖೂ'% - khūni - murder
ಖೂಬು - khūbu - handsome
ಗಜ - gaja - yard
ಗಲoತು - gallatu - mistake/incorrect
ಗ•%H - gasti - going round
•.•% - gāre - plaster
i%ರಬj^% - girabdari - to be involved in difficulty
i%ಲo - gilla - complaint
ಗುn.K% - gulābi - rose
ಗುಲುo - gullu - noise/din
ಚಮgರ - cammara - cobbler
ಚರK% - carabi - fat
p.ಕರ - cākara - servant
ಆಮದು - āmadu - income
ùಿಸುHಬಂL% - qistubandi - paying in installments
ಖ^%ೕL% - kharīdi - purchase
ಗಲo - gallā - box used for money after sales
ನಗದು - nagadu - ready cash
ಅ«% - arji - petition
ಅಜ ದಸುH - arjadastu - written petition
ಅ«% ದರ - arjidara - petitioner
ರೂಬX.^% - rūbakāri - written record of the case
Î.ಇL%- ṣā’idi - witness at law
ಅಂಗೂರ - angūra - grape
ಅC.ಜು - anāju - grain
ಕರಬೂಜ - karabūja - muskmelon/cantaloupe
ಖು3.ಕು - khurāku - nutritive diet
ಗರಮ - garama - hot
ಗರಮ ಮ8.y% - garama masāle - garam masala
ಚ-.N% - capāti - a type of leavened bread from wheat flour (also called •%ೂt%~ - roṭṭi)
«%y%ೕK% - jilēbi - a type of sweet (usually orange or yellow)
ನಮಕು - namaku - salt
ಪ'%ೕರು - panīru - paneer (Indian farmer’s cheese)
ಪuL%ನ - pudina - mint leaves
ಪರ5.„%Z% - paramāyiṣi - made to order/most excellent/best/most suitable
x%ೖದ - maida - wheat flour
•%3. - sirā - a type of sweet
ಬÁÚಿ - barfi - a type of sweet made from nuts such as almond and cashew
© 2021 Shashank Rao 99

{.ದು`%ೖ - bāduśai - a sort of sweet Indian sweet doughnut

ಲಷdರು - laṣkaru - army
•%-.„% - sipāyi - soldier
ಜ5.Q.ರ - jamādāra - commander of troops
Ÿ.ನಯ - thānaya - camp/encampment
e%ೂೕಪu - tōpu - cannon
¤%ೕದ - pēda - infantryman/one who walks on their feet
ಬಕತರ - bakatara - armor
ಬ•.ದರ - bahādara - warrior/courageous person
{.•% -.„% - bārsipāyi - foot soldier
^%8.ಲjರ - risāldara - commander of troops on horses
ಗುಮು^% - gumuri - domet
ಗ^% - gari - grave/tomb
ಕರž.f% - karakhāne - square house
L%m.ಲ - divāla - wall
ನ5.ಜು - namāju - prayer
f%ೕಕ - nēka - purity of heart
{.ಷಂದ - bāṣanda - may you live in peace
•%ೂೕಜ - rōja - fast (as in a period of not eating)
Œ%ೕಬು - sēbu - pir (a Muslim holy man)
Œ%ೕರು - sēru - seer
ಕುn.„% - kulāyi - cap
ತÚಾH - taftā - a kind of silk cloth
ತುm.ಲ - tuvāla - towel
ಪರl% - parade - veil
ಲುಂi% - lungi - a kind of cloth
Î.ಲು - ṣālu - shawl
© 2021 Shashank Rao 100

Appendix C: Advanced Vocabulary

ಏ^%ದ - ērida - advanced (literally “raised” or “elevated”)

ಆå%ೕಪ©% ‡%ೂಡು - to speak poorly of/reproach
ದೂರು - to blame/insult/speak poorly of
ಪI-.ಪIಭುತM - democracy
ಸಂ2%v.ನ - constitution
5.ಧ;ಮ - medium (by which something is done)
ಅ$%-.Iಯ - opinion
’%ೕL%‡% - platform
ಪIN%'W% % - representative
ಪರm.i% - on behalf of
X.ಲX.ಲ‡%d - from time to time
ವರL%/ಸುL%j - report
ತ'%•% - inquiry/investigation
X.ಲU%N% - time limit
ಸಲುm.i% - in order to
\%ದ^%‡% - intimidation
ಸೂಕH - appropriate
ಆc. - respective
ಸ—%m.ಲಯ - ministry
ಸಲ>% - advice
ಚುC.ವ©% - election
!%ೂೕZ%ಸ ು - to declare
ಪIe%;ೕಕ - separate
ಆಗIಹ - demand
N%ೕವI(%ೂಂಡು - intensify
ಒತHಡ - pressure
>%ೕರು - to inflict/bring down on
ಮುಂಬರು - to be forthcoming/oncoming
5.ನ;e% - right (as in civil right)
ಸ5.’%ೕಶ - conference
ಮುಖಂಡ/C.ಯಕ - leader
ತ3.ƒ%(% - seriously
2%ರಕH - sanyasi/hermit
ಮ".W%ೕಶ - religious leader
f%ೕX.ರ - weaver
8.ಲ - loan
ಮC.+ - waiver
“.ಗ; !%ೂೕZ%ಸ ು - to declare paid/pay off for someone else (usually of the government)
ಸಹX.ರ - cooperation
© 2021 Shashank Rao 101

ಪರಸ˜ರ - reciprocal
ವ•%ಗು - postposition indicating the maximum of something
5.ಡn.ಗು - to be done/become done/performed/executed
ಜವ¿% - textiles
ಸ—%ವ - minister
ಸುL%j(%ೂೕZ%[ - news conference
ಉl%jೕ£%ಸ ು - to intend
ಉl%jೕಶ - intention/purpose
ಬ‚%ˆ - interest (on a loan)
5.ದ^% - way/manner/form
ಸಂಬಧ - time/instance/happening
ಮುಖ;ಮಂN%I - Chief Minister
ಸMತಃ - oneself (emphasizes the subject)
2%p.ರ - manner/affair/issue
5.ನವ p.<%ತ - powered by man/manned
ಅವಳವ‚%ಸ ು - to insert
f%ೕÈ%Ê - to weave
ಅನುಕೂಲ - convenience/comfort
ಅನುಕೂಲ ಕ<%˜ಸು - to facilitate
ಆy%ೂೕ—%ಸ ು - to decide
ಸ•.ಯಧನ - subsidy
ಒದi%ಸ ು - to provide
y%ೂೕX.ಯುಕH - a committee and task force appointed to investigate corruption
ಅಧ;€ - president (of a college)
f%ಲಮಂಗಲ - ground floor
’%ೖದ;G%ೕಯ - medical/relating to doctors
ಪIN%G%Iಯ - feedback
X.ಯ '%m. ಹಕ - executive
ಸದಸ; - members (of a government council or body)
ದೂರು - complaint/accusation
ಆv.ರ - basis
`%ೖ€™%ಕ - academic/educational/relating to students or learning
ಉಲoಂ#%ಸ ು - to violate
ಉಲoಂ#%ಸn.ಗು - to be violated
ಅಕIಮm.i% - illegally
Q.8.Hನ - inventory/storage facility
9%ನ+y% - background
ಸ®ಳ - place
Q.ಖy% - admission/document
ಪ^%£%ೕಲf% ನಡಸn.ಗು - to review/scrutinize/examine (of documents/complaints/etc.)
ತರುm.ಯ/ಬ¿%ಕ - after
© 2021 Shashank Rao 102

•%ದÒಪ‚%ಸ ು - to prepare (documents/statements/etc.)

ಕIಮ - action
‡%ೖ(%ೂಳu³ - to carry out
‡%ೖ(%ೂಳ³n.ಗು - to be carried out
ಆವರಣ - premises/precinct/veil
ಆ•%ೂೕ=%ಸ ು - to allege
'%ಲ Š%ಸ ು - to ignore
'%ಲ Š%ಸn.ಗು - to be ignored
'%ಗL%c.ದ - scheduled
ಕಂQ.ಯ/e%^( % % - tax/revenue
ಇn.•% - administrative body of the government/governmental division or branch
ಅW%X.ರದ<%oರು - to be in power
ತ=%˜ಸು - to cause to make mistakes
•.L% - damage
5.9%N% - information
3.«%ೕC.x% - resignation
ಉತH3.W%X.ರ - succession/successor
K%ಕdಟು~ - crisis
3.ಜG%ೕಯ - political
'%^%ೕå%(ಯ) - expectation/expected
'%^%ೕå%ಯಂe%È%ೕ - as expected
”.ರಕ‡%dೕ^%ರು - to crystallize/become reality
ಆಡ¿%ತ - administration
ಆಡ¿%ತ ನz%ಸ ು - to run (an operation)/administer (usually of government)
2%p.ರ©% - (criminal) investigation
ಅಹ ರು - something deserved
ಮುಂದೂಡ - postponing
—%ಂe% - worry
ಥಳಕು •.ಕು - to “put an earring”; to bring up a certain topic and fixate on it in a debate
ಸಂಬಂW%•ದ % ಂe% - regarding/germanely/with regard to/about
ಪIಕರಣ - case/topic/issue
=%ೕಠ - bench (of court)
ಮನ2% - appeal
N%ರಸd^%ಸ ು - to deny
'%ಗL% 5.ಡು - to fix/set (a time or place for an appointment)
ವ-.(%ೂ¿%ಸ ು- to dismiss (legal term)
-.U%ೕನು - charge (synonym: ಈಡು/>%ೂ©%)
ಅ«% - petition
ಹy%o - assault
ಪ€ - (political) party/wing/faction
N%ರಸd^%ಸ ು - reject
© 2021 Shashank Rao 103

ಪIN%ಭಟC.X.ರ - protestor
C.ಪe%c H .ಗು - to be missing/not visible
ಗುಂಡು - shot (from a bullet)
ಇL%ೕಗ - right now/shortly (relative to a specific moment)
ಬ9%ರಂಗ - exposed/revealed/public
ಕಲುo ತೂ3.ಟ - stone-throwing/stoning
'%ರಂಕುಶ - arbitrary
'%v. ರ/'%ಣ ಯ - decision
x%t%~y%ೕರು - meṭṭilēru - to step up (to something)
Q.ಖ<%•ರ % ು - to be admitted/filed (of a case or document)
'%ವೃತH - retired
ಗುಂಪu - group
ಉL%IಕH - frantic
ಉy%oೕ$%ಸ ು - to mention
N%Iಸದಸ; =%ೕಠ - apex court bench
ತz% '%ೕಡು - to stay/delay/hinder (of an action)
(noun) ಸಂಬಂಧ - in connection with (noun)
'%ರತ - dutiful/responsible
‡%ರ¿%ಸ ು - to exacerbate/enrage
ಕುತೂಹಲ - interest/curiosity
ಮತQ. - ballot
ಜನಪIN%'W % % - representative
ಸಂ¡% - evening
ಅತH - beyond (a formal conjunction for the word “and”)
š.ಸಕ - legislator
š.ಸಕಂಗ - legislator
2%v.ನಸs% - assembly
ತವಕ - anxiety (metaphorically)
ಉ¿%•‡ % %ೂಳu³ - to retain
ಪIN%¬%[ಯ - prestigious/important
•.<% - extant/current
ಸುಣ‰m.i%ರು - to be in the limelight
ಕಣm.ಗು - to be a part of/take part in
ಅಭ;R% - candidate
ಸ˜W% ಸು - to contest/challenge
¤%ೖ¤%¥ೕt% - competition
ಪIಕರಣ - case
X.ಯ ದ£% - secretary
8.ಮೂ9%ಕ - relating to a group
ಹy%o - attack
ಸಬ<%ೕಕರಣ - empowerment
© 2021 Shashank Rao 104

(locative case of noun) ಆತಂಕ ಮf% 5.ಡು - to become anxious about (something or someone)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 105

Answer Key for Practice Questions

Chapter 1

A. Practice writing the following words after completing the first exercise.

1. sēbu - Œ%ೕಬು
2. ācaraṇe - ಆಚರ©%
3. gōḍe - (%ೂೕz%
4. manuṣya - ಮನುಷ;
5. mattu - ಮತುH
6. rakta - ರಕH
7. raita - •%ೖತ
8. mūle - ಮೂy%
9. ṛsī - ಋZ%ೕ
10. mṛtyū - ಮೃತೂ;
11. mara - ಮರ
12. īga - ಈಗ
13. mēle - x%ೕy%
14. amṛtā - ಅಮೃ”.
15. lēkhani - y%ೕಖ'%
16. arasa - ಅರಸ
17. nīliya - '%ೕ<%ಯ
18. svaccha - ಸMಚÌ
19. kālu - X.ಲು
20. nālkane - C.ಲdf%

Chapter 2

A. Decline the following nouns into the nominative and accusative cases.

1. y%ೕಖ'%ಯನು+ (lēkhaniyannu)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕನನು+ (adhyāpakanannu)
3. ನ2%ಲುವನು+ (naviluvannu)
4. ಆf%ಯನು+ (āneyannu)
5. ಮರವನು+ (maravannu)
6. x%ೕಜುವನು+ (mējuvannu)
7. '%m.ಸವನು+ (nivāsavannu)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖಯನು+ (kīlikaiyannu)
9. ಪದುjವನು+ (padduvannu)
10. ರŒ%Hಯನು+ (rāsteyannu)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 106

B. Conjugate the following verbs for the given pronoun.

1. C.ವu K%ದುe%Hೕf%
2. ಅವನು ಬ•%ಯು”.Hf%
3. ಅವರು ಈಜು”.H•%
4. C.ವu %ೂೕ—%ಸ ುe%Hೕ’%
5. ಅವಳu ಮ•%ಯು”.H‹%
6. '%ೕವu 5.ಡುN%^ H %
7. ಅದು ಕು‚%ಯುN%Hಯ
8. ಅದು 9%‚%ಯುತHl%
9. ಅವu ಇರುತH’%
10. ”.ವu ಓದುN%^
H %

C. Translate the following sentences into Kannada.

1. C.ನು Œ%ೕಬನು+ N%ನು+e%Hೕf%. (Nānu sēbannu tinnuttēne.)

2. C.ವu ಪuಸHಕವನು+ ಮ•%ಯುe%Hೕ’%. (Nāvu pustakavannu mareyuttēve.)
3. ಅವರು ಹಣ‰ಗಳನು+ ತ•%ಯು”.H•.% (Avaru haṇṇagaḷannu tareyuttāre.)
4. ಅವ) ಓಡು”.H‹.% (Avaḷu ōduttāḷe.)
5. ಅದು ‡%ಲಸ 5.ಡು”.Hl%. (Adu kelasa māḍuttade.)
6. '%ೕವu '%l%I5.ಡುN%^H /% ಮಲಗುN%^H .% (Nīvu nidremāduttiri/malaguttiri).
7. '%ೕನು y%ೕಖ'%ಯನು+ 9%‚%ಯುN%HೕÈ%. (Nīnu lēkhaniyannu hiḍiyuttīye).
8. '%ೕವu %ೂೕ—%ಸ ುN%^
H .% (Nīvu yōcisuttiri).
9. ಅವಳu ತಮgನು+ ª.ಪಕ2%ಟು~‡%ೂಳu³ತH‹/% f%ನ=%ಡುತH‹.% (Avaḷu tamannu jñāpakaviṭṭukoḷḷuttāḷe/
nenapiḍuttāḷe.)
10. ಅವu ನಮgನು+ f%ೂೕಡುತH’%. (Avu nammannu nōḍuttave.)

Chapter 3

A. Decline the following nouns into the instrumental and dative cases.

1. y%ೕಖ'%„%ಂದ/y%ೕಖ'%(% (lēkhaniyinda/lēkhanige)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕ'%ಂದ/ಅv.;ಪಕ'%(% (adhyāpakaninda/adhyāpakanige)
3. ನ2%ಲು2%ಂದ/ನ2%ಲು2%(% (naviluvinda/naviluvige)
4. ಆf%„%ಂದ/ಆf%(% (āneyinda/ānege)
5. ಮರL%ಂದ/ಮರ‡%d (maradinda/marakke)
6. x%ೕಜು2%ಂದ/x%ೕಜು2%(% (mējuvinda/mējuvige)
7. '%m.ಸL%ಂದ/'%ವಸ‡%d (nivāsadinda/nivāsakke)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ„%ಂದ/G%ೕ<%‡%ೖ(% (kīlikaiyinda/kīlikaige)
9. ಪದುj2%ಂದ/ಪದುj2( % % (padduvinda/padduvige)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 107

10. 3.Œ%H„%ಂದ/3.Œ%H'(
% % (rāsteyinda/rāstenige)

B. Write the following verbs in the negative form.

1. ತ•%ಯುವL%ಲo (tareyuvadilla)
2. ನz%ಯುವL%ಲo (naḍeyuvadilla)
3. >%ೂೕಗುವL%ಲo (hōguvadilla)
4. ಈಜುವL%ಲo (ījuvadilla)
5. ಸು<%ಯುವL%ಲo (suliyuvadilla)
6. e%ೂ‹%ಯುವL%ಲo (toḷeyuvadilla)
7. ಕತH^ಸ
% ುವL%ಲo (kattarisuvadilla)
8. ಎ™%ಸ ುವL%ಲo (eṇisuvadilla)
9. ಬರುವL%ಲo (baruvadilla)
10. ಕ•%ಯುವL%ಲo (kareyuvadilla)

C. Translate the following sentences into Kannada.

1. ಅವನು ಬಟ~<%ಂದ e%(%ದು‡%ೂಳu³”.Hf.% (Avanu baṭṭalinda tegedukoḷḷuttāne.)

2. C.ವu š.y%„%ಂದ ಮf%(% >%ೂೕಗುತH’%. (Nāvu śaleyinda manege hōguttave.)
3. ಅx%ೕ^%ಕL%ಂದ ಬರುe%Hೕf%. (Amērikadinda baruttēne.)
4. ಅವರು “.ರತ‡%d >%ೂೕಗು”.H•.% (Avaru bhāratakke hōguttāre.)
5. ಅದು ನನ(% ಊಟ. (Adu nanage ūṭa koḍuttade.)
6. ಆಶ ರ5.'%(% Œ%ೕಬನು+ ‡%ೂಡು”.H‹.% (Āsha Ramānige sēbannu koḍuttāḷe.)
a. Note: Ramā ends in ಆ, and there is no special rule for this kind of nouns; these nouns are
usually people’s names.
7. ಅವu ದŠ%ಣL%ಂದ ಬರುತH’%. (Avu dakṣinadinda baruttave.)
8. C.ವu ಅ‚%(%ಮf%„%ಂದ l%ೕವರಮf%(% >%ೂೕಗುe%Hೕ’%. (Nāvu aḍigemaneyinda dēvaramanege
hōguttēve.)
9. '%ೕವu ನನ(% ಬ•%ಯುN%HೕÈ%. (Nīvu nanage bareyuttīye.)
10. '%ೕವu ಇ<%oಂದ ಅದ^%‡% >%ೂೕಗುN%^
H .% (Nīvu illinda adarike hōguttiri.)

Chapter 4

A. Decline the following nouns into the locative case.

1. 5.‚%ಯ<%o (māḍiyalli)
2. ನಡು2%ನ<%o (nāḍuvinalli)
3. ಮ•%ೕL%ಯ<%o (masīdiyalli)
4. ಮf%ಯ<%o (maneyalli)
5. l%ೕವ8.®ನದ<%o (dēvasthānadalli)
6. ಜಗದ<%o (jāgadalli)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 108

7. ಆX.ಸದ<%o (ākāśadalli)
8. ಅಂಗ‚%ಯ<%o (angaḍiyalli)
9. 9%5.ಲಯದ<%o (himālayadalli)
10. ಬ-.ರು2%ನ<%o (bajāruvinalli)

B. Conjugate the following verbs in the present progressive for the given pronoun.

1. ತ•%ಯುN%Hl%jೕf% (tareyuttiddēne)
2. ನz%ಯುN%HLÈ %j % (naḍeyuttiddiye)
3. >%ೂೕಗುN%Hl%j (hōguttidde)
4. ಈಜುN%Hl%j (ījuttidde)
5. ಸು<%ಯುN%Hl%jೕ’% (suliyuttiddēve)
6. e%ೂ‹%ಯುN%HL^ %j % (toḷeyuttiddiri)
7. ಕತH^ಸ
% ುN%ದ
H j‹% (kattarisuttiddāḷe)
8. ಎ™%ಸ ುN%Hl%jೕf% (eṇisuttiddāne)
9. ಬರುN%QH .j•% (baruttiddāre)
10. ಕ•%ಯುN%Q H .j•% (kareyuttiddāre)

C. Conjugate the following verbs in the given imperative form.

1. ತರ<% (tarali)
2. ನz%ೂೕ (naḍō)
3. >%ೂೕi% (hōgi)
4. ಈ¡% (ījē)
5. ಸು<% %ೂೕಣ (suliyōṇa)
6. e%ೂ¿%^% (toḷiri)
7. ಕತH^ಸ
% ು (kattarisu)
8. ಎ™%•% (eṇisi)
9. {. (bā)
10. ಕ•% %ೂೕಣ (kareyōṇa)

Chapter 5

A. Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense for the given pronoun.

1. ತಂl%ೕನು (tandēnu)
2. ನz%l% (naḍede)
3. >%ೂೕi%ದವu (hōgidavu)
4. ಈ«%ತು (ījitu)
5. ಸು<%l%ೕವu (sulidēvu)
6. e%ೂ‹%L%^% (toḷediri)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 109

7. ಕತH^•
% ದ% ಳu (kattarisidaḷu)
8. ಎ™%•ದ % ನು (eṇisidanu)
9. ಬಂದರು (bandaru)
10. ಕ•%ದರು (karedaru)

B. Translate the following sentences into Kannada using modal expressions.

1. C.ನು ಈಗy% ಊಟ 5.ಡ\%ೕಕು. (Nānu īgale ūṭa māḍabēku.)

2. ಅವಳu '%l%I5.ಡ\%ೕX.i%ತುH/ಮಲಗ\%ೕX.i%ತುH. (Avaru nidremāḍabēkāgittu/malagabēkāgittu.)
3. C.ವu >%ೂರಡ\%ೕಕು. (Nāvu hōraḍabēku.)
4. 8.ಧ; ಆi%„%ೕತು. (Sādhya āgiyītu.)
5. ಅವನು -.ಠ ಓದಬಹುದು. (Avanu pāṭha ōdabahudu).
6. ಅವu ಇ<%oಂದ >%ೂೕi%c.ವu. (Avu illinda hōgiyāvu.)
7. C.ನು ಮf%(% m.ಪಸ>%ೂೕi%È%ೕನು. (Nānu manege vāpasahōgiyēnu.)
8. ಅವರು ಓಡಹಹುದು. (Avaru ōḍabahudu.)
9. '%ೕ’%n.o ಅ‚%(% 5.ಡ\%ೕಕು. (Nīvellā aḍige māḍabēku.)
10. '%ೕವu •.‚%„%ೕ^%. (Nīvu hāḍiyīri.)

C. Decline the following nouns into the genitive case.

1. y%ೕಖ'%ಯ (lēkhaniya)
2. ಅv.;ಪಕನ (adhyāpakana)
3. ನ2%ಲು2%ನ (naviluvina)
4. ಆf%ಯ (āneya)
5. ಮರದ (marada)
6. x%ೕಜು2%ನ (mējuvina)
7. '%m.ಸದ (nivāsada)
8. G%ೕ<%ಕಯ (kīlikaiya)
9. ಪದುj2ನ% (padduvina)
10. 3.Œ%Hಯ (rāsteya)

D. Translate the following sentences into Kannada using the comparative form. Note: ಇನೂ+ (innū
- more), ಕU% (kami - less)

1. ಇದು ಅದುi%ಂತ ಇನೂ+ ಕಷ~m.i%l%j (Idu aduginta innū kaṣṭavāgidde.)

2. ನನ(% '%ನi%ಂತ ಇನೂ+ ‡%ಲಸ ಇl%. (Nanage ninaginta innū kelasa ide.)
3. ಅವಳu '%ಮgi%ಂತ ಇನೂ+ ಅಂದm.i%Q.j‹/% ಮುQ.ji%Q.j‹.% (Avaḷu nimmaginta innū andavāgiddāḷe/
muddāgiddāḷe.)
4. ಅವ^%(% ನಮgi%ಂತ ಕU% ಹ•%ವu ಆಗುತHl% (Avarige nammaginta kami hasivu āguttade.)
5. ಇ<%o ಅ<%oi%ಂತ ಈ 2%ಷಯ ಕU% ಇl%. (Illi alliginta ī viṣaya kami ide.)
6. ನಮg ಹN%Hರ '%ಮgi%ಂತ ಕU% Œ%ೕಬುಗಳu ಇ’%. (Namma hattira nimaginta kami sēbugaḷu ive.)
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7. «%ಂ‡% ಕುಂL%<i
% %ಂತ ಇನೂ+ '%ಶÑಬjm.i%l.%j (Jinke kundiliginta innū niśśabdvāgidde.)
8. ಹು<% ಕರ‚%i%ಂತ ಇನೂ+ —%ಕುdm.i%l.%j (Huli karaḍiginta innū cikkuvāgidde.)
9. ಅವu ಇವui%ಂತ ಇನೂ+ N%ನು+ತH’%. (Avu ivuginta innū tinnuttave.)
10. '%ೕನು ನನ+ ಇನೂ+ '%ೕರಸm.i%LÈ %j %. (Nīnu nannaginta innū nīrasavāgiddiye.)

Chapter 6

A. Conjugate the following nouns in the given perfective tense for the given pronoun.

1. ತಂL%l%jನು (tandiddenu)
2. ನz%L%L%jÈ% (naḍediddiye)
3. >%ೂೕi%ದjವu (hōgiddavu)
4. ಈ«%L%ತುH (ījidittu)
5. ಸು<%L%l%jವu (sulididdevu)
6. e%ೂ‹%L%L%j^% (toḷediddiri)
7. ಕತH^•
% L% %ದjಳu (kattarisididdaḷu)
8. ಎ™%•L % %l%jೕf% (eṇisididdēne)
9. ಬಂL%ದjರು (bandiddaru)
10. ಕ•%L%L%j^% (karediddiri)

B. Translate the following sentences into Kannada, using the prohibitive forms.

1. ಅದನು+ N%ನ+\%ೕ‚%! (Adannu tinnabēḍi!)

2. 3.™%, ಇನೂ+ '%l%I5.ಡ\%ೕz%M/ಮಲಗ\%ೕz%ೂMೕ. (Rāṇi, innū nidremāḍabēḍvē/malagabēḍvō).
3. '%ೕನು ಅಷು~ \%ೕಗ ಓಡ{.ರದು . (Nīnu aṣṭu bēga ōḍabāradu.)
4. C.ವu ಇ¬%ೂ~ೕ N%ನ+{.ರದು. (Nāvu iṣṭō tinnabāradu.)
5. 3.ಜು, ಮf%(% m.ಪಸ>%ೂೕಗ\%ೕಡ. (Rāju, manege vāpasahōgabēḍa).
6. Œ%ೕದಕೂಡದು . (Sēdakūḍadu.)
7. ಅವನು ಅಷು~ '%l%I5.ಡ{.ರದು/ಮಲಗ{.ರದದು. (Avanu aṣṭu nidremāḍabāradu/malagabāradu.)
8. ಇ<%o ಆË.ಡ\%ೕz%ೂMೕ! (Illi āṭāḍabēḍvō!)
9. ಅವರು ಒಳಗz% ಬರಕುಡದು. (Avaru oḷagade barakūḍadu.)
10. '%ೕವu >%ೂರಡ{.ರದು. (Nīvu horaḍabāradu.)

C. Translate the following sentences into Kannada using modal expressions.

1. '%ಮg(% ಇ<%o '%l%I5.ಡ‡%d/ಮಲಗ‡%d ಆಗುತHದ? (Nimmage illi nidremāḍakke/malagakke āguttada?)

2. š.y%(% >%ೂೕಗ‡%d, ಇ<%o(% >%ೂೕಗ\%ೕಕು. (Śālege hōgakke, illige hōgabēku.)
3. ಏನು 5.†.\%ೕಕು ಇದನು+ ಉಪ %ೂೕi%ಸ‡%d? (Ēnu māḍabēku idannu upayōgisakke?)
4. ನಮg(% ಈ ಆಟಡ‡%d ಬರುತHl%. (Nammage ī āṭa āṭāḍakke baruttade.)
5. f%f%+ ಅವ¿%(% '%l%I5.ಡ‡%d/ಮಲಗ‡%d ಆಗುವL%ಲo. (Nenne avaḷige nidremāḍakke/malagakke
āguvadilla.)
© 2021 Shashank Rao 111

6. ಅವu ಅG%d N%ನ+‡% ಆಗುವL%ಲo. (Avu akki tinnakke āguvadilla.)

7. ನನ+ ”.„%(%/ಅಮg'%(% 9%ಂL% ಬರುವL%ಲo. (Nanna tāyige/ammanige Hindi baruvadilla.)
8. '%ೕನು ಇದನು+ ಉಪ %ೂೕi%ಸ‡%d ಓಡ‡%d. (Nīnu idannu upayōgiside ōdakke.)
9. ನಮg ಕುಟುಂಬಗರು “.ರತ‡%d >%ೂೕಗ‡%d 2%5.ನದ<%o ಬರು”.H•.% (Namma kuṭumbagaru Bhāratakke
hōgakke vimānadinalli baruttāre.)
10. '%ೕವu ದುಡುˆ ‡%ೂt%~^% ಇ<%o ಆË.ಡ‡%d. (Nīvu duḍḍu koṭṭiri illi āṭāḍakke.)

Chapter 7

A. Translate the following sentences into Kannada, using coordinating conjunctions.

1. ಪ^%ೕ€ ‡%ೂಡುN%È H %, ಅಥವ Œ%ೂೕಲುN%È H %. (Parīkśa koḍuttīye, athava sōluttīye.)

2. ಅವನು -.ಠ ಓದುN%ದ H jನು '%ೕವu ‡%ಲಸL%ನ<%o ಇರುm.ಗ. (Avanu pāṭha ōduttiddanu nīvu kelasadinalli
iruvāga.)
3. C.ನು 5.•%ೕL%(% >%ೂೕ\%ೕಕು, ಇ5.ಮು ¡%ೂe% 5.ತC.ಡ\%ೕಕು. (Nānu masīdige hōgabēku, imāmu
jote mātanāḍabēku.)
4. ಪŠ%ಗಳu ಮe%Hಮe%/H ಪl%ೕಪl%ೕ •.ಡು”.H•,% ಅಥವ 2%ರಳm.i%? (Pakśigaḷu mattematte/padēpadē
hāḍuttāre, athava viraḷavāgi?)
5. C.ವu ಅ™%c.i%ದ•%/•%ದÒm.i%ದ•%/ತc.3.i%ದ•%, C.ವu >%ೂರಡ\%ೕಕು. (Nāvu aṇiyāgidare/
siddhavāgidare/tayārāgidare, nāvu horaḍabāeku.)
6. ಅವ^%(% >%ೂೕಗ‡%d ಇಷ~, ಆದ•% x%ೂದಲು/ಮುಂ_% ಮf%(%ಲಸ 5.ಡ\%ೕಕು. (Avarige hōgakke iṣṭa, ādare
modalu/munce manegelasa māḍabēku.)
7. '%ೕವu l%ೕವ8.®ನ‡%d >%ೂೕದ•%, ಸMಲ˜ ದಭ e%(%ದು‡%ೂಂಡು ಬ'%+. (Nīvu dēvasthānakke hōdare, svalpa
darbha tegedukonḍabanni.)
8. ಇಷು~ x%ೖಗಳ³C.i%ರ\%ೕಡ! ಅಥವ '%ಮg ”.„%/ಅಮg ‡%ೂೕಪ ಆಗು”.H•.% (Iṣṭu maigaḷḷanāgirabēḍa!
Athava nimma tāyi/amma kōpa āguttāre.)
9. C.ನು x%ೂƒ%~ಗಳನು+ ‡%ೂಂಡು‡%ೂಳu³e%Hೕf%/ಖ^%ೕL%ಸ ುe%Hೕf%, '%ೕನು ತರX.^%ಯನು+ ‡%ೂಂಡು‡%ೂಳu³N%ÈH %/
ಖ^%ೕL%ಸ ುN%È
H %. (Nānu moṭṭegaḷannu konḍukoḷḷuttēne/kharīdisuttēne, nīnu tarakāriyannu
konḍukoḷḷuttīye/kharīdisuttīye.)
10. C.ವu ಸುಸHm.i%l%jೕ’%, ಆದ•% ಸMಲ˜ '%l%I >%ೂಡx%ೕy% ಬರುe%Hೕ’%. (Nāvu sustavāgiddēve, ādare svalpa
nidre hoḍamēle baruttēve.)

Chapter 8

A. Decline the following nouns into the vocative case.

1. y%ೕಖ'%È%ೕ (lēkhaniyē)
2. ಅv.;ಪ‡%ೕ (adhyāpakē)
3. ನ2%y%ೕ (navilē)
4. ಆf%È%ೕ (āneyē)
5. ಮ•%ೕ (marē)
6. x%ೕ¡%ೕ (mējē)
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7. '%m.Œ%ೕ (nivāsē)
8. G%ೕ<%‡%ೖÈ%ೕ (kīlikaiyē)
9. ಪl%jೕ (paddē)
10. 3.Œ%HÈ%ೕ (rāsteyē)

B. Conjugate the following verbs in the future tense for the given pronoun.

1. ತರು’%ನು (taruvenu)
2. ನಡು’% (naḍuve)
3. >%ೂೕಗುವವu (hōguvavu)
4. ಈಜುವuದು (ījuvavu)
5. ಸುಲು’%ವu (suluvevu)
6. e%ೂಳu2%^% (toḷuviri)
7. ಕತH^ಸ
% ುವಳu (kattarisuvaḷu)
8. ಎ™%ಸ ುವನು (eṇisuvanu)
9. ಬರುವರು (baruvaru)
10. ಕರು2%^% (karuviri)