Maldivian grammar
Maldivian grammar explained in plain words. Simple grammar with no gender and no articles, short words. What is harder: right-to-left script and an almost total lack of textbooks in English.
Notes
- 📐The verb always comes lastDivehi builds a sentence as subject → object → verb. "I eat rice" comes out as "I rice eat": އަހަރެން ބަތް ކަނީ.
- 📐No gender, no articlesNouns have no gender, and there are no articles. އޭނާ means both "he" and "she".
- 📐The question particles -ތަ and -ތޯTo make a question, a particle is glued to a word: -ތަ in ordinary speech, -ތޯ when you are polite.
- 📐Three levels of politenessIn Divehi the choice of the word for "you" is a social decision, not grammar. - ކަލޭ (kaley) — only with peers and…
- 📐Present tense in -ނީ (-nee)The form in -ނީ says what is happening now or in general: ދަނީ (go), ކަނީ (eat), ބޮނީ (drink), އުޅެނީ (live).
- 📐Bigger, smaller and "than"To say "more expensive", first name the thing you compare with. It takes the ending -އަށްވުރެ ("than"), and the quality…
- 📐Where, where to, where from: endings instead of prepositionsTo say "in the kitchen" or "into the room", no preposition is needed: Divehi has none. An ending is glued to the word…
- 📐The plural that is usually not thereThe plural in Divehi is optional. When it is already clear that there are many things, the word stays as it is…
- 📐Yesterday: the past tenseTo talk about yesterday, the verb changes its whole tail, not just the ending. ދަނީ ("go") gives ދިޔަ ("went"), ބޮނީ…
- 📐Request, command and the polite -ތޯAt a bank window and in a doctor's waiting room Divehi sounds different from the market. The difference rests on two…
- 📐Tomorrow: the future tenseTo say "I will go", pick the ending not by the time but by the speaker.
- 📐"Give me": the addressee in -އަށްTo say "to me", "to you", "to him", the pronoun takes -އަށް. It is the same ending that turns ރަށް (island) into ރަށަށް…
- 📐Definiteness: what Divehi uses instead of an articleTo tell "that very one" from "just any one", no article is needed — Divehi has none. Definiteness is shown by the bare…
- 📐Number: -ތައް, -ން and countingThe plural is not always marked, and that is the main thing about it. Things take -ތައް (ފޮށިތައް — suitcases), people…
- 📐Must, may, must not"Have to" is assembled from the verb in -ން and the word ޖެހޭ ("it comes to"). ދާން ޖެހޭ — "have to go", ފުރަން ޖެހޭ…
- 📐This, that and here: the demonstratives މި, ތި, އެDivehi has three demonstratives, and they are sorted not by distance but by whose hands the thing is in. މި — by me…
- 📐Whose is it: the ending -ގެTo say "my", "your", "mom's", no separate word is needed. There is one ending, -ގެ, and it clings to any name and any…
- 📐Very, too, a little: degree and judgmentDegree in Divehi comes from separate words in front of the quality, not from endings. ވަރަށް ("very") is the commonest…
- 📐Without a subject: I am cold, it is raining, it can be heardA whole layer of Divehi gets along without a doer. "It is raining" is ވާރޭ ވެހެނީ, where the rain itself is the…
- 📐Two thoughts in one sentence: ކަމަށް, ވީމާ, ނަމަ, އިރުTo sew two thoughts together, Divehi puts the link at the end of the first part. English puts "that", "if" and "when"…
- 📐How much exactly: ގިނަ, މަދު, ހުރިހާ, ބައެއްQuantity stands in front of the noun and never changes: ގިނަ ދަރިވަރުން ("many students"), މަދު ވަގުތު ("little time").…
- 📐The description in front: the participle instead of "which"To say "the person who sells", the word "who" is not needed — Divehi has none. The description folds up and stands in…
- 📐Comparing whole descriptions: -އަށްވުރެ and -ހާIn a comparison the quality does not change — what changes is the thing you compare with. -އަށްވުރެ ("than") clings to…
- 📐If and if only: -އިއްޔާ, ނަމަ, ނަމަވެސްA condition in Divehi closes its part instead of opening it. A real condition is the ending -އިއްޔާ on the verb: ވަޒީފާ…
- 📐The most: one word, އެންމެTo say "the most", one word is enough — އެންމެ in front of the quality. އެންމެ ބޮޑު ("the biggest"), އެންމެ އަގުހެޔޮ…
- 📐Already, still and all this while: aspect and durationTo say "already", there is the ending -ެއްޖެ: ކެންސަލްވެއްޖެ ("has been cancelled"), ނިމިއްޖެ ("has finished"). It is…
- 📐Someone else's words: ކަމަށް and the question without a question markTo pass on someone else's words, Divehi runs the mirror way. The thought comes first, then the closing ކަމަށް, and the…
- 📐Who did it is not saidOfficial Divehi almost never names the doer. Instead the verb takes -ެވު- before the ending: ހުށަހެޅުން ("to submit")…
- 📐Probably and hardly: the verb carries the probabilityTo say "maybe", Divehi changes not the adverb but the verb itself.
- 📐Cause, purpose, time, concession: where the link standsA link in Divehi hangs on the verb of the first part and stands at its end. Only three words go in front, and they open…
- 📐A quality from a noun: -ވެރި, -ތެރި, -ގަދަ, -ކުޑަDivehi has few qualities "from scratch": ބޮޑު, ކުޑަ, ދިގު, ކުރު, ރީތި — that is nearly the whole list. The rest are…
- 📐A noun from a verb: the endings -ުން and -ކަންTo name the action itself — "giving", "stopping" — the verb takes -ުން: ދިނުން, ވުން ("becoming"), ހުއްޓާލުން…
- 📐One thing after another: -ފައި and -ކޮށް in one sentenceIn a recipe and in a story of the day only the last verb carries a person. Every action before it stands in a linking…
- 📐Do it for me: the tail -ދިނުންEnglish says "buy me", "bring me", "explain to me". Divehi passes this not with a pronoun but with a second verb in the…
- 📐It broke by itself: -ކުރުން against -ވުންEnglish tells "he broke it" from "it broke" with different words. Divehi tells them apart with one pair of endings.
- 📐Weather without a subject: ވެހުން, ޖެހުން, ދިނުންEnglish speaks of the weather with "it": it rains, the wind blows, the sun shines. Divehi does the same, but with three…
- 📐Where it is: place words and the ending -ގައިTo explain the way, put the place word after the landmark, not in front of it. ބޭންކުގެ ކުރިމަތީގައި — "opposite the…
- 📐I can, it works out, I have to"I can", "it works out for me", "I have to" are built three different ways. One thing is common: the person always…
- 📐It was and it will be: the tenses of the Divehi verbA Divehi verb has no dictionary form. The tense sits in the ending on the verb, with no "was" or "will" beside it.
- 📐Polite and soft: -ބަލަ, -ލަ-, -ތޯ and the honorific verbsA conversation in Divehi rests not on "please" and "sorry" but on softening inside the verb itself.
- 📐Who does it: -ވެރިޔާ, -ތެރިޔާ and "ކުރާ މީހާ"Half the names of trades need not be learned — they can be assembled from a noun.
- 📐With what and from where: the ending -ުންTo say "with what", "from where" and "because of what", one ending is enough — -ުން.
- 📐Social, political, legal: the tail -ީTo say "political", "legal", "medical", Divehi takes a noun and puts a long -ީ on the end.
- 📐This and is: the link -އަކީ and -އީTo say "this is that", no verb "to be" is needed: in the present Divehi has none. The word you are defining takes…
- 📐Three "no"s: ނު-, ނެތް and ނޫންDivehi has three different "no"s, and you choose by what exactly you are denying.
- 📐A measure from a quality: -މިން, -ދަން and multiplesA measure in Divehi is almost never a separate word: it is assembled from a quality with the tail -މިން ("a size").
- 📐It aches not "with me" but "in the back": three frames of feeling unwellTo complain about your health, Divehi has three frames, and the doctor waits for the right one.
- 📐A wish and a plea to heaven: ...އަށް އެދެން and the tail -ށިTo wish somebody something — a good trip, success, health — Divehi picks the form by the addressee.
- 📐Who is admired and who is resented: the word ދެކެEnglish hands out different prepositions to feelings: love somebody, fear somebody, admire somebody. Divehi is simpler…
- 📐Except, instead of and without: the word comes after the nounEnglish puts "except", "instead of" and "without" BEFORE the noun. Divehi puts the same words AFTER it, and that is not…
- 📐A quality and a noun of quality: -ކަން, -ކޮށް, -ވުން, -ކުރުންA quality stands in front of the noun and never changes: ބޯ ފޮތި — "dense fabric". The same word also goes to the end…
- 📐Where, where to, where from: -ގައި, -އަށް, -ުން and the place nounsTo say "above", "below", "inward", separate words are not needed: in Divehi these are ordinary nouns with a place…
- 📐Fractions, multiples and comparison: ބައިކުޅަ, ގުނަ, ވުރެA fraction is read the other way round: the denominator first, then the service word ބައިކުޅަ, then the numerator.…
- 📐Began, kept on, gave up: the second verb beside the main oneEnglish shows the phase with a prefix or an adverb: "started", "kept on", "gave up". Divehi has no prefixes: a second…
- 📐Not "I found out" but "it became clear to me"A whole class of Divehi verbs gets by with no doer. The one it happened to takes the ending -އަށް, and the matter…
- 📐Time without prepositions: އިރު, -ނަމަ and the endings on timeTime in Divehi takes the same endings as place, and "when" and "if" are built with tails straight on the verb.
- 📐A word out of two words: ގަނޑު, ކޮޅު, ކޮށި and the ending -ގެDivehi does not borrow a term; it folds it out of two of its own nouns. The first defines, the second names: ގަނޑުފެން…
- 📐A verb instead of an adjective: -ާ, -ޭ, -ފައި and -ެވޭDivehi has few qualities and many verbs. Where English puts an adjective, Divehi often puts a verb in a special form.…
- 📐Someone else's words: the particle -ޯ, ކަމަށް and ގޮތުންEnglish passes someone else's speech with "that" and quotation marks. Divehi has neither: everything that reports words…
- 📐What a person is like: -ތެރި, -ވެރި, -ކަން and turns instead of wordsA quality of a person is most often assembled from a noun with a tail.
- 📐އާދެ and އާން: the two "yes"es of DhivehiBoth words mean "yes", and the choice is politeness, not grammar. އާދެ is the polite one — for elders and strangers.…
- 📐ރަނގަޅު and ބަރާބަރު: answering ކިހިނެއް؟Both words answer ކިހިނެއް؟. ރަނގަޅު means "fine, all right" and fits almost anywhere. ބަރާބަރު is stronger — "all in…
What works differently from what you know
Respect is built into the verb form itself, not added as a separate word: to an elder and to a peer you speak with different forms of the same verb. Picking the wrong one is not a grammar mistake — it is rudeness.
Bruce D. Cain, «Dhivehi (Maldivian): A Synchronic and Diachronic Study», Cornell, 2000
What is hard about Maldivian and what comes for free
Hard: right-to-left script and an almost total lack of textbooks in English.
Easy: simple grammar with no gender and no articles, short words.
This is not a verdict on the language but a hint on where to spend effort. The hard parts are best taken a little at a time and often; the easy parts — left alone while they work by themselves.
Frequently asked
Is the grammar of Maldivian complicated?
Right-to-left script and an almost total lack of textbooks in English is the main difficulty. In return, simple grammar with no gender and no articles, short words.
Should grammar be learned separately?
Not as a separate course. A rule learned before you need it is forgotten before you meet it. It is more useful to work it out at the moment you stumble over it.