Do it for me: the tail -ދިނުން
English "buy me...", "bring me...", "explain to me" Divehi passes not with a pronoun but with a second verb in the tail: ދިނުން ("give"). It is glued to the first verb and means "to do this for someone". For example: “ކުދިންނަށް އައިސްކްރީމު ގަނެދިނިން” — I bought the children ice cream. A rule from the Maldivian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English "buy me...", "bring me...", "explain to me" Divehi passes not with a pronoun but with a second verb in the tail: ދިނުން ("give"). It is glued to the first verb and means "to do this for someone".
ގަނެ (gane) + ދިނުން = ގަނެދިނުން ("to buy for someone"), ހޯދާ (hoadhaa) + ދިނުން = ހޯދައިދިނުން ("to find for someone"), ކިޔާ (kiyaa) + ދިނުން = ކިޔައިދިނުން ("to tell, to explain"). The last one was met in unit twenty as "the explanation" — now you can see what it is assembled from.
The one for whom it is done stands with the ending -އަށް (-ah), and it is the same addressee as with ދިނުން alone: ކުދިންނަށް އައިސްކްރީމު ގަނެދިނިން (kudhinnah aiskreemu ganedhinin) — "I bought the children ice cream". Without the ދިނުން tail the sentence would say "I bought ice cream from the children".
A polite request is built with the same tail plus the ending ދެއްވާ (the honorific "give"): ކިޔައިދެއްވާ ("please explain"), ދައްކަވައިދެއްވާ ("please show"). In a shop and in a workshop this is the most frequent form of a request.
Table
| without the tail | with -ދިނުން | translation | to whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| ގަނުން | ގަނެދިނުން | to buy for someone | -އަށް |
| ހޯދުން | ހޯދައިދިނުން | to find for someone | -އަށް |
| ކިޔުން | ކިޔައިދިނުން | to tell, to explain | -އަށް |
| politely | -ދެއްވާ | please do it | -އަށް |
By example
- ކުދިންނަށް އައިސްކްރީމު ގަނެދިނިންkudhinnah aiskreemu ganedhininI bought the children ice cream
- އަހަންނަށް ސްޕެނަރެއް ހޯދައިދީބަލަahannah spenareh hoadhaidheebalaFind me a wrench, please
- މި ފޯނު ބައްލަވައިދެއްވަފާނަންތޯ؟mi foanu ballavaidhevvafaananthoa?Would you take a look at this phone?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Do it for me: how does it work in Maldivian?
English "buy me...", "bring me...", "explain to me" Divehi passes not with a pronoun but with a second verb in the tail: ދިނުން ("give"). It is glued to the first verb and means "to do this for someone".
What does it look like in an example sentence Maldivian?
“ކުދިންނަށް އައިސްކްރީމު ގަނެދިނިން” (kudhinnah aiskreemu ganedhinin) — I bought the children ice cream. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.