Social, political, legal: the tail -ީ
Unit forty-two is entirely about society, and half of its words are Arabic names with the same little tail. This is no accident: Divehi took from Arabic a ready way to make a quality out of a noun, and the way is the long -ީ at the end. For example: “ސިޔާސީ ޕާޓީއަކާ ގުޅުނު” — He joined a political party. A rule from the Maldivian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Unit forty-two is entirely about society, and half of its words are Arabic names with the same little tail. This is no accident: Divehi took from Arabic a ready way to make a quality out of a noun, and the way is the long -ީ at the end.
How it works. A noun is taken, its ending is cut off, and ީ steps in: ސިޔާސަތު (politics) → ސިޔާސީ (political), ގާނޫނު (law) → ގާނޫނީ (legal), ސަލާމަތް (safety) → ސަލާމަތީ (of security), ސިއްހަތު (health) → ސިއްހީ (medical), ގައުމު (a country) → ގައުމީ (national), ޚިޔާލު (a thought) → ޚިޔާލީ (imaginary), ތާރީޚު (history) → ތާރީޚީ (historical).
Where it stands. A quality in Divehi always stands before the noun, like an ordinary adjective: ސިޔާސީ ޕާޓީ (siyaasee paatee) — a political party, ސަލާމަތީ ގަވާއިދު (salaamathee gavaaidhu) — safety rules, ގައުމީ ޗެމްޕިއަންޝިޕް (gaumee chempianship) — a national championship, ޚިޔާލީ ބާރު (khiyaalee baaru) — imagination. The order must not be broken: a swap would turn the description into a separate word.
How this differs from -ވެރި and -ގަދަ (-gadha). The note of unit thirty showed the native ways: ބާރުގަދަ (baarugadha) — strong, ފައިސާވެރި — moneyed. They build a quality from a native noun and speak of quantity: "there is much of it", "it is there". The tail -ީ works with an Arabic noun and speaks of relation: "pertaining to this". That is why ސިއްހީ means "medical", not "healthy": a healthy person is ސިއްހަތު ރަނގަޅު މީހެއް (sihhathu rangalhu meeheh).
One important trap. Not every word in -ީ is a quality. ދިވެހީ, ފެރީ (feree), ކޮމެޑީ (komedee), ޑެލިވަރީ (delivaree) end the same way, but they are nouns: the tail of the first is native, the others are simply an English ending written with the same sign. Watch the place in the sentence, not the last letter.
Table
| the noun | the quality | in English | in a phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| ސިޔާސަތު — politics | ސިޔާސީ | political | ސިޔާސީ ޕާޓީ |
| ގާނޫނު — law | ގާނޫނީ | legal | ގާނޫނީ ގޮތުން |
| ސަލާމަތް — safety | ސަލާމަތީ | of security | ސަލާމަތީ ޚިދުމަތް |
| ސިއްހަތު — health | ސިއްހީ | medical | ސިއްހީ މަރުކަޒު |
| ގައުމު — a country | ގައުމީ | national | ގައުމީ މުބާރާތް |
| ޚިޔާލު — a thought | ޚިޔާލީ | imaginary | ޚިޔާލީ ބާރު |
By example
- ސިޔާސީ ޕާޓީއަކާ ގުޅުނުsiyaasee paateeakaa gulhunuHe joined a political party
- ސަލާމަތީ ގަވާއިދު ކިޔައިދިނީ ފުރަތަމަ ދުވަހުsalaamathee gavaaidhu kiyaidhinee furathama dhuvahuThe safety rules were explained on the first day
- ގާނޫނީ ގޮތުން އެއީ ގައުމީ މައްސަލައެއްgaanoonee gothun eee gaumee massalaehLegally it is a national matter
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
Social, political, legal: how does it work in Maldivian?
Unit forty-two is entirely about society, and half of its words are Arabic names with the same little tail. This is no accident: Divehi took from Arabic a ready way to make a quality out of a noun, and the way is the long -ީ at the end.
What does it look like in an example sentence Maldivian?
“ސިޔާސީ ޕާޓީއަކާ ގުޅުނު” (siyaasee paateeakaa gulhunu) — He joined a political party. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.