Pronouns in Maldivian
25 words Maldivian words on the topic “pronouns”: އަހަރެން — I, ކަލޭ — you (informal), ތިޔަ ބޭފުޅާ — you (polite), އޭނާ — he. 25 words can be played from recordings.
25 words on the topic
- އަހަރެންaharenIAdd the tail -ge and it turns possessive: aharenge, 'my'
- ކަލޭkaleyyou (informal)The informal you, for close friends and equals only. To a stranger it sounds rude — there you use thiya beyfulhaa
- ތިޔަ ބޭފުޅާthiya beyfulhaayou (polite)The polite you for one person: beyfulhaa is a respectful 'person'. The safe choice with any stranger
- އޭނާeynaaheDhivehi has no grammatical gender: eynaa means both he and she. Only the situation tells them apart
- އަހަރެމެންaharemenweThe plural of aharen: the ending -men turns 'I' into 'we'. There is no dual number in Dhivehi
- އެމީހުންemeehuntheyLiterally 'those people': e, 'that', plus meehun, 'people'. About things you don't say it that way
- އަހަރެންގެaharengemyFrom aharen, 'I', plus the genitive tail -ge. All possessives are built this way
- ކަލޭގެkaleygeyour (informal)The step for an equal. For an elder it's thiya beyfulhaage — the register gap is wider than in English
- އަހަރެމެންގެaharemengeourFrom aharemen, 'we': the plural is built with the tail -men, not a different root
- ތިޔަބޭފުޅުންގެthiyabeyfulhungeyour (polite)The polite form, and one of the longest everyday words in the language. In writing it gets shortened
- އޭނާގެeynaagehis, her, theirNo gender again: eynaage works for a man or a woman alike. 'Their' is emeehunge
- އަމިއްލަamillaone's ownAlso 'personal, private': amilla masakkaiy, 'one's own business'
- އަމިއްލައަށްamillaahoneselfThe same amilla with the dative tail -ah — literally 'to oneself'
- ހުރިހާhurihaaall, wholeStands before the noun: hurihaa dhuvahu, 'the whole day'. It also means 'everyone, everything'
- ކޮންމެ މީހަކުkonme meehakueach oneLiterally 'every person': konme is 'each' before any noun
- ކޮންމެkonmeanyOne word covers 'every' and 'any' — context decides which
- މިmithisThree steps: mi beside me, thi by you, e over there. One letter each
- އެethat (one)The farthest step. From it also comes eynaa, 'he, she'
- އެފަދަefadhasuchFrom fadha, 'alike'. Three steps here too: mi-, thi-, efadha
- އަނެއްanehanotherAneiy is 'the other of two', ehen is 'a different one altogether' — the gap between 'the other' and 'another'
- އެއްވެސްevvesnone whatsoeverIn a statement it means 'whichever'; in a negation, 'none'. One word, two jobs
- މީހަކުmeehakusomeoneFrom meehaa, 'person', with the indefinite tail -ku — literally 'a certain person'
- އެއްޗެއްechchehsomething (a thing)From echchehi, 'a thing'. Partner to 'someone', assembled with the same tail
- އެކަކުވެސްekakuvesnone of themFrom ekaku, 'one person', plus ves. It demands a negation on the verb
- އެއްވެސް އެއްޗެއްeves echchehnothingAssembled from the 'whichever' word and 'a thing'. The verb with it must carry a negation
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- އަހަރެން ސައި ބޮނީaharen sai boneeI drink tea
- ކަލޭ ކޮންތާކަށް ދަނީ؟kaley konthaakah dhanee?Where are you going?
- ތިޔަ ބޭފުޅާ ދިވެހިތޯ؟thiya beyfulhaa dhivehithoa?Are you Maldivian?
- އޭނާ މާލޭގައި އުޅެނީeynaa maaleygai ulheneeHe lives in Malé
- އަހަރެމެން ބަތް ކަނީaharemen baiy kaneeWe eat rice
- އެމީހުން ރަށަށް ދަނީemeehun rashah dhaneeThey're going to the island
What is worth knowing about these words
އަހަރެން (aharen) — I. Add the tail -ge and it turns possessive: aharenge, 'my'
ކަލޭ (kaley) — you (informal). The informal you, for close friends and equals only. To a stranger it sounds rude — there you use thiya beyfulhaa
ތިޔަ ބޭފުޅާ (thiya beyfulhaa) — you (polite). The polite you for one person: beyfulhaa is a respectful 'person'. The safe choice with any stranger
އޭނާ (eynaa) — he. Dhivehi has no grammatical gender: eynaa means both he and she. Only the situation tells them apart
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is އަހަރެން (aharen) — I.
- What is this word?
It is ކަލޭގެ (kaleyge) — your (informal).
- What is this word?
It is ކޮންމެ މީހަކު (konme meehaku) — each one.
- What is this word?
It is މީހަކު (meehaku) — someone.
- What is this word?
It is އޭނާ (eynaa) — he.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Maldivian?
Add the tail -ge and it turns possessive: aharenge, 'my'
- How do you say “your (informal)” in Maldivian?
The step for an equal. For an elder it's thiya beyfulhaage — the register gap is wider than in English
- How do you say “each one” in Maldivian?
Literally 'every person': konme is 'each' before any noun
- How do you say “someone” in Maldivian?
From meehaa, 'person', with the indefinite tail -ku — literally 'a certain person'
- How do you say “he” in Maldivian?
Dhivehi has no grammatical gender: eynaa means both he and she. Only the situation tells them apart
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I” in Maldivian?
«އަހަރެން», read “aharen”. Add the tail -ge and it turns possessive: aharenge, 'my'. It is one of 25 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 25 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 25 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.