ދާން
“ދާން” (dhaan) — to go in Maldivian. Verb, level A1, topic — verbs. The dictionary form: 'have to go'. The personal form the course knows twice — as 'I'm going' and as 'to leave'. On foot, by ferry or by plane, Dhivehi moves with one verb. In a live sentence: “މާލެއަށް ދާން ޖެހޭ” — One has to go to Malé. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ދ, ާ, ނ, ް.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | ދާން |
| Read in Latin letters | dhaan |
| Translation | to go |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Level | A1 |
- ދާންdhaanto go
Why it looks that way
The dictionary form: 'have to go'. The personal form the course knows twice — as 'I'm going' and as 'to leave'. On foot, by ferry or by plane, Dhivehi moves with one verb
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- މާލެއަށް ދާން ޖެހޭmaaleah dhaan jeheyOne has to go to Malé
Nearby words: verbs
I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.
- ބޭނުންbeynunwant, needOne word for 'want' and 'need': fen beynun, 'water is needed'
- ދަނީdhaneeI'm goingThe -nee form marks neither person nor walking versus riding: the means of travel is named separately
- ކަނީkaneeI eatThe past is kai, with a changed stem. 'Drink' makes the same pair
- ބޮނީboneeI drinkThe same word serves for taking medicine: bes bonee
- ކިޔަނީkiyaneeI readBoth 'I read' and 'I name, pronounce': with 'song' it means 'sings a song'
- ވާހަކަދައްކަނީvaahakadhakkaneeI speakLiterally 'I conduct a conversation': vaahaka is 'a talk', dhakkanee is 'to show, to lead'
- އުޅެނީulheneeI liveResiding, not existing. The place takes the -gai ending: 'I live in Malé'
- ދަސްކުރަނީdhaskuraneeI studyDhas, 'what is learned', plus kuranee. 'To teach someone' is a different verb, with a causative twist
- ހޮވަނީhovaneeto chooseThe -nee form from unit four: choosing now. The same word speaks of elections
- ރިއްސަނީrissaneeit hurtsThe doubled s holds longer than usual: ris-saa-nee
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “verbs”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “to go” in Maldivian?
The dictionary form: 'have to go'. The personal form the course knows twice — as 'I'm going' and as 'to leave'. On foot, by ferry or by plane, Dhivehi moves with one verb
- How do you say “I live” in Maldivian?
Residing, not existing. The place takes the -gai ending: 'I live in Malé'
- How do you say “I eat” in Maldivian?
The past is kai, with a changed stem. 'Drink' makes the same pair
- How do you say “it hurts” in Maldivian?
The -nee form, like 'go' and 'eat' from unit four. The aching place stands before the verb with the -gai ending
- How do you say “I speak” in Maldivian?
Literally 'I conduct a conversation': vaahaka is 'a talk', dhakkanee is 'to show, to lead'
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “to go” in Maldivian?
«ދާން», read “dhaan”. In a live sentence: “މާލެއަށް ދާން ޖެހޭ” — One has to go to Malé. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Verb, level A1, from the set “verbs”; written with the characters ދ, ާ, ނ, ް.
How is “ދާން” written in Latin letters?
dhaan. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The dictionary form: 'have to go'. The personal form the course knows twice — as 'I'm going' and as 'to leave'. On foot, by ferry or by plane, Dhivehi moves with one verb. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.