ނުވަތަ
“ނުވަތަ” (nuvatha) — or in Maldivian. Conjunction, level A1, topic — basic words. The bookish conjunction. In conversation people more often just list things with pauses, no conjunction at all. In a live sentence: “ސައި ނުވަތަ ކޮފީ” — Tea or coffee. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters ނ, ު, ވ, ަ, ތ, ަ. One of 310 words in the set “basic words” in the Maldivian course.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | ނުވަތަ |
| Read in Latin letters | nuvatha |
| Translation | or |
| Part of speech | conjunction |
| Level | A1 |
- ނުވަތަnuvathaor
Why it looks that way
The bookish conjunction. In conversation people more often just list things with pauses, no conjunction at all
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.
- ސައި ނުވަތަ ކޮފީsai nuvatha kofeeTea or coffee
Nearby words: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- ރަނގަޅުrangalhufine, wellThe standard answer to kihineh. One word serves both the adverb 'well' and the adjective 'good': rangalhu dhuvahuge, 'a good day'
- ބަރާބަރުbaraabarugreat, excellentStronger than rangalhu: everything in perfect order, nothing missing. One shape serves both adverb and adjective
- އާދެaadheyes (polite)The polite yes, for elders and strangers. Between friends people say the short aan instead
- އާންaanyes (casual)A short, conversational yes for friends and people your own age. With elders and strangers, aadhe is the better choice
- ނޫންnoonnoDhivehi puts the predicate at the end of the phrase, so the negation often lands as the last word you hear
- ވަރަށްvarahveryStands before the quality it boosts — the main intensifier of everyday speech: varah bodah, 'very big'
- ބައިbaihalfTwo syllables, ba-i — not one blended 'bye'
- އަދި އެއްadhi ehone moreAdhi is 'still, and', eh is 'one' from unit two. That's how you ask for a refill at the hotaa
- ފުދޭfudheyenough (stop)The verb 'it suffices'. One word stops a seller who keeps piling it on
- ޖުމްލަjumlain totalArabic jumla — 'the sum, all together'. The last line of the bill
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “or” in Maldivian?
The bookish conjunction. In conversation people more often just list things with pauses, no conjunction at all
- How do you say “half” in Maldivian?
The core meaning is 'part, share'; 'half' is the commonest of them. About time: 'a quarter to four' is said through bai too
- How do you say “yes (polite)” in Maldivian?
The polite yes, for elders and strangers. Between friends people say the short aan instead
- How do you say “in total” in Maldivian?
Arabic jumla — 'the sum, all together'. The last line of the bill
- How do you say “very” in Maldivian?
Stands before the quality it boosts — the main intensifier of everyday speech: varah bodah, 'very big'
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 “or” in Maldivian?
«ނުވަތަ», read “nuvatha”. In a live sentence: “ސައި ނުވަތަ ކޮފީ” — Tea or coffee. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Conjunction, level A1, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters ނ, ު, ވ, ަ, ތ, ަ.
How is “ނުވަތަ” written in Latin letters?
nuvatha. 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 bookish conjunction. In conversation people more often just list things with pauses, no conjunction at all. 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.