LingoflyVerbs in Maldivian
36 words in Maldivian on the topic “verbs”: ބޭނުން (beynun) — want, need, ދަނީ (dhanee) — I'm going, ކަނީ (kanee) — I eat, ބޮނީ (bonee) — I drink. 36 words can be played from recordings.
36 words on the topic
- 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 make-it-happen twist
- ހޮވަނީhovaneeto chooseThe -nee form: choosing now. The same word speaks of elections
- ރިއްސަނީrissaneeit hurtsThe doubled s holds longer than usual: ris-saa-nee
- ހޮނޑުލަވަނީhondulavaneeto feel sickA nasal twang before the retroflex d: hondu-, not hon-du
- ބައްދަލުކުރާނަންbaddhalukuraanansee you (let's meet)Baddhalu is 'a meeting' (Arabic badal), plus the first-person future. The ending marks what I will do
- ކިޔަވަނީkiyavaneeto be in schoolA relative of kiyanee, 'I read': the verb literally means 'read to oneself', that is, study
- ހަނދާންކުރަނީhandhaankuraneeto memorizeHandhaan is 'memory'. 'I remember' is 'the memory is present'; 'I forgot' is 'the memory is absent'
- ފެންނަނީfennaneeto seeLiterally 'is seen'. The seer stands with the -ah ending: 'to me it appears'. Looking on purpose is another verb, balanee
- އިވެނީiveneeto hearBuilt like 'to see': the hearer takes the ending, and the sound is the subject. Listening on purpose is another verb
- ނިދަނީnidhaneeto sleepThe same root as in 'bedroom'. 'I want to sleep' is literally 'sleep is coming'
- ގެންދަނީgendhaneeto carryThe ndh sounds fused, with a nasal twang: gen-dhaa-nee
- ބަހައްޓަނީbahattaneeto set (down)To set and to place are one verb: Dhivehi doesn't distinguish positions of a thing. The same root is in the left-luggage room
- ހަލާކުކުރަނީhalaakukuraneeto breakHalaaku is 'ruin', kuranee 'makes'. When it breaks by itself one says halaakuvejje, 'it broke': only the second verb changes, 'do' into 'become'
- ބިނާކުރަނީbinaakuraneeto buildAbout a house and a bridge. The same root is in 'builder'. About construction as a business another word is used
- ހޫނުކޮށްލަނީhoonukoshlaneeto warm upHoonu, 'hot', plus 'makes slightly'. The inserted -la- softens the action: heating through is hoonukuranee, and heating by itself is hoonuvanee
- އެބަހުރިebahurithere is (available)Presence: 'there is, on hand'. The eba- prefix says it's right now. The negation is nethee: 'there is no water'
- މަސައްކަތްކުރަނީmasakkaiykuraneeto workMasakkaiy, 'work', plus kuranee, 'do'. Like every -nee form it doesn't change for person: 'I work' and 'he works' sound alike
- ކާންkaanto eatThe dictionary form in -n; it stands before beynun and jehey — 'to-eat is wanted', I want to eat. The personal kanee means 'I eat': the verb doesn't change for person, only the form tells them apart
- ބޯންboanto drinkThe same dictionary shape as 'to eat'; compare the personal bonee. Tea is drunk all day on the islands, and sai boan means not only 'have tea' but 'have a bite'
- ދާންdhaanto goThe dictionary form: 'have to go'. The personal form covers two meanings — as 'I'm going' and as 'to leave'. On foot, by ferry or by plane, Dhivehi moves with one verb
- ބަލަނީbalaneeto watchOne word for 'watch', 'look' and 'mind': watching the children, taking a temperature. Catching sight of it is a different verb, fennanee
- އުދުހެނީudhuheneeto flyBird and plane alike: compare 'to fly away'. Between atolls people fly on the 'boat that goes on top' — the seaplane
- ބޭނުންކުރަނީbeynunkuraneeto useFrom beynun, 'need', plus kuranee, 'do': to use is to 'make need of'. In papers the same word means 'to apply', and at the shop it asks what a thing is for
- އެނގޭengeyto know how toAbility in Dhivehi is knowledge: the verb takes -n and 'is known to' follows — 'swimming is known to me'. The person stands with the -sh tail. The same root means 'to understand'
- ބައްދަލުކުރަނީbaddhalukuraneeto meetFrom baddhaluvun, 'a meeting'. The word is about an arrangement: agreed and came together. Bumping into someone by chance is a different verb, where nobody invited anybody
- އަތްލަނީaiylaneeto touchLiterally 'put the hand': ai is 'hand', lanee is 'to put' — the same word that puts on paint. On shop windows and coral reefs it's written with a negation: 'hand not put'
- ވާހަކަ ދައްކަންvaahaka dhakkanto talkLiterally 'show a talk'. The dictionary form in -n; the personal form means 'I speak'. To say one single thing is another word, bunee
- ދަސްކުރަންdhaskuranto studyThis is the dictionary form of the verb for 'I study'. Dhas is 'what is learned': dhasvehje means 'it has been learned, it sank in'. Going to school is another verb, about schooling in general, not this subject
- ދިރިއުޅެންdhiriulhento liveThis is the dictionary form of the verb for 'I live': dhiri is 'alive', ulhen is 'to be about, to keep at'. The bare 'I live' also means 'to be busy with', so about residence people say the full word
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
ބޭނުން (beynun) — want, need. One word for 'want' and 'need': fen beynun, 'water is needed'.
ދަނީ (dhanee) — I'm going. The -nee form marks neither person nor walking versus riding: the means of travel is named separately.
ކަނީ (kanee) — I eat. The past is kai, with a changed stem. 'Drink' makes the same pair.
ބޮނީ (bonee) — I drink. The same word serves for taking medicine: bes bonee.
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 ބޭނުން (beynun) — want, need.
- What is this word?
It is ދަސްކުރަނީ (dhaskuranee) — I study.
- What is this word?
It is ފެންނަނީ (fennanee) — to see.
- What is this word?
It is ހޫނުކޮށްލަނީ (hoonukoshlanee) — to warm up.
- What is this word?
It is އުދުހެނީ (udhuhenee) — to fly.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “want, need” in Maldivian?
One word for 'want' and 'need': fen beynun, 'water is needed'
- How do you say “I study” in Maldivian?
Dhas, 'what is learned', plus kuranee. 'To teach someone' is a different verb, with a make-it-happen twist
- How do you say “to see” in Maldivian?
Literally 'is seen'. The seer stands with the -ah ending: 'to me it appears'. Looking on purpose is another verb, balanee
- How do you say “to warm up” in Maldivian?
Hoonu, 'hot', plus 'makes slightly'. The inserted -la- softens the action: heating through is hoonukuranee, and heating by itself is hoonuvanee
- How do you say “to fly” in Maldivian?
Bird and plane alike: compare 'to fly away'. Between atolls people fly on the 'boat that goes on top' — the seaplane
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I want, I can, I am going, I know. The verb holds a sentence together: a few of the most frequent ones cover more everyday talk than a long list of nouns.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “want, need” in Maldivian?
«ބޭނުން» (beynun), read “beynun”. One word for 'want' and 'need': fen beynun, 'water is needed'. It is one of 36 words in the set “verbs” — the rest are in the table above.
How many verbs do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 36 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 36 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.