First Sentences

The Sentence Without a Verb

34.To say that one thing is another, Telugu writes the two words side by side and supplies no verb. There is no word answering to English is or are in such a sentence, and inserting one is not merely unnecessary but wrong. The order is subject first, predicate second — the reverse of nothing, but worth stating, since the two nouns are otherwise unmarked.

ఇది పుస్తకం.

idi pustakaṁ.

This is a book. — idi pustakaṃ — literally 'this book'

అది ఇల్లు.

adi illu.

That is a house. — adi illu

నా పేరు రవి.

nā pēru ravi.

My name is Ravi. — nā pēru Ravi

• [1] Telugu has verbs of existence — for there is, he is present — but they are a separate matter from the equational sentence, and they are not needed to say that one thing is another.

ఇది and అది

35.ఇది (idi) is this and అది (adi) is that, and the pair runs through the language: ఇ (i)- points to what is near and అ (a)- to what is far. So also ఇక్కడ (ikkaḍa) (here) against అక్కడ (akkaḍa) (there). Both ఇది and అది are used of things and of animals; of a man Telugu says అతను (atanu), of a woman ఆమె (āme).

ఇది పండు.

idi paṇḍu.

This is a fruit.

అది నది.

adi nadi.

That is a river.

అతను ఎవరు?

atanu evaru?

Who is he?

Denying with కాదు

36.A verbless equational sentence is denied by కాదు (kādu) at the end; nothing else changes. కాదు denies an identity — this is not that — and is not the word for the absence of a thing, which is లేదు (lēdu).

ఇది పుస్తకం.

idi pustakaṁ.

This is a book.

ఇది పుస్తకం కాదు.

idi pustakaṁ kādu.

This is not a book. — the whole denial is one word, added at the end

అది నది కాదు.

adi nadi kādu.

That is not a river.

• [1] కాదు (kādu) also answers a question with no, exactly as avunu answers it with yes.

నా and నీ — My and Your

37.నా (nā) is my and నీ (nī) is your; both stand before the noun and never change their form.

నా పేరు రవి.

nā pēru ravi.

My name is Ravi.

నీ పేరు ఏమిటి?

nī pēru ēmiṭi?

What is your name?

నా ఇల్లు

nā illu

my house

నా against మా

38.Telugu says నా (nā) only of what belongs to the speaker alone; of anything shared with others the word is మా (mā) — మా ఇల్లు (mā illu), మా అమ్మ (mā amma), where English still says my.

మా ఇల్లు

mā illu

our / my family's house

The Adjective Does Not Change

39.An adjective stands before its noun and is invariable: it takes no ending for gender, number or case. A learner coming from Latin, Lithuanian or German should notice how much this removes — there is no agreement to get right, because there is no agreement at all.

మంచి పుస్తకం

mañci pustakaṁ

a good book

మంచి ఇల్లు

mañci illu

a good house — the adjective is unchanged

పెద్ద నది

pedda nadi

a big river

చిన్న పిల్ల

cinna pilla

a small child

Asking ఏమిటి and ఎవరు

40.ఏమిటి (ēmiṭi) asks what of a thing and ఎవరు (evaru) asks who of a person. Each stands where its answer would stand — at the end of the sentence — and no other word moves. అవును (avunu) answers yes and కాదు (kādu) no.

ఇది ఏమిటి? — ఇది పుస్తకం.

idi ēmiṭi? — idi pustakaṁ.

What is this? — This is a book.

అతను ఎవరు? — అతను నా అన్న.

atanu evaru? — atanu nā anna.

Who is he? — He is my elder brother.

ఇది నది కాదా? — అవును.

idi nadi kādā? — avunu.

Isn't this a river? — Yes.