Simple Past Tense in Malayalam with Questions and Negatives
Learn Malayalam past-tense statements, questions, negatives and useful time expressions with clear examples.
Use the simple past for completed actions such as something you did yesterday, earlier today or last week. Malayalam past verbs take different endings depending on the verb, so learning common verbs inside sentences is the most practical approach.
Practise four related forms together: statement, negative, question and negative question. This reveals the spoken pattern quickly.
What you need to know
Statements
Past forms include പോയി (poyi) went, ചെയ്തു (cheythu) did, പറഞ്ഞു (paranju) said and കളിച്ചു (kalichu) played.
Negatives
Many past negatives add illa to the verb pattern: പോയില്ല (poyilla) did not go, പറഞ്ഞില്ല (paranjilla) did not say.
Questions
Past questions commonly end in an o sound: പോയോ? (poyo?) did [you] go? പറഞ്ഞോ? (paranjo?) did [you] say?
Useful Malayalam examples
Read each sentence aloud. Use the pronunciation as a bridge, then return to the Malayalam script as you become familiar with it.
Make the lesson yours
- Describe yesterday using five past-tense verbs.
- Turn two past statements into negatives.
- Ask three questions about what someone did last weekend.
Common questions
How is the past tense formed in Malayalam?
The exact ending depends on the verb. Common past forms end in sounds such as -i, -chu, -thu or -nju, so learn high-frequency verbs with examples.
How do I ask a past-tense question?
Many spoken questions use an o ending on the past verb, such as poyo? (did you go?) or kazhicho? (did you eat?).