If you live somewhere long enough, you will be in a conversation about money going wrong, and the wrong words will damage things. First the vocabulary of debt: borrowing, lending, interest, repayment, pledging gold and standing guarantor. Then how people tell you they are struggling: indirectly, in understatement, so that a little difficulty may be serious. Then what to say, and the key instruction of the class: do not offer money straight away. Lend without a deadline, pay for one specific thing, or buy something they sell, because dignity is the real currency. Words and phrases in this class: കടം (kadam) – debt കടം വാങ്ങുക (kadam vaanguka) – to borrow കടം കൊടുക്കുക (kadam kodukkuka) – to lend പലിശ (palisha) – interest തിരിച്ചടവ് (thirichadavu) – repayment സ്വർണ്ണം പണയം വെക്കുക (swarnam panayam vekkuka) – to pledge gold ജാമ്യം നിൽക്കുക (jaamyam nilkkuka) – to stand guarantor സാമ്പത്തിക ബുദ്ധിമുട്ട് (saampathika buddhimuttu) – financial difficulty അവർക്ക് കുറച്ച് ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുണ്ട് (avarkku kurachu buddhimuttundu) – they are having some difficulty ജോലി പോയി (joli poyi) – lost the job സാരമില്ല (saaramilla) – it's all right എല്ലാം ശരിയാകും (ellaam shariyaakum) – everything will be fine ബുദ്ധിമുട്ട് മനസ്സിലാകുന്നു (buddhimuttu manassilaakunnu) – I understand the difficulty ഞാൻ തരാം, പിന്നീട് തന്നാൽ മതി (njaan tharaam, pinneedu thannaal mathi) – I'll give it; pay me back later In this class: • The vocabulary of debt, loans, gold pledges and guarantees • Understatement: how money trouble is told, and how to scale up what you hear • What to say, and why you should not offer money at once • Where Kerala households borrow, and why household debt runs high Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.