For many families abroad, the weekly call to the grandparents in Kerala is the most important Malayalam moment of the week. English speakers often open with a literal "How are you?" and close with a literal "Goodbye", and both feel slightly off. Grandparents expect a warm opening question about health and food, and a gentle close. In this episode: • Greeting an elder on the phone • Health and daily life small talk • Weather: here and there • Putting the children on • Line trouble • The warm close and an invented scene • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: ഹലോ അമ്മമ്മേ (hello ammamme) = Hello, Grandma (mother's mother) ഹലോ അപ്പൂപ്പാ (hello appooppaa) = Hello, Grandpa സുഖമാണോ? (sukhamaano?) = Are you well? സുഖം തന്നെ (sukham thanne) = I'm fine, all good കഴിച്ചോ? (kazhicho?) = Have you eaten? എന്താ കഴിച്ചത്? (enthaa kazhichathu?) = What did you eat? മരുന്ന് കഴിച്ചോ? (marunnu kazhicho?) = Did you take your medicine? കാലുവേദന എങ്ങനെയുണ്ട്? (kaaluvedana enganeyundu?) = How is the leg pain? കുറവുണ്ട് (kuravundu) = it's better, it has eased ഉറക്കം ശരിയാകുന്നുണ്ടോ? (urakkam shariyaakunnundo?) = Are you sleeping well? അവിടെ മഴയുണ്ടോ? (avide mazhayundo?) = Is it raining there? ഇവിടെ നല്ല തണുപ്പാണ് (ivide nalla thanuppaanu) = It's very cold here അവിടെ നല്ല ചൂടാണോ? (avide nalla choodaano?) = Is it very hot there? ഇവിടെ മഞ്ഞ് പെയ്യുന്നുണ്ട് (ivide manju peyyunnundu) = It's snowing here മോളോട് സംസാരിക്കണോ? (molodu samsaarikkano?) = Do you want to talk to my daughter? Learn Spoken Malayalam at Home: a complete course in everyday spoken Malayalam for English speakers. Native Malayalam pronunciation, every phrase in Malayalam script, Manglish and English, plus a language bridge comparing Malayalam with other world languages. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.