English uses 'himself' for two different jobs. Malayalam keeps them apart. തന്നെ does two jobs: the reflexive (he hurt himself) and the emphatic (he himself came; right now; this very one). There is a simple test for telling them apart, and സ്വയം is the formal written alternative. Then the indefinite family, built from question words plus -എങ്കിലും or -ഉം: someone, something, anybody, nobody, everything, each one. It ends with തമ്മിൽ (each other), and the near one-to-one parallel with Japanese. Words and phrases in this class: അവൻ തന്നെ വന്നു (avan thanne vannu) – he himself came ഞാൻ തന്നെ ചെയ്തു (njaan thanne cheythu) – I did it myself ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ (ippol thanne) – right now സ്വയം (swayam) – self (formal, written) ആരെങ്കിലും (aarenkilum) – someone, anyone എന്തെങ്കിലും (enthenkilum) – something, anything ആരും (aarum) – nobody (with a negative verb) എല്ലാവരും (ellaavarum) – everyone വേറെ ആരെങ്കിലും (vere aarenkilum) – somebody else ഓരോരുത്തരും (ororuttharum) – each one അവർ തമ്മിൽ സംസാരിക്കുന്നു (avar thammil samsaarikkunnu) – they are talking to each other In this class: • തന്നെ as reflexive and as emphasis, and how to tell them apart • സ്വയം in writing and formal compounds • Somebody, anybody, nobody, everybody, built from question words • തമ്മിൽ (each other), and the Japanese parallel Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.