Yes, the grammar is very similar and some words are the same. for example: thaLLu = thallu karanna = to push santhosham = shanthosha = happiness mattam = mattama = level massina = machan (brother in law) machan = machan (dude, bro) padam = padama = lesson dukam = duka = sadness etc etc. You are in a better position than someone who just speaks English.