Phone Malayalam has its own small script, and most of it is not what an English speaker expects. Learners answer with a formal "who is speaking, please?" and end with "goodbye", but a Malayali picks up with ഹലോ, ആരാ? (halo, aaraa?) = hello, who's this? In this episode: • Opening a call • Bad lines and calling back • Closing a call • Voice notes • Chat malayalam: typing in english letters • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: ഹലോ (halo) = hello. This English word is the standard phone greeting. ആരാ? (aaraa?) = who's this? Spoken form of ആരാണ് (aaraanu) ഞാനാ, മീര (njaanaa, meera) = it's me, Meera. Spoken form of ഞാൻ ആണ് (njaan aanu) അമ്മേ, ഞാനാ (amme, njaanaa) = Amma, it's me ഇപ്പോ ഫ്രീ ആണോ? (ippo free aano?) = are you free now? സംസാരിക്കാൻ പറ്റുമോ? (samsaarikkaan pattumo?) = can you talk? എന്താ വിശേഷം? (enthaa vishesham?) = what's new? The classic opener after hello റേഞ്ച് ഇല്ല (range illa) = there's no signal കേൾക്കുന്നില്ല (kelkkunnilla) = I can't hear you കട്ടായി (cuttaayi) = it got cut off ഒന്നൂടെ പറ (onnoode para) = say it once more ഞാൻ തിരിച്ചു വിളിക്കാം (njaan thirichu vilikkaam) = I'll call you back ഇപ്പോ ഡ്രൈവ് ചെയ്യുകയാ (ippo drive cheyyukayaa) = I'm driving right now ശരി, എന്നാ (sheri, ennaa) = okay then. The signal that the call is ending വെക്കട്ടെ? (vekkatte?) = shall I put the phone down? ഫോൺ വെക്കട്ടെ (phone vekkatte) = let me hang up പിന്നെ വിളിക്കാം (pinne vilikkaam) = I'll call later എത്തിയിട്ട് വിളിക്ക് (ethiyittu vilikku) = call once you reach 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.