Renting or buying a house in Kerala, in Malayalam — the rooms, the rent, the paperwork, and why land there is measured in cents. This is the lesson that saves you money and misunderstanding. Land is the subject beneath every other subject in Kerala. I am Dr. Reshmi R. Nair, an applied linguist from Kerala. I have taught hundreds of learners to speak Malayalam as it is actually spoken. THE HOUSE വീട് - veedu - house, and also home; Malayalam does not split the two ഭവനം - bhavanam - dwelling, the formal Sanskritic word on nameplates മുറി - muri - room ഊണുമുറി - oonumuri - dining room സ്വീകരണമുറി - sweekaranamuri - drawing room വരാന്ത - varaantha - verandah, from Portuguese varanda; English borrowed the same word from the same source ചുവര് - chuvaru - wall മേൽക്കൂര - melkkoora - roof മുറ്റം - muttam - the yard പറമ്പ് - parambu - the house compound, a homestead garden cited worldwide as textbook agroforestry നാലുകെട്ട് - naalukettu - the classic Kerala house, four blocks around an open courtyard RENTING വാടക - vadaka - rent വാടകയ്ക്ക് എടുക്കുക - vadakaykku edukkuka - to take on rent വാടകയ്ക്ക് കൊടുക്കുക - vadakaykku kodukkuka - to rent out ഉടമ - udama - the owner വാടകക്കാരൻ - vadakakkaran - the tenant കരാർ - karaar - the agreement താമസിക്കുക - thamasikkuka - to live somewhere WHAT TO ASK BEFORE YOU SIGN വാടക എത്രയാണ്? - vadaka ethrayaanu? - how much is the rent? എത്ര ബെഡ്റൂം ഉണ്ട്? - ethra bedroom undu? - how many bedrooms? കുടിവെള്ളം ഉണ്ടോ? - kudivellam undo? - is there drinking water? കറന്റ് പോയി - current poyi - the power has gone THE PAPERWORK ആധാരം - adharam - the title deed പട്ടയം - pattayam - a land title granted by the state മുദ്രപത്രം - mudrapathram - stamp paper നികുതി - nikuthi - tax What would you ask a landlord first? Comment and I will give you the Malayalam. #LearnMalayalam #Malayalam #Kerala