If you learn only one Malayalam verb, learn aanu: the most frequent word in the spoken language. This is the Manglish edition of Class Eleven, taught through romanised Malayalam alongside the script. Aanu works like an equals sign and never changes for any person. You get its full grid (aanu, alla, aano, alle), the past aayirunnu, and aayirikkum, which means both 'will be' and 'probably is'. Then the street contractions that make Malayalis sound twice as fast: teacher aanu becomes teacheraa, and aayirunnu becomes aarnnu. It also draws the alla-versus-illa line, and shows why Japanese desu and Korean ida sit in the same final slot. Words and phrases in this class: ഞാൻ ടീച്ചർ ആണ് (njaan teacher aanu) – I am a teacher ഞാൻ ടീച്ചറാ (njaan teacheraa) – I'm a teacher (fast speech) ആണോ? (aano?) – is it? നിങ്ങൾ ടീച്ചർ അല്ലേ? (ningal teacher alle?) – you are a teacher, aren't you? നല്ലതാണ്, അല്ലേ? (nallathaanu, alle?) – it is good, isn't it? ഞാൻ സ്റ്റുഡന്റ് ആയിരുന്നു (njaan student aayirunnu) – I was a student ആയിരുന്നില്ല (aayirunnilla) – was not അവൻ ടീച്ചർ ആയിരിക്കും (avan teacher aayirikkum) – he is probably a teacher ഞാൻ ഇന്നലെ ബിസി ആർന്നു (njaan innale busy aarnnu) – I was busy yesterday ഇത് എന്താ? (ithu enthaa?) – what is this? (fast speech) ഞാൻ ടീച്ചർ അല്ല (njaan teacher alla) – I am not a teacher എനിക്ക് സമയം ഇല്ല (enikku samayam illa) – I do not have time ക്ഷമിക്കണം (kshamikkanam) – sorry In this class: • Aanu as an equals sign, and the full grid: aanu, alla, aano, alle • The past aayirunnu, and aayirikkum for both the future and a guess • Street contractions: teacheraa, enthaa and aarnnu • Alla versus illa, and the Japanese and Korean parallel Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.