A learner with two thousand nouns and no connectors cannot hold a conversation; a learner with three hundred structural words can. This class starts from word frequency: in every measured language a small set of words carries most of what is said, and they are not nouns. It then gives you the structural core of Malayalam by function: pronouns, question words, the four words of existence and identity (ഉണ്ട്, ഇല്ല, ആണ്, അല്ല), about thirty core verbs, connectors, quantifiers, time words and discourse particles. It closes with how to make them automatic through spaced repetition. Words and phrases in this class: ഉണ്ട് (undu) – there is; has ഇല്ല (illa) – there is not ആണ് (aanu) – is, equals അല്ല (alla) – is not തരുക (tharuka) – give (to me) കൊടുക്കുക (kodukkuka) – give (to someone else) മനസ്സിലാകുക (manassilaakuka) – understand പക്ഷേ (pakshe) – but അതുകൊണ്ട് (athukondu) – therefore എങ്കിലും (enkilum) – even so ഇല്ലാതെ (illaathe) – without ഏകദേശം (ekadesham) – approximately കുഴപ്പമില്ല (kuzhappamilla) – no problem In this class: • Why a few hundred words carry most of any language • Pronouns, question words and the four words ഉണ്ട്, ഇല്ല, ആണ്, അല്ല • Thirty core verbs, including the two verbs for give • Connectors, quantifiers, time words and particles, then spaced repetition Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.