The Malayalam Thread

[Vijay]

Cases

Malayalam has about seven cases: nominative, accusative, sociative, dative, genitive, instrumental, and locative (but I say 'about seven' because sometimes people also include the vocative as a separate case). By default, nouns and pronouns are listed in the nominative case singular form (like in various other languages that have morphemes expressing case and number, such as Latin). The nominative case is generally used for the subject of a sentence but also for direct objects that are not classified as animate (this includes anything that is not a human being or animal, as far as I can recall, though there seems to be some variation as far as what speakers do or don't consider animate for this purpose).

The accusative is used for animate direct objects. If the nominative case form ends in a back rounded vowel, i.e. [ u ], [uː], [o], or [oː], then the accusative case form is formed by adding the suffix form -[ʋine] or -[ʋɪne] to it. If it ends in /a/, then the /a/ changes to [e], and the form of the suffix added to it is -[je]. If it ends in a front vowel, then you just add -[je]. If it ends in [m], then the [m] must be replaced by -[t̪e]. If it ends in [ɯ], then the [ɯ] must be replaced by -[ine] or -[ɪne]. If it ends in [r], then the [r] must be replaced by -[ɾe]. For all other nouns, the accusative case is formed by simply adding -[e].

The locative is used for the equivalent of the prepositions 'in' or 'at' in English. The suffix for locative case is essentially -/il/, which can be realized as either -[il] or -[ɪl], with a similar kind of variation to the one described in the previous paragraph. If the nominative case form of the noun ends in a back rounded vowel, then you have to add -[ʋil] ~ -[ʋɪl] to it to create the locative form. If it ends in /a/, then the /a/ changes to [e], and the form of the suffix added to it is -[jil] ~ -[jɪl]. If it ends in a front vowel, then you just add -[jil] ~ -[jɪl]. If it ends in [m], then the [m] must be replaced by -[t̪il] ~ -[t̪ɪl]. Also, if it ends in /ʈu/, then this must be replaced by -[ʈil] ~ -[ʈɪl]. If it ends in [ɯ], then the [ɯ] must be replaced by -[il] or -[ɪl]. For all other nouns, the locative case is formed by simply adding -[il] ~ -[ɪl].

The instrumental is used less often to indicate the means by which someone did something. In literary Malayalam, it's often formed as follows: If the nominative case form ends in a back rounded vowel, then the literary instrumential case is formed by adding the suffix -[ʋaːl] to it. If it ends in /a/, then the /a/ changes to [e], and the form of the suffix added to it is -[jaːl]. If it ends in a front vowel, then you just add -[jaːl]. If it ends in [m], then the [m] must be replaced by -[t̪aːl]. If it ends in [ɯ], then the [ɯ] must be replaced by -[aːl]. If it ends in [r], then the [r] must be replaced by -[ɾaːl]. For all other nouns, the accusative case is formed by simply adding -[aːl].

In spoken Malayalam, it's formed instead by replacing word-final [m] with -[ʋʊŋgɔɳɖɯ], adding -[ʋʊŋgɔɳɖɯ] after a back rounded vowel, changing word-final /a/ to [e] before adding -[jʊŋgɔɳɖɯ], adding -[jʊŋgɔɳɖɯ] after any front vowel, replacing word-final [ɯ] with -[ʊŋgɔɳɖɯ], replacing word-final [r] with -[ɾʊŋgɔɳɖɯ], and otherwise just adding -[ʊŋgɔɳɖɯ].

Genitive case is used to mark the possessor (in possessive constructions). The suffixes are slightly more varied in genitive case than in the other previously mentioned cases. If the noun ends in [n] in nominative case, the genitive case form is made by adding [de]. If it ends in [ər] or [əɭ], then you instead add [uɖe] ~ [ʊɖe]. If it ends in a back rounded vowel, then you add -[ʋinde] ~ -[ʋɪnde]. If it ends in /a/, then the /a/ changes to [e], and the form of the suffix added to it is -[juɖe] ~ -[jʊɖe]; alternatively, at least in more casual (less careful) speech, the /a/ may be replaced by -[ˈeːɖe]. If it ends in a front vowel, then you just add -[juɖe] ~ -[jʊɖe]. If it ends in [m], then the [m] must be replaced by -[t̪inde] ~ -[t̪ɪnde]. If it ends in [ɯ], then the [ɯ] must be replaced by [inde] ~ [ɪnde]. For all other nouns, the genitive case is formed by simply adding [inde] ~ [ɪnde].

There are two cases used in Malayalam for indirect objects; one is the sociative case, and the other is the dative case. The sociative case is used primarily with verbs having to do with speech, e.g. 'to say (to someone)', 'to tell (someone) a story'. It is formed in more or less the same way as the accusative case forms: If the nominative case form ends in a back rounded vowel, then the sociatve case form is formed by adding the suffix form -[ʋoːɖɯ] to it. If it ends in /a/, then the /a/ changes to [e], and the form of the suffix added to it is -[joːɖɯ]. If it ends in a front vowel, then you just add -[joːɖɯ]. If it ends in [m], then the [m] must be replaced by -[t̪oːɖɯ]. If it ends in [ɯ], then the [ɯ] must be replaced by -[oːɖɯ]. If it ends in [r], then the [r] must be replaced by -[ɾoːɖɯ]. For all other nouns, the accusative case is formed by simply adding -[oːɖɯ].

The dative case is used for all other indirect objects and is formed similarly to the genitive case. If the noun ends in [n] in nominative case, the genitive case form is made by adding [ɯ]. If it ends in [ər] or [əɭ], then you instead add [kɯ]. If it ends in a back rounded vowel, then you add -[ʋinɯ] ~ -[ʋɪnɯ]. If it ends in /a/, then the /a/ changes to [ɛ] (or perhaps [e]), and the form of the suffix added to it is -[kʲɯ]. If it ends in a front vowel, then you just add -[kʲɯ]. If it ends in [m], then the [m] must be replaced by -[t̪inɯ] ~ -[t̪ɪnɯ]. If it ends in [ɯ], then the [ɯ] must be replaced by [inɯ] ~ [ɪnɯ]. For all other nouns, the genitive case is formed by simply adding [inɯ] ~ [ɪnɯ].

[Travis B.]

The spoken Malayalam instrumental seems quite... unwieldy, I shall say.

[Vijay]

-/um/ is the suffix used as a conjunction meaning 'and', primarily on nouns, e.g. [ˈboːbɛnʊm ˈmoːɭijʊm] 'Boban and Molly'. When used only on one word, e.g. [ˈboːbɛnʊm], it means 'even' or 'also'.

[kɔɳˈɖɯ] is the past tense form of [kɔɭˈɭʊga], which literally means something like 'to fit', but [kɔɳˈɖɯ] also commonly means something like 'having taken'. (EDIT: It's also used in the expressions for 'to bring' and 'to take away', which are literally 'to come having taken' and 'to go having taken', respectively).

So I guess you could say it literally means something like 'having also taken _____'.

[Frislander]

I'm noticing you're using the symbol for an alveolar implosive /ɗ/ for a voiced retroflex stop /ɖ/, is there a reason for this?

Also with regards to the instrumental, I presume the speech rate of the colloquial language makes the three-syllables sound less clunky that they appear on the page?

[Vijay]

I'm noticing you're using the symbol for an alveolar implosive /ɗ/ for a voiced retroflex stop /ɖ/, is there a reason for this?

Whoops! Typo, sorry! Thanks!

EDIT: Fixed now

Also with regards to the instrumental, I presume the speech rate of the colloquial language makes the three-syllables sound less clunky that they appear on the page?

Probably. It might be easier to illustrate with some examples of actual words using that suffix, e.g. 'with a knife' is often pronounced more like [kəˈt̪iːŋgɔɳɖɯ] rather than [kəˈt̪ijʊŋgɔɳɖɯ]

[Vijay]

Idk why the hell I took so long to post this given that I'd finished writing it up months and months ago (maybe I wanted to find more loanwords or something first?), but here it is anyway (because fuck finding more loanwords at this point):

Words you may already know

A lot of Malayalees speak English as well as (or even better than) Malayalam, and it's very common for people to code-switch between Malayalam and English or at least to use a lot of English words. There are no commonly used non-English equivalents for some words and expressions; for example, greetings like 'hi' and 'good morning' are often done in English since we didn't traditionally have equivalent greetings in Malayalam. In fact, if we look back at the videoclip I posted earlier (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjnpFxQ4DU), there are a bunch of English words and phrases in it that we can identify, in this order:

daddy
conference
teddy bear
Mickey Mouse
Donald Duck
Little Pony
Pluto
puppy
kiss me!
please
police
gate
come on, go!

And of course the entirety of the last 12 seconds starting with "discipline!" (Something like [haj] for 'hey!' isn't too different, either).

There are also a bunch of words that English got from either Malayalam or Tamil and thus have cognates in Malayalam, too:

curry [kəˈri] (apparently related to [kəˈɖikʲʊga] 'to bite')
mango [ˈmaːŋa] (compare [ˈmaːʋɯ] 'mango tree' and the root /kaː/ 'seed, unripe fruit')
jack(fruit) [t͡ʃəˈka]
mulligatawny [mɔɭəgɯd̪əɳˈɳiː] ([mɔˈɭəgɯ] means 'pepper'. [t̪əɳˈɳiːɾ] in Tamil means 'water', from the root /t̪aɳ/ 'cold' and [n̪iːɾɯ] or [n̪iːr] 'water, liquid, juice', both of which exist in Malayalam, too)
congee [kəˈɲi] (basically just rice with the water it's boiled in)
rice [əˈɾi] (in Tamil [əˈɾisi]; refers specifically to raw rice in both languages)
cot [kəˈʈɪl]
cheroot [t͡ʃʊˈɾɯʈɯ], [t͡ʃɔˈɾɯʈɯ] (compare [t͡ʃʊˈɾɯʈɯga], [t͡ʃɔˈɾɯʈɯga] 'to roll up')
pariah [pəˈrejɛn] (pl. [pəˈrejɛr]; in Malayalam and Tamil, this specifically means one of the lowest subcastes, second only to the [puˈlejər])
ginger [jinˈd͡ʒi] ([ˈʋeːɾɯ] means 'root', so [jind͡ʒiˈʋeːɾɯ] is 'ginger root')
betel
areca (nut)
coolie
copra

Possibly also:
pilaf < [puˈɻukəl] 'steaming'; compare also [puˈɻukəl əˈɾi], i.e. rice with bran (and thus reddish), the most commonly eaten type of rice in Kerala
candy < [ˈkəɳɖəm] 'piece'; compare [kəlˈkəɳɖəm] 'hard candy', literally 'stone piece'

[Atom]

No idea if you're still monitoring this thread, but I've been learning Malayalam for a while now. My partner is a native speaker from the diaspora and I've been learning from them and their parents.

Something I've been trying to figure out is when do native speakers use റ്റ when borrowing for English. So my partner can absolutely tell the difference between t̪ and t, and so on. They correct me every time I make a mistake confusing the two, which is often since as a native English speaker they sound almost identical. Since they're illiterate in Malayalam this can't be influenced by the writing system. Their English is very American, so when they borrows an English word into Malayalam they usually just pronounce the word exactly as in English.

Their parents though... both of them speak English pretty well and use it in a professional setting in and out of India. But I can't quite tell what the rules are for them. My observations
1) They always use the retroflex for English /d/ word initially: /ɖo:ktoɾ/ (I'm not actually sure what "r" they use at the end. Maybe /ɻ/?)
2) I think they use the alveolar voiced stop for English /d/ after a nasal

both of these things make sense given what I know about Malayalam phonotactics: no alveolars at the start of words, a distinction between alveolar and dental nasals.

Where it starts to get hairier is with English /t/
3) I think my father-in-law says something like /ta:ksi/ for English taxi. But when I look in Malayalam dictionaries they seem to write ടക്സി. The textbook I have says റ്റിക്കറ്റ or ടിക്കറ്റ for English "ticket"
4) and then I see things like ബസ് സ്റ്റാൻഡ for "bus stand"? What is happening here?

Also since Malayalam doesn't write the distinction between /n/ and /n̪/ I really am lost on that one. I think the speakers I know consistently borrow the English "n" as an alveolar nasal, not a dental nasal. Like my mother-in-law says /naɻs/ not /n̪aɻs/. I think.

I admit that I really do have trouble telling apart /t/ and /t̪/ so my ear may just be off here.
What do you think the rules are?

[Vijay]

Omg! Sorry, I've been pretty busy over the past year, but that's a great question. I'll try to get back to your question as soon as I can come up with a better answer, but I think substituting retroflex T is a practice originally borrowed from Hindi (which, unlike Malayalam, does not have alveolar stops, only retroflexes that are articulated almost like alveolars ).

[Atom]

The Hindi influence could definitely be it. Most Malayalam speakers I know are NRIs who don't know Hindi. My partner gets very agitated if anyone ever calls Hindi the "National Language of India", and they had a hard time when living in Delhi.

[Vijay]

My parents would claim not to know Hindi, or at least my dad would, but he can understand way more than he lets on (I once read out a dialogue from Teach Yourself Urdu to him, and there was maybe like one word in the whole thing he didn't understand). He can understand Tamil similarly well (despite claiming not to know that language, either) and in fact knows more than you might expect about Tamil culture for someone who hasn't been exposed to it all that much.

[Vijay]

3) I think my father-in-law says something like /ta:ksi/ for English taxi. But when I look in Malayalam dictionaries they seem to write ടക്സി. The textbook I have says റ്റിക്കറ്റ or ടിക്കറ്റ for English "ticket"

I think there is some variation here, including between speakers, with the retroflex pronunciation being more common. Using an alveolar violates Malayalam phonotactics, but some people who speak English well do it anyway even when speaking Malayalam.

4) and then I see things like ബസ് സ്റ്റാൻഡ for "bus stand"? What is happening here?

I think it's the same thing happening here. The retroflex is more common, or at least perceived as being the more common pronunciation, but some people just use an alveolar here (perhaps more than in a word-initial position, but of course, I haven't conducted a survey or anything).

[vegfarandi]

I just caught up on this thread, thoroughly enjoying it. I know the thread is a bit old, so not sure if you're planning more for it but if you are, perhaps a little something about verbs?

[Vijay]

Oh shit, somebody's interested again!

Sure, I can start some lessons including (probably several) on verbs! I didn't add anything new for a while, though, because no one expressed any interest.

[vegfarandi]

Oh shit, somebody's interested again!

Sure, I can start some lessons including (probably several) on verbs! I didn't add anything new for a while, though, because no one expressed any interest.

I'm sure I'm not alone!

[Vijay]

An Introduction to Verbs

Like most Indian languages, Malayalam has SOV word order, so the verb goes at the end of the sentence. Unlike most Dravidian languages, however, Malayalam does not have verbal suffixes marking person or number (with the exception of the (archaic/fossilized?) 1SG suffix -[eːn] that occasionally pops up in poetry, including movie songs; this is the 1SG suffix used in Tamil), only suffixes marking TAM.

For example, the verb [ˈpoːgun̪n̪u] means 'am going', 'are going', or 'is going' regardless of the subject.
The past tense form is [ˈpoːj] 'went'.

The future tense is somewhat more complicated. There is one suffix that is used for the definite future and also for the present habitual. [ˈpoːgum] means '(definitely) will go' or '(habitually) go(es)'. There is another suffix used for future events that allow more room for doubt; [poːˈgaːm] can mean 'will go' or 'may go' (or 'shall go'). There is also a form [pɔjˈkoːɭaːm], which means something like 'no problem, [subject] will go' (the exact meaning probably varies by person; IIRC this has a somewhat different meaning when used with the 1SG pronoun in nominative case than with other subjects).

There is another verb form for expressing desire or obligation. [ˈpoːgəɳəm], or more commonly [ˈpoːɳəm], can mean either 'need(s)/has/have to go' or 'want(s) to go'.

Malayalam also has dative experiencer subjects, or at least something similar to them. For example, [ʋɪˈd͡ʒejɛn poːˈgaːm], where the subject is in nominative case, means 'Vijayan will/shall/may possibly go', but [ʋɪˈd͡ʒejɛnɯ poːˈgaːm], where the subject is in dative case, means 'Vijayan can/is allowed to (may) go'. [ʋɪˈd͡ʒejɛn ˈpoːɳəm] means 'Vijayan must/has to go', but [ʋɪˈd͡ʒejɛnɯ ˈpoːɳəm] means 'Vijayan wants to go'.

The present progressive is formed from the verb stem by adding -[un̪n̪u], the definite future tense is formed by adding -[um], the not-so-definite future tense (epistemic mood form?) is formed by adding -[aːm], and the suffix for desire or obligation is -[əɳəm]. Forming the past tense is more complicated, and forms such as [pɔjˈkoːɭaːm] are formed by combining the past tense form with the word [kɔɭˈɭaːm], literally meaning 'shall fit' but also by semantic extension 'good!' and, in this case, grammaticalized into a verbal suffix.

[vegfarandi]

Fascinating! Do you mind if I pose a quick translation challenge regarding TAM?

How would you say the following?

he's about to go out
he just went out
he wants to get going
he needs to get going
he needs to go
he needed to have gone already
he will go when when he wants to
he's going there now (i.e.: on his way there now)
he went there yesterday (and came back)
he went there yesterday (and stayed there)

[Vijay]

Fascinating! Do you mind if I pose a quick translation challenge regarding TAM?

No problem! I think I'll use the genderless pronoun instead of the masculine one, though, if that's okay (since the masculine one is also potentially insulting).

How would you say the following?

he's about to go out

[əˈʋər ɛrəˈŋaːraːj]

he just went out

[əˈʋər iˈpən̪ d̪ənˈne jɛˈrəŋi]

he wants to get going

It seems to me that there's a distinction you're trying to make here between "get going" and simply "go," but I'm not sure I know what it is. Do you mean "he wants to get ready to go"? I think most people would simply use the English loanword "ready" and say [əˈʋərkɯ pʷaːn rɛˈɖijaːɳəm], where [rɛˈɖijaːɳəm] literally means 'wants to become (i.e. get) ready'. I'm probably enough of a purist that I might venture to use pure Dravidian terminology only found in literature, and I might also attempt to enunciate a bit (because I'm probably excessively worried about being told I'm speaking wrong otherwise) and say [əˈʋərkɯ poːˈgaːn ɔˈɾʊmbɛɖəɳəm].

he needs to get going

[əˈʋər pʷaːn rɛˈɖijaːɳəm] or [əˈʋər poːˈgaːn ɔˈɾʊmbɛɖəɳəm]

he needs to go

[əˈʋər ˈpoːɳəm]

he needed to have gone already

I'm not sure I understand the intended meaning here, either. Do you simply mean 'he needed to go', i.e. there was a situation in the past that required him to go? In that case, it would be [əˈʋər poːˈgeːɳɖi ʋən̪ˈn̪u] (possibly also [əˈʋər ˈpoːɳɖi ʋən̪ˈn̪u]).

he will go when when he wants to

[əˈʋər ˈʋeːɳɖijəpəm poːwm]

he's going there now (i.e.: on his way there now)

[əˈʋər əˈŋoːʈɯ ˈpoːjɾikʲaː] or, more formally, [əˈʋər əˈŋoːʈɯ ˈpoːjiɾikʲun̪n̪u]

he went there yesterday (and came back)

[jin̪ˈn̪əle jəˈʋər əˈŋoːʈu ˈpoːjʈɯ ʋən̪ˈn̪u]

he went there yesterday (and stayed there)

[jin̪ˈn̪əle jəˈʋər əˈŋoːʈu ˈpoːjɾun̪n̪u] (he had gone there yesterday).

[Vijay]

Forming Past Tense Verbs

Expressing past tense on verbs in Malayalam is a bit more complicated than expressing other kinds of TAM. The form of a verb in past tense depends on the form of the verb stem (and thus on other forms of the verb as well, since they use it).

If the stem ends in a short vowel followed by /ʈ/, then the past tense is formed by replacing /ʈ/ with -[ʈu]. For example, the past tense form of [t̪oˈɖuga] 'to touch' is [t̪oˈʈu] 'touched'.

If it ends in /jj/, then it's formed by replacing the last /j/ with -[d̪u], e.g. [ˈt͡ʃejjuga] 'to do' > [ˈt͡ʃejd̪u] 'did'.

If it ends in /akk/, then it's formed by replacing the /kk/ with -[n̪n̪u], e.g. [n̪əˈɖəkuga] 'to walk' > [n̪əˈɖən̪n̪u] 'walked'.

If it ends in /ikk/ or /jkk/, then it's formed by replacing the /kk/ with -[t͡ʃu], e.g. [əˈɖikʲuga] 'to hit, beat' > [əˈɖit͡ʃu] 'hit, beat (past tense)', /ʋajkkuka/ [ʋɛˈkʲuga] 'to put' > [ˈʋɛt͡ʃu] 'put (past tense)'. However, the past tense of [jiˈɾikʲuga] 'to sit' is the irregular verb [jiˈɾun̪n̪u] 'sat'.

If it ends in /ukk/ or /rkk/, then it's formed by replacing the /kk/ with -[t̪u], e.g. [t̪əˈɳukuga] 'to get cold' > [t̪əˈɳut̪u] 'got cold', [ˈoːrkuga] 'to remember' > [ˈoːrt̪u] 'remembered'.

If it ends in /lkk/, it's formed by replacing the /kk/ with -[ttu], e.g. /t̪oːlkkuka/ [ˈt̪oːkuga] 'to lose, be defeated' > [ˈt̪oːttu] 'lost, was defeated'. However, the past tense form of /nilkkuka/ [n̪iˈkʲuga] 'to wait, stand' is [ˈn̪in̪n̪u] 'waited, stood'.

If it ends in /ɭkk/, it's formed by replacing the /kk/ with -[ʈu], e.g. /keːɭkkuka/ [ˈkeːkuga] 'to hear' > [ˈkeːʈu] 'heard'.

If the infinitive ends in -[ɾuga], then the past tense form is formed by replacing that with -[rn̪n̪u], e.g. [ˈt̪iːɾuga] 'to end' > [ˈt̪iːrn̪n̪u] 'ended'.

If it ends in -[luga], -[lluga], or -[ɾiga], then it's formed by replacing that with -[n̪n̪u], e.g. [əˈgəluga] 'to move away' > [əˈgən̪n̪u] 'moved away', [ˈkolluga] 'to kill' > [ˈkon̪n̪u] 'killed', [ʋəˈɾiga] 'to come' > [ˈʋən̪n̪u] 'came'. However, the past tense of [ˈt͡ʃolluga] 'to narrate' can be expressed either as [ˈt͡ʃon̪n̪u] or [ˈt͡ʃolli] (both meaning 'narrated').

The past tense of [ˈkaːɳuga] 'to see' is [ˈkəɳɖu] 'saw', and the past tense of [ˈt̪innuga] 'to eat' is [ˈt̪in̪n̪u] 'ate'.

If the stem ends in -/uː/, then the past tense form is formed by adding -[gi], e.g. [ˈt̪uːʋuga] 'to scatter' > [ˈt̪uːgi] 'scattered'.

If it ends in -/oː/, then it's formed by adding -[j], e.g. [ˈpoːʋuga] 'to go' > [poːj] 'went'.

Otherwise, it's formed by adding -[ i ], e.g. [t̪oˈɖəŋuga] 'to start' > [t̪oˈɖəŋi] 'started'.

[Vijay]

A Bit More on Verbs

I forgot to include a few other irregular verbs: [ˈn̪oːʋuga] 'to hurt (intransitive)' > [n̪on̪ˈd̪u] 'hurt (past tense, intr.), [ˈʋeːʋuga] 'to cook (intr.)' > [ʋen̪ˈd̪u] 'cooked (intr.)', and [ˈpoːɾuga] 'to come over, approach' > [ˈpoːn̪n̪u] 'came over, approached'. The last of these verb pairs is not very commonly used; in fact, I don't recall ever hearing or seeing the past tense form for this verb before.

The copula in the present tense is most informally simply -[aː], somewhat more formally -[ˈaːɳɯ], and most formally [ˈaːgun̪n̪u]; the last of these literally means 'is becoming' because [ˈaːʋuga] means 'to become'. The past tense form of [ˈaːʋuga] is [aːj] 'became', but the past tense form for the copula is [ˈaːjɾun̪n̪u] 'was'. The future tense form of [ˈaːʋuga] is [ˈaːgum], whereas the future tense form of the copula is [ˈaːjɾikʲum]. [ˈaːjɾikʲum] can also mean 'maybe' or 'probably'. When attached to a verb, it means 'can'/'may' (in the sense of indicating probability), e.g. [t͡ʃejjugeˈjaːjiɾikʲum] (prescriptively correct pronunciation) or [t͡ʃejˈjaːjɾikʲum] 'may do'.

The present tense form of the existential quantifier in Malayalam is [ˈɔɳɖɯ] (the prescriptively correct pronunciation is [ˈuɳɖɯ]). The past tense form is [ɔɳˈɖaːjɾun̪n̪u] (or [uɳˈɖaːjɾun̪n̪u], of course), and the future tense form is [ɔɳˈɖaːgum] or ([uɳˈɖaːgum]).

The infinitive is formed using the suffix -[aːn], e.g. 'to go' in the context of a sentence, e.g. [ɲaːn ˈkəɭɭɯ kuɖiˈkʲaːn poʋˈʋaː] 'I'm going (to some place) to (get a) drink (of palm wine, by default and according to the literal meaning of the expression)'. However, these are not the citation forms in Malayalam. The forms ending in -[uga] are the citation forms but not very often used in the context of a sentence. When they are used, their function is essentially that of an imperative that is not directed at any specific person, e.g. a sign saying the equivalent of 'no smoking/please do not smoke here!'.

EDIT: Infinitive forms ending in -[aːn] can also be used this way (as an imperative), at least by some speakers.

[Vijay]

More on Cases

Most pronouns in Malayalam are inflected just like nouns would be. However, the pronouns [ɲaːn] 'I' and [n̪iː] 'you' have slightly different stems and are inflected as follows:

Nominative: [ɲaːn] 'I'
Accusative: [jɛnˈne] 'me'
Sociative: [jɛnˈnoːɖɯ] 'to me'
Dative: [jeˈnikʲɯ] 'to/for me'
Genitive: [ˈjɛnde] 'my'
Instrumental: [jɛnˈnekɔɳɖɯ] 'by/through/with/using me'
Locative: [ˈjɛnnil] 'in me'

Nominative: [n̪iː] 'you'
Accusative: [n̪ɪnˈne] 'you (object)'
Sociative: [n̪ɪnˈnoːɖɯ] 'to you'
Dative: [n̪ɪˈnəkɯ] 'to/for you'
Genitive: [ˈn̪ɪnde] 'your'
Instrumental: [n̪ɪnˈnekɔɳɖɯ] 'by/through/with/using you'
Locative: [ˈn̪ɪnnil] 'in you'

If a noun or pronoun in sociative or dative case is describing another noun, then the final [ɯ] must be replaced with [uɭɭa] (or perhaps [ʊɭɭa], depending on your analysis of the tenseness/laxness of short vowels in Malayalam), which literally means 'having'. For example, [jɛnˈnoːɖuɭɭa ˈʋaːgd̪ət̪əm] means 'the promise (made) to me'.

If a noun or pronoun in locative case is describing another noun, then -[e] must be added to the locative case form, e.g. [ʋəɭˈɭət̪ile miːn] 'the fish in the boat' (compare [ʋəɭˈɭət̪il] 'in the boat').