Martial Arts

18 phrases · Malayalam with romanization, English and audio

  1. എനിക്ക് ഒരു ദിവസം മാത്രം പരിശീലനത്തിൽ ചേരാമോ?

    Enikk oru divasam mātram pariśīlanattil cērāmō?

    Can I join the training just for one day?

    Usage

    Use this to try kalarippayattu, the traditional martial art of Kerala. Its training hall is the "kalari", a sunken earthen pit, and many kalaris run taster programmes for visitors

    Grammar Note

    Verb stem plus "-aam" expresses permission, and the question marker "-oo" gives "ceeraamoo?". "Enikk" is the dative "for me"

  2. എനിക്ക് ആദ്യം പരിശീലനം കാണാമോ?

    Enikk ādyam pariśīlanam kāṇāmō?

    May I watch the training first?

    Usage

    A kalari is a pit dug about four feet below ground level and laid out east to west. You enter right foot first, touching the earth with your right hand and then your forehead. Keep away from the "poothara", the seven-tiered shrine in the south-west corner

    Grammar Note

    Malayalam puts the subject in the dative for verbs of perception and ability ("enikk kaanaamoo" = literally "to me, may it be seen?"), the so-called dative subject construction

  3. ഇവിടെ ആയുധങ്ങൾ വാടകയ്ക്ക് കിട്ടുമോ?

    Iviṭe āyudhaṅṅaḷ vāṭakaykk kiṭṭumō?

    Are weapons available to borrow here?

    Usage

    Kalarippayattu progresses through meithari (body training), kolthari (wooden weapons), angathari (metal weapons) and finally verumkai (bare hands). The wooden staffs such as the long "kettukari" and short "cheruvadi" are lent by the kalari; beginners are never handed metal weapons

    Grammar Note

    "Kittum" means "is obtainable", taking the item as its subject; adding the question marker "-oo" gives "kittumoo?"

  4. ഞാൻ തീരെ പുതിയ ആളാണ്, മുമ്പ് പഠിച്ചിട്ടില്ല.

    Ñān tīre putiya āḷāṇ, mumpŭ paṭhicciṭṭilla.

    I am a complete beginner; I have never trained before.

    Usage

    Say this at the start and you will begin with "meippayattu", the body-conditioning forms. Kalarippayattu is founded on the eight "vadivu", postures modelled on animals, and traditionally you spend months on them before anything else

    Grammar Note

    The copula "-aan" attaches directly to a noun ("aal" plus "aan" gives "aalaan"). The ending "-ittilla" negates experience: "have never done"

  5. ദയവായി കുറച്ച് പതുക്കെ ചെയ്യാമോ?

    Dayavāyi kuṟacc patukke ceyyāmō?

    Could you take it a bit slower, please?

    Usage

    Use this to slow down partner drills. The "adavu" sequences of kalarippayattu are prearranged two-person exchanges, and the faster they go the greater the injury risk, so do not hesitate to ask

    Grammar Note

    "-aamoo?" combines the permissive "-aam" with the question marker "-oo", producing a request softer than an imperative

  6. എന്റെ കാൽമുട്ടിന് പരിക്കുണ്ട്, കൂടുതൽ ബലം കൊടുക്കാൻ പറ്റില്ല.

    Enṟe kālmuṭṭinŭ parikkuṇṭŭ, kūṭutal balaṃ koṭukkān paṟṟilla.

    My knee is injured, so I cannot put much force on it.

    Usage

    Always say this before you start. Kalarippayattu uses deep lunges and high kicks that load the knees and hips heavily. Swap "kaalmutt" (knee) for "thol" (shoulder), "arakkett" (lower back) or "kanankaal" (ankle)

    Grammar Note

    Ailments take the dative "-nu" ("to my knee there is an injury"). The existential "unt" fuses with the noun, giving "parikkunt"

  7. മാസഫീസ് എത്രയാണ്?

    Māsaphīs etrayāṇ?

    How much is the monthly fee?

    Usage

    A neighbourhood kalari attended by local children is inexpensive, roughly 500-1,500 rupees a month. Kalaris in Thiruvananthapuram or Kochi that cater to foreign visitors price short courses separately, sometimes around 1,000 rupees a session

    Grammar Note

    The copula "-aan" attaches to the question word too ("etra" plus "aan" gives "etrayaan"), with "ya" inserted to break the vowel clash

  8. ഒരു ദിവസത്തേക്ക് എത്ര രൂപയാകും?

    Oru divasattēkkŭ etra rūpayākuṃ?

    How many rupees will it be for one day?

    Usage

    The way to ask a one-off rate. Many kalaris also offer "uzhichil", a full-body sesame-oil massage, charged separately at roughly 1,000-2,000 rupees. Traditionally it is done during the monsoon month of Karkidakam

    Grammar Note

    The ending "-tteekk" is a directional case meaning "for / towards". "Aakum" (will become) is the standard verb for asking an estimated amount

  9. ഇവിടെ സ്ത്രീകൾക്ക് പ്രത്യേക ക്ലാസ് ഉണ്ടോ?

    Iviṭe strīkaḷkkŭ pratyēka klās uṇṭō?

    Is there a separate class for women here?

    Usage

    Women have trained in kalarippayattu for centuries, and there are female practitioners and even female gurukkal today. The traditional dress is the "kacha" loincloth wrap, but visitors and women commonly train in a T-shirt and loose trousers

    Grammar Note

    The plural is "-kal" and the dative "-kk" follows it ("stree" to "streekal" to "streekalkk"). "Untoo?" is the basic way to ask whether something exists

  10. പരിശീലനം രാവിലെയാണോ വൈകുന്നേരമാണോ?

    Pariśīlanaṃ rāvileyāṇō vaikunnēramāṇō?

    Is the training in the morning or in the evening?

    Usage

    Kalari sessions traditionally run before dawn, roughly 05:00-07:00, often with an evening session as well. Timetables are rarely posted, so ask in person; schedules and content can shift around Onam and the month of Karkidakam

    Grammar Note

    An either/or question attaches "-aanoo" to each alternative; Malayalam uses no separate word for "or" in this pattern

  11. ഈ അടവ് ഒന്ന് പതുക്കെ കാണിച്ചുതരാമോ?

    Ī aṭavŭ onnŭ patukke kāṇiccutarāmō?

    Could you show me this sequence slowly?

    Usage

    Kalarippayattu is transmitted orally and by demonstration, with no manuals; watching the gurukkal repeatedly is the only way to learn. An "adavu" is a fixed two-person sequence of attack and defence

    Grammar Note

    Adding "taruka" (to give) after a verb marks benefit to the speaker ("kaanicc-taraamoo" = would you show me, for my sake?)

  12. എത്ര ദിവസം കഴിഞ്ഞാൽ എനിക്ക് ആയുധപരിശീലനം തുടങ്ങാം?

    Etra divasaṃ kaḻiññāl enikkŭ āyudhapariśīlanaṃ tuṭaṅṅāṃ?

    After how long can I start weapons training?

    Usage

    Tradition holds that you spend months or years on the body training of meithari before touching a wooden weapon, so a short-stay visitor normally covers only body work and basic forms. Let the gurukkal decide rather than pushing

    Grammar Note

    The conditional "-aal" attaches to the verb to mean "if / once" ("kazhinnu" becomes "kazhinnaal")

  13. ഇവിടെ കുളിക്കാൻ സ്ഥലമുണ്ടോ?

    Iviṭe kuḷikkān sthalamuṇṭō?

    Is there somewhere to wash here?

    Usage

    A kalari has an earthen floor, you train barefoot and often with oil on the skin, so a wash afterwards is part of the routine. Expect a well or a communal tap rather than a private shower, and bring your own towel and change of clothes

    Grammar Note

    Verb stem plus "-aan" forms a purposive infinitive ("kulikkaan" = in order to bathe). The existential "unt" fuses with the noun, giving "sthalamuntoo"

  14. കളരിപ്പയറ്റ് പ്രദർശനം എവിടെ കാണാം?

    Kaḷarippayaṟṟŭ pradarśanaṃ eviṭe kāṇāṃ?

    Where can I see a kalarippayattu display?

    Usage

    Kalaris in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Thrissur stage daily displays for visitors, typically an hour running from bare-hand forms through wooden weapons, sword and shield, up to the flexible "urumi" blade. Temple festivals also host demonstrations

    Grammar Note

    Malayalam question words stay just before the verb instead of moving to the front as in English

  15. കൈ ഉയർത്തിപ്പിടിക്കൂ, എതിരാളിയുടെ കണ്ണിൽ നോക്കൂ.

    Kai uyarttippiṭikkū, etirāḷiyuṭe kaṇṇil nōkkū.

    Keep your hands up, look into your opponent's eyes.

    Usage

    Said by the gurukkal. Instructions come as short commands ending in "-oo", which is normal between master and student and carries no rudeness. Address your teacher as "gurukkal"

    Grammar Note

    Malayalam chains verbs into compounds ("uyartti" plus "pitikkuka" = raise and hold). The ending "-ū" is a polite-to-friendly imperative, not a harsh command

  16. മുഴുവൻ ശക്തിയും ഉപയോഗിക്കൂ, മടിക്കരുത്.

    Muḻuvan śaktiyuṃ upayōgikkū, maṭikkarutŭ.

    Use your full strength, do not hesitate.

    Usage

    Said by the gurukkal. A weapon swing checked halfway loses its line and becomes more dangerous, so you are told to commit fully to each movement. It also signals that you may go at full effort

    Grammar Note

    Prohibitions use the stem plus "-arut" ("matikkuka" becomes "matikkarut"). The particle "-um" means "also" and here adds emphasis

  17. അഞ്ച് മിനിറ്റ് വിശ്രമിക്കൂ, വെള്ളം കുടിക്കൂ.

    Añcŭ miniṟṟŭ viśramikkū, veḷḷaṃ kuṭikkū.

    Take a five-minute break and drink some water.

    Usage

    Said by the gurukkal. A kalari is sunken and poorly ventilated, so it gets hot and humid and water breaks matter. Bring your own bottle; you may be offered coconut water or "sambharam" buttermilk afterwards

    Grammar Note

    Durations are simply number plus unit ("anc minitt" = five minutes). The imperative replaces the infinitive ending "-uka" with "-oo"

  18. ഇന്നത്തേക്ക് ഇത്രമതി, നന്നായി ചെയ്തു.

    Innattēkkŭ itramati, nannāyi ceytu.

    That is enough for today. Well done.

    Usage

    Said by the gurukkal to close the session. You leave a kalari the same way you entered it, touching the earth and then your forehead, and thank the master with "nandi, gurukkal". Tipping is not expected

    Grammar Note

    "Mati" means "enough" and combines with "itra" (this much) to mark a stopping point. "Ceytu" is the past tense, and the subject can be dropped entirely

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