Kannada grammar, step by step
A guided tour through Kannada grammar with glossed examples that show how each piece of a sentence fits together.
Grammar Walkthrough
Discover how the language works through examples
Kannada is a Dravidian language where the verb always comes last and accumulates layers of meaning — tense, person, gender, and number — through suffixes, while postpositions and case endings manage every other grammatical relationship.
The verb comes last
SOV word orderWhere does the verb appear in the sentence? What sits between the subject and the verb?
Kannada is Subject–Object–Verb: the verb is always the final word. The object and any other elements appear between the subject and the verb.
The verb tracks person and gender
verb agreement| Subject | Verb (present) | Transliteration | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| ನಾನು (nānu) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ | māṭanāḍuttēne | speak.PRES.1SG |
| ನೀನು (nīnu) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತೀಯ | māṭanāḍuttīya | speak.PRES.2SG |
| ಅವನು (avanu) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಾನೆ | māṭanāḍuttāne | speak.PRES.3SG.M |
| ಅವಳು (avaḷu) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ | māṭanāḍuttāḷe | speak.PRES.3SG.F |
| ಅದು (adu) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತದೆ | māṭanāḍuttade | speak.PRES.3SG.N |
| ನಾವು (nāvu) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ | māṭanāḍuttēve | speak.PRES.1PL |
| ಅವರು (avaru) | ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ | māṭanāḍuttāre | speak.PRES.3PL/HON |
The verb changes each time the subject changes — even when the tense stays the same. What properties of the subject does the verb seem to track?
Kannada verbs agree with the subject in person, number, and gender. These agreement markers are suffixes stacked after the tense marker at the end of the verb.
Present tense marker -utt-
present tense -utt-Inside the verb, between the root and the personal suffix, there is a recognizable chunk. Can you spot it across different verbs?
The present tense is formed by inserting -utt- (ಉತ್ತ-) between the verb root and the personal agreement suffix. The root gives the meaning; -utt- marks "now"; the personal suffix marks who.
Past tense with -d- / -t-
past tense -d-/-t-The middle chunk of the verb has changed — -utt- is gone and something shorter appears in its place. What does this new element mark?
The past tense replaces -utt- with -d- or -t- (the choice depends on the verb class). The personal agreement suffix stays in the same slot at the end.
Future tense with -uv-
future tense -uv-Now the middle element inside the verb is -uv-. What does the sentence mean compared to the present and past versions?
The future tense uses -uv- (ಉವ-) in place of -utt- or -d-/-t-. The same personal agreement suffix follows at the end. The three tense markers -utt-, -d-/-t-, and -uv- occupy the same slot inside the verb.
Gender: rational vs. irrational
gender (M/F/N)| Gender | Category | Example subject | Verb suffix (3SG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | rational male | ಅವನು (avanu) — he | -āne (ಆನೆ) |
| Feminine | rational female | ಅವಳು (avaḷu) — she | -āḷe (ಆಳೆ) |
| Neuter | irrational (animals, things) | ಅದು (adu) — it | -ade (ಅದೆ) |
| Honorific / Plural | rational (any gender, respect) | ಅವರು (avaru) — they/he/she (HON) | -āre (ಆರೆ) |
The verb ending changes depending on whether the subject is a man, a woman, or a thing. What principle divides these categories?
Kannada uses a two-way distinction for gender: "rational" beings (humans) are masculine or feminine, while "irrational" beings (animals, objects, abstractions) are neuter. The verb agreement suffix tracks this division.
Postpositions follow the noun
postpositions| Postposition | Transliteration | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ಮೇಲೆ | mēle | on, above | ಮೇಜಿನ ಮೇಲೆ — on the table |
| ಕೆಳಗೆ | keḷage | below, under | ಮೇಜಿನ ಕೆಳಗೆ — under the table |
| ಹತ್ತಿರ | hattira | near, close to | ಮನೆ ಹತ್ತಿರ — near the house |
| ಜೊತೆ | jote | with, together | ಅವರ ಜೊತೆ — with them |
| ಒಳಗೆ | oḷage | inside | ಕೋಣೆ ಒಳಗೆ — inside the room |
The word that marks location or relationship appears after the noun, not before it. How is this different from English prepositions?
Kannada uses postpositions — relational words that follow the noun they modify, the opposite of English prepositions. They often attach to a case-marked form of the noun.
Case suffixes mark noun roles
case suffixes| Case | Suffix | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | (none) | subject | ಹುಡುಗ (huḍuga) — boy |
| Accusative | -annu (ಅನ್ನು) | direct object | ಹುಡುಗನನ್ನು (huḍugannannu) |
| Dative | -ige / -ge / -akke | indirect object, experiencer | ಹುಡುಗನಿಗೆ (huḍuganige) |
| Locative | -alli (ಅಲ್ಲಿ) | location (in/at) | ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ (maneyalli) |
| Ablative | -inda (ಇಂದ) | source (from) / instrument | ಮನೆಯಿಂದ (maneyinda) |
| Genitive | -a / -ina (ಅ/ಇನ) | possession | ಹುಡುಗನ (huḍugana) |
| Instrumental | -inda (ಇಂದ) | by means of (same as ablative) | ಕಾರಿನಿಂದ (kārininda) |
The ending on the noun changes depending on its role in the sentence. What roles do you see being marked by different endings?
Kannada has eight cases marked by suffixes attached directly to the noun stem. The nominative is unmarked; every other role gets a specific suffix.
Accusative -annu marks the object
accusative -annuWhen the object is specific and definite, it takes an extra ending. Can you spot it and see how the sentence changes?
-annu (ಅನ್ನು) is the accusative suffix that marks a definite direct object. For indefinite or generic objects, the suffix can be omitted.
Dative -ige for indirect objects
dative -igeThe suffix -ige (or -ge) appears on a noun that is the recipient or experiencer. What role is it marking?
-ige / -ge (ಇಗೆ/ಗೆ) is the dative suffix, marking the indirect object (recipient) or experiencer. It is also used where English uses "to me it seems / I feel" constructions.
Negation with ಅಲ್ಲ (alla)
negation allaThe word ಅಲ್ಲ appears after the verb or predicate. What does it do to the meaning of the sentence?
ಅಲ್ಲ (alla) is the primary negator. For verb negation, it follows the verb in a construction where the verb is nominalized. For nominal or adjectival predicates, alla negates them directly.
Questions with suffix -ā
questions -āThe sentence looks identical to a statement except for one sound added at the very end. What does that addition create?
Add the suffix -ā (ಆ) to the final word of a sentence to turn it into a yes/no question. No word-order change is needed.
Relative participles before nouns
relative participlesA verb-like form appears before a noun. It seems to be describing the noun. How is a relative clause formed in Kannada?
Kannada forms relative clauses by taking the verb and adding a relative participle suffix (-a, present or past). This adjectival form comes before the noun it modifies — the entire clause is a prenominal adjective.
Compound verbs with ಇರು (iru)
compound verbs iruಇದ್ದೇನೆ or ಇರುತ್ತೇನೆ follows the main verb or a participle. What does the auxiliary ಇರು add to the meaning?
ಇರು (iru — "to be") functions as an auxiliary that creates compound verb constructions: a main verb participle + iru expresses a continuing state or progressive action.
Chaining actions with gerunds
verb chaining (gerund)Two actions appear in the sentence, but only the final verb carries the full tense and agreement markers. How does the first action connect to the second?
Kannada chains sequential actions by using the gerund (verb root + -i or -u), which leaves no tense or agreement on the first verb. Only the final verb in the chain carries full tense and agreement markers.
The full picture
synthesisAll the pieces — SOV order, verb agreement, case suffixes, relative participles, and compound verbs — combine in natural Kannada sentences. Can you identify each element?
Kannada grammar flows through a single principle: everything attaches after its host. Tense and agreement pile onto the verb end; cases pile onto the noun end; relative clauses pile before the noun they describe.