Malayalam grammar
Malayalam negation with ഇല്ല and അല്ല
Malayalam has two everyday negators: ഇല്ല (illa) denies existence or an action, while അല്ല (alla) denies identity — "is not (a) X".
No (plain answer)
ഇല്ല
illa
The default way to say "no" to a yes/no question about facts.
There is no water
വെള്ളം ഇല്ല
veḷḷaṁ illa
Negates existence.
I don't have money
എന്റെ കയ്യിൽ പണം ഇല്ല
ente kayyil paṇaṁ illa
Literally "in my hand, money is not" — negates possession.
This is not a book
ഇത് പുസ്തകം അല്ല
it pustakaṁ alla
അല്ല (alla) negates identity — never ഇല്ല here.
He didn't come
അവൻ വന്നില്ല
avan vannilla
ഇല്ല fuses onto the past verb.
You must not go
നീ പോകരുത്
nī pōkarut
The suffix -അരുത് (-arut) means "must not".
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