Word order
Verb last, endings after nouns, describing words first.
A Telugu sentence ends with its verb: the usual order is subject, object, verb. Words for time and place usually come early, before the object.
- nēnu annaṁ tiṁṭānu.I eat rice.I rice eat
- nēnu rōjū udayaṁ kāphī tāgutānu.I drink coffee every morning.I daily morning coffee drink
Endings and postpositions
Where English puts "in", "to" or "on" before a noun, Telugu puts an ending or a postposition after it: ఇంట్లో iṁṭlō "in the house", బల్ల మీద balla mīda "on the table", నా కోసం nā kōsaṁ "for me". See Case endings.
Describing words come first
Everything that describes a noun comes before it: possessives, numbers, adjectives, and even whole clauses that English puts after the noun with "who" or "that" (Describing with verbs).
- nā kotta pustakaṁmy new book
- mūḍu pedda iḷḷuthree big houses
- nēnu ninna konna pustakaṁthe book I bought yesterdayI yesterday bought book
The subject is often left out
The verb's ending shows who the subject is, so pronouns are dropped when the meaning is clear: వస్తాను vastānu alone means "I will come" (Verb tense basics).
- rēpu vastānu.I'll come tomorrow.tomorrow (I) will come
Questions
Questions keep the order of statements. A yes-or-no question adds -ఆ -ā to the last word, and a question word stands where the answer would go (Questions).
- nuvvu rēpu vastāvā?Will you come tomorrow?
- nuvvu ekkaḍiki veḷtunnāvu?Where are you going?you where-to are going
No articles
Telugu has no word for "the". ఒక oka "one" can serve as "a": ఒక అబ్బాయి oka abbāyi "a boy".
And, but, also
- మరియు mariyu "and" belongs to formal writing. In speech, nouns are joined by lengthening the last vowel of each: నేనూ నువ్వూ nēnū nuvvū "you and I", అమ్మా నాన్నా ammā nānnā "mother and father".
- కానీ kānī "but", లేదా lēdā "or", ఎందుకంటే eṁdukaṁṭē "because" and అందుకే aṁdukē "that's why" join sentences.
- కూడా kūḍā "also, too" and మాత్రమే mātramē "only" come after the word they belong to: నేను కూడా nēnu kūḍā "me too".
- mā annayya byāṁkulō pani cēstāḍu.My older brother works in a bank.
- nēnu kūḍā vastānu.I'll come too.
Cards from this guide
9 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Getting started cards.
Where does the verb go in a Telugu sentence?
At the end: subject, object, verb.
Where do words for time and place usually go in a Telugu sentence?
Early, before the object.
Where does Telugu put words meaning 'in', 'on' or 'for'?
After the noun, as an ending or a postposition.
Where does a describing clause like 'that I bought yesterday' go in Telugu?
Before the noun it describes.
Why can వస్తాను (vastānu) alone mean 'I will come'?
Its ending -ను shows that the subject is 'I'.
Where does a question word such as ఎక్కడికి (where to) go in a Telugu sentence?
Where the answer would go; the rest keeps statement order.
How do you say 'a', as in 'a boy', given that Telugu has no articles?
With ఒక (oka) 'one': ఒక అబ్బాయి.
How are two nouns joined with 'and' in everyday speech, as in 'mother and father'?
By lengthening the last vowel of each: అమ్మా నాన్నా.
Where does కూడా (kūḍā, also, too) go?
After the word it belongs to: నేను కూడా 'me too'.