If you're trying to learn Malagasy Feminine you will find some useful resources including a course about genders: Feminine and Masculine... to help you with your Malagasy grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and notice the pattern that occurs each time the word changes its place. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Malagasy. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!
Learning the Malagasy Feminine is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. The more you master it the more you get closer to mastering the Malagasy language. But first we need to know what the role of Feminine is in the structure of the grammar in Malagasy.
Malagasy feminine refers to female qualities attributed specifically to women and girls or things considered feminine. The complement to feminine is masculine.
In Malagasy, there is no distinction between a feminine or a masculine noun, adjective or even pronoun. The context tells you if it is about a male or a female. Some time the word “lahy” (male) and “vavy” (female) is added. Here are some examples:
Zanaka lahy (son) becomes zanaka vavy (daughter), mpianatra lahy (student masc.) becomes mpianatra vavy (student fem.)
Note that some words cannot change into feminine; examples: Lehilahy (man), dadatoa (uncle)
Here are some examples:
| English Feminine | Malagasy Feminine |
|---|---|
| Feminine | vehivavy |
| he is happy | faly izy |
| she is happy | faly izy |
| he is American | Amerikanina izy |
| she is American | Amerikanina izy |
| man | lehilahy |
| woman | vehivavy |
| father | ray/dada |
| mother | mama/ neny |
| brother | rahalahy |
| sister | rahavavy |
| uncle | dadatoa |
| aunt | nenitoa |
| bull | omby dia |
| cow | kisoa |
| boy | lehilahy/ ankizilahy |
| girl | vehivavy/ankizivavy |
Notice the structure of the Feminine in Malagasy.
Below is a list of objects, can you determine whether they're feminine, masculine or plural in Malagasy? Memorizing this table will also help you add very useful and important words to your Malagasy vocabulary.
| English Vocabulary | Malagasy Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| objects | zavatra |
| bathroom | efitrano fisasàna |
| bed | fandriana |
| bedroom | efitrano |
| ceiling | tafo trano |
| chair | seza |
| clothes | akanjo |
| coat | akanjo ambony lava |
| cup | kaopy |
| desk | latabatra |
| dress | raoby |
| floor | tany |
| fork | sotro rovitra |
| furniture | fitaovana ao an-trano |
| glass | vera |
| hat | satroka |
| house | trano |
| ink | ranomainty |
| jacket | palitao |
| kitchen | lakozia |
| knife | antsy |
| lamp | jiro |
| letter | taratasy |
| map | saritany |
| newspaper | gazety |
| notebook | boky fandraisana naoty |
| pants | pataloha |
| paper | taratasy |
| pen | penina |
| pencil | pensily hazo |
| pharmacy | trano fivarotam-panafody |
| picture | sary |
| plate | lovia |
| refrigerator | vata fampangatsiahana |
| restaurant | trano fisakafoanana |
| roof | tafo trano |
| room | efitrano |
| rug | lamba firakotra/bodofotsy |
| scissors | hety |
| shampoo | savony fanasàna loha |
| shirt | zipo |
| shoes | kiraro |
| soap | savony |
| socks | bà kiraro |
| spoon | sotro kely |
| table | latabatra |
| toilet | trano fivoahana/trano fidiovana |
| toothbrush | borosy nify |
| toothpaste | dantifrisy |
| towel | seriveta |
| umbrella | helo |
| underwear | atin'akanjo |
| wall | rindrina |
| wallet | fasiana vola |
| window | varavaran-kely |
| telephone | finday/telefaonina |
Feminine and Masculine have a very important role in Malagasy. Once you're done with Malagasy Feminine, you might want to check the rest of our Malagasy lessons here: Learn Malagasy. Don't forget to bookmark this page.
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