Kannada Sentence Structure and Case Endings

Kannada puts the verb at the end of the sentence, and it marks each noun's role with a suffix rather than a separate word like English prepositions.

Verb-final order

English: Subject – Verb – Object. Kannada: Subject – Object – Verb.

• ನಾನು ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದುತ್ತೇನೆ. — I read a book.
• ಅವನು ಸೇಬು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾನೆ. — He eats an apple.

Case suffixes

Role	Suffix	Example
object	-ಅನ್ನು	ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು (the book)
to, for	-ಗೆ	ಶಾಲೆಗೆ (to school)
in, at	-ಅಲ್ಲಿ	ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ (in the house)
from, by	-ಇಂದ	ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಿಂದ (from Bengaluru)
of	-ಅ / -ನ / -ದ	ರಾಮನ ಪುಸ್ತಕ (Rama's book)
with	ಜೊತೆ	ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನ ಜೊತೆ (with a friend)

Examples

• ನಾನು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತೇನೆ. — I go to school.
• ಅವಳು ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಾಳೆ. — She is at home.
• ನಾವು ಮೈಸೂರಿನಿಂದ ಬಂದೆವು. — We came from Mysuru.
• ಇದು ರಾಮನ ಪುಸ್ತಕ. — This is Rama's book.

The object suffix

The object suffix -ಅನ್ನು is used mainly when the object is a specific person or thing. It is often left out for general objects:

• ನಾನು ನೀರು ಕುಡಿಯುತ್ತೇನೆ. — I drink water.
• ನಾನು ಆ ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಓದಿದೆ. — I read that book.

Linking sounds

Suffixes sometimes need a linking sound: ಪುಸ್ತಕ becomes ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು, and ಮನೆ becomes ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ. Learn these with each new noun.

Adjectives come first

Adjectives go before the noun and don't change:

• ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮನೆ — a big house
• ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಹುಡುಗ — a good boy

Tips

1. Build sentences from the end: put the verb last.
2. Learn the suffixes with sample words.
3. Use the dictionary to check noun forms.

Look up any word with English Kannada Dictionary →