browser icon
You are using an insecure version of your web browser. Please update your browser!
Using an outdated browser makes your computer unsafe. For a safer, faster, more enjoyable user experience, please update your browser today or try a newer browser.

Author Archives: Nostalgoa

To Be or Be Differently

Before resuming the conjugation of the verb asonk in the next post, picking up from where we left off a while ago, I would first like to double down on the difference between the two distinct Konkani versions of the verb to be, underscoring the fact that although, in matters grammatical, Konkani is very similar … Continue reading »

Categories: Grammar | Leave a comment

Regular Conjugations — Conjugation 3

A brief review I think it is best to begin with a short review of what we have done so far with regard to the conjugations of Konkani verbs. As mentioned earlier, the best way to learn any Konkani verb is to learn and, if possible, memorize all its five principal parts. Incidentally, that is … Continue reading »

Categories: Grammar | Leave a comment

Mum & Ki na?

In daily parlance, when we talk to people, we invariably ask and answer questions pertaining to daily life. Sometimes we add different nuances to questions by the intonation we put into them. Such is undoubtedly the case with Konkani as well. But in Konkani, as in many other languages, we can add certain flavours to … Continue reading »

Categories: Spoken Konkani | Leave a comment

Misak vechem dhanvon; zhuzak vechem ravon

The literal translation of Misak vechem dhanvon; zhuzak vechem ravon is: “When going for Mass, one should hurry; when going to war, one should be tardy”. This proverb isn’t to be taken literally or for its face value. The general message of the proverb is: there is a time for everything — there is a … Continue reading »

Categories: Proverbs | Leave a comment

Regular Declensions — Declension 4

Just as the first and second declensions follow a similar pattern, the third and the fourth too resemble each other in a parallel manner. And while the first and third declensions comprise only masculine and neuter nouns, the second and fourth declensions cover only feminine nouns. The fourth declension comprises only feminine nouns ending in … Continue reading »

Categories: Grammar | Leave a comment

Konkani Spellmanship

Unlike most Indian languages, Konkani is not tied to any single script but is written in at least three Indian scripts as well as the Roman script which we have adopted in nostalgoa.com. But while many languages written in the Roman script may not be phonetic languages, Konkani is and as such its spellings are … Continue reading »

Categories: Written Konkani | Tags: | Leave a comment

Regular Declensions — Declension 3

The third declension comprises the following nouns (but no adjectives): monosyllabic (single syllable) masculine nouns ending in i, disyllabic (having two syllables) masculine nouns ending in i, which have a single consonant sound between the two syllables, e.g., dhobi, ghaddi. monosyllabic neuter nouns ending in im, e.g., bim disyllabic neuter nouns ending in im, which … Continue reading »

Categories: Grammar | Leave a comment

Sangnnechi sangnni, ponnsak zalim vaingim

The literal translation of Sangnnechi sangnni, ponnsak zalim vaingim is: Tale of a tale, a jack fruit tree bore aubergines (or aubergines grew on a jackfruit tree). That is to say, a series of tales can end up with the fantastic report (and presumably a belief as well) that aubergines grew on a jack fruit … Continue reading »

Categories: Proverbs | Leave a comment

Khakêk asa cheddo, sôdta sogllo vaddo

A number of proverbs portray certain interesting and unexpected, yet not too rare, natural phenomena. Khakêk asa cheddo, sôdta sogllo vaddo is one such. Khak (fem.) is an armpit — khakêk being its dative form — and vaddo (masc.) is a section of a village, a sub-village, a neighbourhood or, as it is often known in … Continue reading »

Categories: Proverbs | Leave a comment

Disachea disa

Disachea disa, ratichê rati, sumanachea sumana or satolleachea satollea, mhoineachea mhoinea, and vorsachea vorsaare similarly constructed phrases respectively meaning day after day, night after night, week after week, month after month and year after year. To examine the peculiar type of construction, let’s just take the first phrase: day after day. The word for day is … Continue reading »

Categories: Idioms & Phrases | Leave a comment