Malagasy Gender

Welcome to the fifth Malagasy lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Malagasy to help you practice your daily phrases.

man lehilahy

woman vehivavy

husband vady

wife vady

boy lehilahy/ ankizilahy

girl vehivavy/ankizivavy

father ray/dada

mother mama/ neny

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Malagasy
my son is a student [masculine + noun] mpianatra ny zanako lahy
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] mpianatra ny zanany vavy
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] manana rahalahy lava izy
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] manana rahavavy lava izy
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] tanora ny rahalahiny
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] tanora ny anabaviny

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son zanaka lahy

daughter zanaka vavy

brother rahalahy

sister rahavavy

grandfather dadabe

grandmother bebe

child zaza

children zaza

Expressions in Malagasy

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Malagasy, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Malagasy
What do you mean? inona no tianao ho lazaina?
I don't understand tsy azoko / tsy mazava amiko
I don't know tsy fantatro
What is that called in Malagasy? inona no anaran'ity amin'ny teny malagasy?
What is this? inona ity?
What does that word mean in English? inona no dikan'ity teny ity amin'ny teny anglisy
Sorry (if you made a mistake) azafady / miala tsiny

I hope you enjoyed this lesson about the gender in Malagasy. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.