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Spoken Malayalam phrases

How to Say "I Forgot" in Malayalam

Casual, everyday Malayalam — not textbook. By Reshmi R Nair, Malayalam Linguist.

ഞാൻ മറന്നു
Njaan marannu — I forgot

In short: To say "I forgot", say ഞാൻ മറന്നു (njaan marannu). "I don't remember" is എനിക്ക് ഓർമയില്ല (enikku ormayilla). മറക്കുക (marakkuka) = to forget.

Variations & related phrases

MalayalamRomanisedEnglish
ഞാൻ മറന്നുNjaan marannuI forgot
എനിക്ക് ഓർമയില്ലEnikku ormayillaI don't remember
മറന്നുപോയിMarannupoyiIt slipped my mind
ഓർമിപ്പിക്കാമോ?Ormippikkaamo?Can you remind me?

When & how to use it

Marannu ("forgot") vs orma ("memory"). To ask for a reminder, ormippikkaamo? ("can you remind me?").

Example sentences

MalayalamRomanisedEnglish
അയ്യോ, ഞാൻ മറന്നു!Ayyo, njaan marannu!Oh no, I forgot!
എനിക്ക് അവന്റെ പേര് ഓർമയില്ല.Enikku avante peru ormayilla.I don't remember his name.

Want to hear this used in a real conversation? Listen to Episode 24 - 'I'm Still Learning Malayalam' (Survival) in the free Listen & Learn library — every line has a Malayalam, romanised and English transcript.

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RRN
Reshmi R Nair, Malayalam Linguist

Teaches casual, everyday spoken Malayalam to beginners, NRIs, partners of Malayalis and travellers — never stiff textbook Malayalam.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say I forgot in Malayalam?

Say ഞാൻ മറന്നു (njaan marannu).

How do you say I don't remember in Malayalam?

Say എനിക്ക് ഓർമയില്ല (enikku ormayilla).

How do you ask someone to remind you?

Say ഓർമിപ്പിക്കാമോ? (ormippikkaamo?).

What does marakkuka mean?

"To forget".

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