Common Verbs & Action Words in Kannada (ಕ್ರಿಯಾಪದಗಳು)

Verbs (ಕ್ರಿಯಾಪದಗಳು) are action words — like eat, go, sleep, speak. You need them to form sentences and express what you or others are doing.

In this lesson, you’ll learn:

• Kannada verbs
• English pronunciation
• Daily usage examples

Basic Kannada Verbs List

Verb (English)	Kannada (Script)	Pronunciation (English)
To go	ಹೋಗು	hōgu
To come	ಬಾ	bā
To eat	ತಿನ್ನು	tinnu
To drink	ಕುಡಿ	kuḍi
To sleep	ನಿದ್ರೆಮಾಡು	nidremāḍu
To speak	ಮಾತಾಡು	mātāḍu
To read	ಓದು	ōdu
To write	ಬರೆ	bare
To see/look	ನೋಡು	nōḍu
To sit	ಕುಳು	kuḷu
To stand	ನಿಲ್ಲು	nillu
To play	ಆಟವಾಡು	āṭavāḍu
To work	ಕೆಲಸಮಾಡು	kelasamāḍu
To study	ಓದು	ōdu (same as “read”)
To open	ತೆರೆ	tere
To close	ಮುಚ್ಚು	muchu

Real-Life Sentences with Pronunciation

English Meaning	Kannada (Script)	Pronunciation (English)
I want to eat	ನಾನು ತಿನ್ನ ಬೇಕು	Nanu tinna bēku
He is reading a book	ಅವನು ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆ	Avanu pustaka ōduttiddāne
She is speaking Kannada	ಅವಳು ಕನ್ನಡ ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಳೆ	Avaḷu Kannada mātāḍuttiddāḷe
They are playing outside	ಅವರು ಹೊರಗೆ ಆಟವಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ	Avaru horage āṭavāḍuttiddāre
Please come here	ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾ	Dayaviṭṭu illi bā
I will go now	ನಾನು ಈಗ ಹೋಗುತ್ತೇನೆ	Nānu īga hōguttēne

Tips for Beginners

• Most Kannada verbs end in -ು (u) in root form
• You can say “ನಾನು [verb]ತ್ತೇನೆ” = “I am [verb]ing”
  e.g., ನಾನು ಓದುತ್ತೇನೆ = I am reading
• Use respectful/plural forms like: ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ – Madutare, ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ – Tinutare, ಓದುತ್ತಾರೆ – Oduthare

Try This Activity

Translate into Kannada:

1. I am going
2. She is drinking coffee
3. They are sleeping
4. We are working
5. He is looking at the book

Summary

Now you know how to:

• Use 15+ common Kannada verbs
• Create basic present tense sentences
• Understand root verb forms with clear pronunciation

ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮತ್ತು ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು!
Namaskara mattu Dhanyavaadagalu!
(Hello and Thank you!)