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Learning Nepali and being able to speak it fluently is not so important to live in Nepal but if you learn some Nepali words will make your stay smooth and more enjoyable. We have put lesson 1 of our language book below, other lessons you will learn with our language teacher while you are here in Nepal.

LESSON ONE

Objectives:

This lesson is prepared for VSSN volunteers to give and understand a brief introduction and identification of persons, places and things. It will also make to be able to give commands using imperative polite order.

Vocabulary

Some useful Phrases

dhanyabaad                 thank you        

pheri bhannus              please say that again

bistaarai bhannus         please say that slowly

pheri bheTau:laa          see you again

Text 1

wahaa:ko naam Suman ho. wahaa:ko deshko naam Nepal ho. wahaa:ko ghar Nepalmaa Kathmandumaa chha. Sumanko ghar Pokharamaa pani chha. yo Sumanko koThaa ho ra tyo wahaa:ko aamaako koThaa ho. wahaa:ko koThaamaa Tebul chha ra tyo Tebulmaa saa:cho ra kitaab chha.

Text 2

mero naam Sam ho. mero desh America ho. wahaa:ko naam Mike ho. wahaa:ko desh pani America ho. mero guruko ghar Pokhara hoina. Wahaa:ko ghar Bhaktapur ho. wahaa:ko shrimatiko naam Kalpana ho.

yo kalam ho. yo mero kalam ho. tyo kitaab hoina. tyo kaapi ho. tyo kasko kaapi ho? tyo wahaa:ko kaapi ho.

tyo kaapi linus ra wahaa:laai dinus. bhitra aaunus, basnus ra chiyaa piunus. Dhokaa kholnus ra baahira jaanus. tapaai:ko kalam malaai nadinus, wahaa:laai dinus.

Conversation Practice

Practical Exercises:

1) Comprehension Passage

wahaa:ko naam Ram Kumar ho. wahaa:ko jaat Newar ho. Ram Kumarko ghar Thechomaa chha. Thecho gaau: ho. yo gaau: raamro chha. Thecho Kathmandumaa chhaina, yo gaau: Patanmaa chha.

Read above passage and answer following questions,

a. Ram Bahadurko jaat ke ho?

b. tapaai:ko jaat ke ho?

c. Thecho gaau: ho ki sahar ho?

d. Thecho kahaa: chha?

e. Thecho gaau: raamro chhaina, ho?

f. tapaai:ko aamaa ra baa ko ghar Americamaa kahaa: chha?

2) Fill in the blanks with the correct question words.

a. wahaa:ko ghar ______________ho?

b. tyo_____________ho?

c. mero kalam __________chha?

d. tapaai:ko naam __________ho?

e. usko kitaabko naam ________ho?

3) Fill with correct words.

a. Ramko ________Kathmandumaa chhaina.

b. wahaa:ko kitaab ra kalam wahaa:ko _________chha.

c. wahaa:ko ________Mike ho.

d. tapaai:ko_________Americamaa_________chha?

e. mero___________ke  chha?

4) Correct the following:

eg.                   yo ke Topi ho ?

Correct is:        yo kasko topi ho?

b. yo tapaai:ko haat chha.

c. mero gharmaa mech hoina.

d. tyo jhyaal chha.

e. wahaa:haruko kalam Tebulmaa ho.

f.  tapaai:ko jholaamaa ke ho?

g. yo mako ghaDi hoina.

h. mako kaichi linus ra wahaa: linus.

5) Translate into Nepali

a. His wife’s name is Rita.

b. I am from Canada.

c. This is your book and that is my bag.

d. Please give me your pen.

e. Close the window, please.

6) Make your own five sentences.

Grammar Notes:

(i)           The verb “hunu” (to be)

The verb ‘hunu’ has different forms, such as: ho, chha, hunuhunchha etc and they are used in different situations.

(we will discuss in classroom)

      “ho” is used for introduction or identification of objects or people.

      “chha” is used to describe and to locate things and people.

e.g.

                  mero naam Mike ho.                (introduction)

                  yo mero ghar ho.                     (identification)

                  mero ghar Americamaa chha. (location)

                  Thecho gaau: raamro chha.     (description)

(ii)         Possession

The possessive is formed by adding ‘ko’ to the noun or pronoun etc.

e.g.            tapaai: (you)                 tapaai:ko (your)

                  Mike (mike)                  Mikeko (Mike’s)

                  ghar (house)                gharko (of the house)

Note this

            ma (I)                           mero (my)

            haami (we)                  haamro (our)

            yo (this)                       yasko (of this)

            tyo (that)                      tyasko (of that)

(iii)        Use of “laai”

When there is more than one object in the sentence and the indirect object is a person or an animal, ‘laai’ is attached to it (the indirect object). When acting as the postposition of the indirect object, it corresponds to the English “to”.

e.g.     Subject                          Indirect object              Direct object                Verb.

            tapaai:                          malaai                           tyo kalam                      dinus.

(iv)        Imperative form

Imperative (polite command) for “tapaai:” is made by adding “s” to the verb.

e.g.            aaunu (to come)           → aaunus (please come)

                                    basnu (to sit)                → basnus (please sit)

      Negative command is made by prefixing the negative particle “na” to the affirmative.

            e.g.      Tebulmaa nabasnus.                -do not sit on the table

                        Dhokaa banda nagarnus.         -do not close the door

(v)         Use of  “ji” to address respected /older people

      The “ji” is added to the person’s title or name to give respect. “ji” is used by friends or          colleagues.

      e.g.      Badri-ji, Ram-ji , guru-ji etc.