Chapter 9 of 16 · Explore the Nepali path
Words · Chapter 9 of 16
Say what a thing is like, whose it is, and how many
A describing word tells you what something is like. Learn eight of them, the ending that changes to match the thing described, and how to say whose something is.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- A describing word goes in front of its noun; standing after one it almost always pairs with छ
cha, not हो ho. - One ending in ो swaps to ी for a female and ा for a group; the rest never change.
- मेरो
mero “my” and तिम्रो timro “your” are the pronouns wearing the “of” tag. - हरू
harū makes a plural, left off whenever the number is obvious.
Eight describing words
A describing word tells you what something is like. These eight cover most of what a short fable needs.
| English | Nepali | English | Nepali |
|---|---|---|---|
| small | सानो | happy | खुसी |
| big | ठूलो | sad | दुखी |
| good, nice | राम्रो | a lot, very | धेरै |
| bad | नराम्रो | another, the next | अर्को |
नराम्रो is राम्रो with the negative न on the front.
Change the ending to match the thing
A describing word ending in ो changes when the thing described is female or is more than one. Compare each pair.
The tree is big.
रूख ठूलो छ।
rūkh ṭhūlo cha
In front of the noun: ठूलो रूख
Say whose something is
The same “of” tag turns a person word into a word for whose it is, and it works on an ordinary noun too.
Six more nouns
Most of these turn up in the two readings at the end. Read down each pair of columns.
| English | Nepali | English | Nepali |
|---|---|---|---|
| bird | चरा | stream | खोला |
| jackal | स्याल | night | रात |
| friend | साथी | wind | हावा |
हावा is said “hāwā” — व again.
In front, or at the end?
- चरा सानो छ।
The is-word for how a thing is.
Show answer +Hide answer −
carā sāno cha — “The bird is small.” - त्यो मेरो साथी हो।
Which is-word does “what a thing is” take?
Show answer +Hide answer −
tyo mero sāthī ho — “That is my friend.”