Lessons for English speakers

Learn to read Nepali

A short, active path into reading Nepali: learn how a Devanagari letter carries its own vowel, decode ten real words before the full alphabet, follow the verb to the end of the sentence, and read a small story before opening your first book.

13 core sections · ≈ 33 min + 3 optional lookups · ≈ 45 min with everything

Verbs and stories

3 sections

The verbs a story runs on, and how they show the past

≈ 3 min

What you'll learn

A dictionary verb ends in नुnu: जानुjānu“to go”.
The present swaps that for छ plus a person ending — the same छ as the is-word.
Stories run in the simple past, which comes down to three endings to recognise.
-यो-yo is he or it, -ए-e is they and anyone respected, -इन्-in is a respected woman.
To make any of them negative, नna goes into the ending: गयोgayo becomes गएनgaena.

Ten verbs that carry a fable

English	Nepali	English	Nepali
to go	जानुjānu	to say	भन्नुbhannu
to come	आउनुāunu	to ask	सोध्नुsodhnu
to see	देख्नुdekhnu	to sit, to stay	बस्नुbasnu
to eat	खानुkhānu	to fall over	ढल्नुḍhalnu
to be, to become	हुनुhunu	to do	गर्नुgarnu

All ten end in नु, which is the shape a dictionary lists rather than the shape an ordinary sentence uses.

The present, on जानु

Who	Nepali	English
मma	जान्छुjānchu	I go
तिमीtimī	जान्छौjānchau	you go
ऊū	जान्छjāncha	he goes
उनीहरूunīharū	जान्छन्jānchan	they go

Every one of them contains छ. Recognise that and the person ending after it, and the whole present tense is done.

The simple past, the three endings stories use

Verb	he, it	they, respected	a respected woman
जानुjānu“to go”	गयोgayo	गएgae	गइन्gain
आउनुāunu“to come”	आयोāyo	आएāe	आइन्āin
भन्नुbhannu“to say”	भन्योbhanyo	भनेbhane	भनिन्bhanin
हुनुhunu“to be”	भयोbhayo	भएbhae	भइन्bhain

जानु and हुनु are the two that change their body in the past — जा becomes ग, हु becomes भ. The other eight stay recognisably themselves and only swap the tail. देख्योdekhyo“he saw”, सोध्योsodhyo“he asked” and ढल्योḍhalyo“it fell over” are the same -यो tail again.

Was, and was not

छcha“is”

थियोthiyo“was”

one word covers the past of both is-words. Its plural is थिएthie

थियोthiyo“was”

थिएनthiena“was not”

ढल्योḍhalyo“it fell over”

ढलेनḍhalena“it did not fall over”

in these tenses the न of the negative lands inside the ending, not in front of the verb as English would put it

Find the tense, then the doer

स्याल बनमा गयो।
Last word first. Nothing is being done to anything, so no ले.
Show answer +Hide answer −
syāl banmā gayo — “The jackal went into the forest.”
मुसाले पानी देख्यो।
A past action with something on the receiving end.
Show answer +Hide answer −
musāle pānī dekhyo — “The mouse saw the water.”
त्यहाँ पानी थिएन।
The past of the is-word, made negative.
Show answer +Hide answer −
tyahā̃ pānī thiena — “There was no water there.”