Past tense intro — gareko, khaeko (lesson 11)
Your first taste of the perfective. How yesterday's actions look in Nepali, and why the auxiliary chha/thiyo matters.
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FSI 1979, lesson 11 — your first grammar wall. Nepali past tense has two flavours: simple past (-yo, -e) for one-shot events ('I ate' = maile khaaen) and perfect (-eko cha) for current relevance ('I have eaten' = maile khaaeko chu). The auxiliary chha vs thiyo distinction at minute 9 is critical — thiyo signals past state. The lesson drills hidden-irregularity verbs: jaanu (to go) → gaen (went), garnu (to do) → garen (did). End of lesson has a story-format drill — 'hijo ma...' (yesterday I...) — a useful template you'll reuse for the rest of your Nepali life.
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