Course
Unit 6 · Elementary
Talking about family
Family words come up fast in Nepal — and they split by age and respect in ways English doesn't. Learn to name your relatives and say "this is my…".
In this unit you'll learn to
- Name immediate family members
- Use older-vs-younger sibling words
- Say "this is my…" with honorific respect
- Ask whether someone is married
Listen along
Family members and kinship (lesson 6)
Public-domain audio — FSI Nepali Basic Course (via Live Lingua).
Looking at a family photo
Maya
यो तपाईंको परिवार हो?
Yo tapaiko pariwaar ho?
Is this your family?
Ram
हो। यी मेरा आमाबुवा हुन्।
Ho. Yi mera aamaabuwaa hun.
Yes. These are my parents.
Maya
यो को हो?
Yo ko ho?
Who is this?
Ram
यो मेरो बहिनी हो।
Yo mero bahini ho.
This is my younger sister.
Maya
तपाईंको बिहे भयो?
Tapaiko bihe bhayo?
Are you married?
Ram
भएको छैन।
Bhaeko chhaina.
Not yet.
Vocabulary
- परिवार pariwaar
- family
- आमा aamaa
- mother
- बुवा buwaa
- father
- दाइ daai
- older brother
- दिदी didi
- older sister
- भाइ bhai
- younger brother
- बहिनी bahini
- younger sister
- छोरा chhoraa
- son
- छोरी chhori
- daughter
- बिहे bihe
- marriage / wedding
Grammar
Older vs younger matters
Nepali has no plain "brother" or "sister" — you must mark age. daai is an older brother, bhai a younger one; didi an older sister, bahini a younger one.
These same words are used warmly with strangers: call a young man bhai, a woman a little older than you didi. It's friendly, not rude.
"This is my…"
The pattern is Yo mero X ho — "This is my X." For people you respect, especially parents, Nepali switches to the honorific: the possessive becomes mera and the verb becomes hun: Yi mera aamaabuwaa hun = "These are my parents."
Younger relatives stay plain: Yo mero bhai ho ("This is my younger brother").
"Are you married?"
Ask Tapaiko bihe bhayo? — literally "Did your marriage happen?" Answer bhayo (yes, it happened) or bhaeko chhaina (it hasn't yet).
Practice
1. What word means "older brother"?
Show answer
दाइ (daai).
2. Say "This is my younger sister."
Show answer
यो मेरो बहिनी हो। (Yo mero bahini ho.)
3. Ask "Is this your family?"
Show answer
यो तपाईंको परिवार हो? (Yo tapaiko pariwaar ho?)
4. Say "I'm not married yet."
Show answer
मेरो बिहे भएको छैन। (Mero bihe bhaeko chhaina.)