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Unit 11 · Intermediate
Tell people what you did and where you went — the simple past tense and the polite -nubhayo form you'll be asked questions in.
Past tense intro — gareko, khaeko (lesson 11)
Public-domain audio — FSI Nepali Basic Course (via Live Lingua).
Gita
आज कहाँ जानुभयो?
Aaja kahaa jaanubhayo?
Where did you go today?
Tom
म भक्तपुर गएँ।
Ma Bhaktapur gae.
I went to Bhaktapur.
Gita
कस्तो लाग्यो?
Kasto laagyo?
How was it?
Tom
धेरै राम्रो लाग्यो।
Dherai raamro laagyo.
I liked it very much.
Gita
के के हेर्नुभयो?
Ke ke hernubhayo?
What all did you see?
Tom
दरबार स्क्वायर र मन्दिरहरू।
Darbaar square ra mandirharu.
Durbar Square and the temples.
Nepali marks the past on the verb. For "I", many verbs end in -e: jaanu (go) → gae (I went), khaanu (eat) → khaae (I ate), hernu (see) → here (I saw).
For "he / she / it" the usual ending is -yo: gayo (went), bhayo (happened / was), aayo (came).
With tapai, the respectful past ending is -nubhayo: jaanubhayo (you went), hernubhayo (you saw), garnubhayo (you did). It's how people will ask you about your day: Tapai kahaa jaanubhayo? ("Where did you go?").
A phrase you'll use daily: Kasto laagyo? = "How was it? / How did you find it?" Answer with an adjective + laagyo: Raamro laagyo ("I liked it"), Mitho laagyo ("it tasted good"), Naraamro laagyo ("I didn't like it").
1. Ask "Where did you go today?" politely.
आज कहाँ जानुभयो? (Aaja kahaa jaanubhayo?)
2. Say "I went to Pokhara."
म पोखरा गएँ। (Ma Pokhara gae.)
3. Ask "How was it?"
कस्तो लाग्यो? (Kasto laagyo?)
4. Say "It happened yesterday."
हिजो भयो। (Hijo bhayo.)