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Reference grid
Every Nepali verb conjugates across two axes simultaneously: who's doing it (pronoun) and what honorific level (low / mid / high). The full grid for the reference verb ‘garnu’ (to do). Memorize this once; every other regular verb follows the same pattern.
Related: pronouns & honorifics, verb conjugation rules, imperatives by honorific level.
| Subject (pronoun) | Level | Present | Past | Future | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| म (ma) — I | Low / intimate | गर्छु (garchu) | गरें (gare) | गर्ने छु (garne chu) | — |
| हामी (haami) — we | Low / intimate | गर्छौं (garchau) | गर्यौं (garyau) | गर्ने छौं (garne chau) | — |
| तँ (tã) — you (intimate / lowest) | Low / intimate | गर्छस् (garchas) | गरिस् (garis) | गर्ने छस् (garne chas) | गर् (gar) |
| तिमी (timi) — you (familiar / peer) | Mid / familiar | गर्छौ (garchau) | गर्यौ (garyau) | गर्ने छौ (garne chau) | गर (gara) |
| तपाईं (tapaai) — you (formal / safe default) | High / formal | गर्नुहुन्छ (garnuhuncha) | गर्नुभयो (garnubhayo) | गर्नुहुनेछ (garnuhunecha) | गर्नुहोस् (garnuhos) |
| यो/त्यो (yo/tyo) — he/she (peer, third) | Mid / familiar | गर्छ (garcha) / गर्छिन् (garchin) F | गर्यो (garyo) / गरी (gari) F | गर्ने छ (garne cha) | — |
| वहाँ (wahaa) — he/she (high honorific) | Honorific (3rd person) | गर्नुहुन्छ (garnuhuncha) | गर्नुभयो (garnubhayo) | गर्नुहुनेछ (garnuhunecha) | — |
| तिनी (tini) — he/she (literary / written 3rd) | Mid / familiar | गर्छन् (garchan) | गरे (gare) | गर्ने छन् (garne chan) | — |
When unsure, use tapaai (high) — formal endings. Over-formality is forgiven everywhere; under-formality offends. Tourists rarely meet anyone who deserves ‘tã’ (low).
The ending agrees with the SUBJECT, not the listener. ‘Ma garchu’ never changes by who you're speaking to. Only when the subject IS the listener (timi/tapaai), the form encodes their social rank.