Lessons
Advanced grammar
Past continuous — what you were doing
The Nepali past continuous — खाँदै थिएँ (khaa~dai thiye~) — describes an action in progress at some past moment. It’s the imperfective participle -दै + the past copula थियो/थिए. Tourists need it every time they explain a lost passport, a missed bus, or an interrupted dinner.
Conjugation: खानु in past continuous
| Pronoun | Romanized | Form | Romanized form | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| म | ma | खाँदै थिएँ | khaa~dai thiye~ | |
| हामी | haami | खाँदै थियौँ | khaa~dai thiyau~ | |
| तिमी | timi | खाँदै थियौ | khaa~dai thiyau | |
| तपाईं | tapaai~ | खाँदै हुनुहुन्थ्यो | khaa~dai hunuhunthyo | |
| ऊ | uu | खाँदै थियो | khaa~dai thiyo | |
| उनी | uni | खाँदै थिए | khaa~dai thie | |
| उहाँ | uhaa~ | खाँदै हुनुहुन्थ्यो | khaa~dai hunuhunthyo |
Worked sentences
01
म सुत्दै थिएँ जब फोन बज्यो।
Ma sutdai thiye~ jaba phon bajyo.
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
Classic "interrupted progressive" — past continuous + simple past trigger.
02
उनी किताब पढ्दै थिए।
Uni kitaab padhdai thie.
They were reading a book.
03
हामी खाना पकाउँदै थियौँ।
Haami khaanaa pakaau~dai thiyau~.
We were cooking food.
04
बाटोमा पानी पर्दै थियो।
Baato-maa paani pardai thiyo.
It was raining on the road.
05
तपाईं के गर्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो?
Tapaai~ ke gardai hunuhunthyo?
What were you doing?
06
ऊ गाउँदै थियो।
Uu gaau~dai thiyo.
He was singing.
Common questions
- What's the difference between खायो and खाँदै थियो?
- खायो (khaayo) is simple past — "he ate," complete and done. खाँदै थियो (khaa~dai thiyo) is past continuous — "he was eating," mid-action when something else happened. The -दै suffix is what makes it ongoing.
- Why does तपाईं use हुनुहुन्थ्यो instead of थियो?
- The तपाईं honorific demands the high-respect copula. Present is हुनुहुन्छ; past is हुनुहुन्थ्यो. The -दै participle stays the same; only the copula shifts to honor the high-honorific subject.
- Can I drop -दै and use just थियो for past continuous?
- No — that turns it into past perfect or a different construction. Without -दै you're describing a completed event, not an ongoing one. -दै is what marks the imperfective aspect.