Reported Speech in Nepali — bhanera / bhani Quoting Patterns | KidSchooler

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Reported speech — भनेर / भनी

To report what someone said, Nepali wraps the original utterance in a quote-marker भनेर (bhanera) or भनी (bhani) plus a verb of speaking. Unlike English, Nepali doesn’t shift the embedded tense backwards. Tourists need this every time they quote a guide, a guesthouse owner, or a doctor.

Forms of “to say” (भन्नु)

Tense / use	Form	Romanized
Present — he/she says	भन्छ / भन्नुहुन्छ	bhanchha / bhannuhunchha
Past — he/she said	भन्यो / भन्नुभयो	bhanyo / bhannubhayo
With -एर connector	भनेर	bhanera
Quotative particle	भनी	bhani

Direct vs indirect — side-by-side

Pair 1
Direct
उसले भन्यो, "म जान्छु।"
Usle bhanyo, "Ma jaanchhu."
Indirect
उसले आफू जान्छु भन्यो।
Usle aaphu jaanchhu bhanyo.
He said (that) he will go.
Pair 2
Direct
उनले भनिन्, "म थकित छु।"
Unle bhanin, "Ma thakit chhu."
Indirect
उनले आफू थकित छिन् भनेर भनिन्।
Unle aaphu thakit chhin bhanera bhanin.
She said that she is tired.

Worked sentences

01
उसले म थकित छु भनेर भन्यो।
Usle ma thakit chhu bhanera bhanyo.
He said that he is tired.
Note: छु, not थिएँ — Nepali does NOT backshift the embedded verb.
02
उनले भोलि आउँछु भनी भन्नुभयो।
Unle bholi aau~chhu bhani bhannubhayo.
She said (that) she will come tomorrow.
03
उसले मलाई माफ गर् भन्यो।
Usle malaai maaf gar bhanyo.
He told me to forgive (imperative preserved inside the quote).
04
तपाईंले के भन्नुभयो?
Tapaai~le ke bhannubhayo?
What did you say?
05
उनले कोठा महँगो छ भनेर गुनासो गर्नुभयो।
Unle kothaa mahango chha bhanera gunaaso garnubhayo.
She complained that the room is expensive.
06
गाइडले यो बाटो खतरनाक छ भनेर सावधान गराउनुभयो।
Gaaidle yo baato khatarnaak chha bhanera saavadhaan garaaunubhayo.
The guide warned that this path is dangerous.

Common questions

Does Nepali backshift tense in reported speech like English?: No. This is the single biggest difference from English. "He said he is tired" in Nepali keeps छु (present) — "उसले म थकित छु भनेर भन्यो" — not the English-style "was tired." The embedded verb stays in the tense the original speaker actually used.
What's the difference between भनेर and भनी?: Both embed a quoted clause. भनेर (bhanera) is the conjunctive participle of भन्नु — literally "having said." It's the most common in speech. भनी (bhani) is a more formal/written quotative marker. Either is grammatically correct; भनेर is the safer choice for tourists.
Do I need quotation marks in written Nepali reported speech?: For direct speech (verbatim), yes — Nepali print uses double quotation marks just like English. For indirect speech with भनेर/भनी, no quotes are needed because the embedding particle marks the clause boundary.

Related grammar

Reported speech — भनेर / भनी

Tense / use

Form

Romanized

Audio

Present — he/she says

भन्छ / भन्नुहुन्छ

bhanchha / bhannuhunchha

Past — he/she said

भन्यो / भन्नुभयो

bhanyo / bhannubhayo

With -एर connector

भनेर

bhanera

Quotative particle

भनी

bhani

Direct vs indirect — side-by-side

Pair 1

Direct

उसले भन्यो, "म जान्छु।"

Usle bhanyo, "Ma jaanchhu."

Indirect

उसले आफू जान्छु भन्यो।

Usle aaphu jaanchhu bhanyo.

He said (that) he will go.

Pair 2

Direct

उनले भनिन्, "म थकित छु।"

Unle bhanin, "Ma thakit chhu."

Indirect

उनले आफू थकित छिन् भनेर भनिन्।

Unle aaphu thakit chhin bhanera bhanin.

She said that she is tired.

Worked sentences

उसले म थकित छु भनेर भन्यो।

Usle ma thakit chhu bhanera bhanyo.

He said that he is tired.

Note: छु, not थिएँ — Nepali does NOT backshift the embedded verb.

उनले भोलि आउँछु भनी भन्नुभयो।

Unle bholi aau~chhu bhani bhannubhayo.

She said (that) she will come tomorrow.

उसले मलाई माफ गर् भन्यो।

Usle malaai maaf gar bhanyo.

He told me to forgive (imperative preserved inside the quote).

तपाईंले के भन्नुभयो?

Tapaai~le ke bhannubhayo?

What did you say?

उनले कोठा महँगो छ भनेर गुनासो गर्नुभयो।

Unle kothaa mahango chha bhanera gunaaso garnubhayo.

She complained that the room is expensive.

गाइडले यो बाटो खतरनाक छ भनेर सावधान गराउनुभयो।

Gaaidle yo baato khatarnaak chha bhanera saavadhaan garaaunubhayo.

The guide warned that this path is dangerous.

Common questions

Does Nepali backshift tense in reported speech like English?

No. This is the single biggest difference from English. "He said he is tired" in Nepali keeps छु (present) — "उसले म थकित छु भनेर भन्यो" — not the English-style "was tired." The embedded verb stays in the tense the original speaker actually used.

What's the difference between भनेर and भनी?

Both embed a quoted clause. भनेर (bhanera) is the conjunctive participle of भन्नु — literally "having said." It's the most common in speech. भनी (bhani) is a more formal/written quotative marker. Either is grammatically correct; भनेर is the safer choice for tourists.

Do I need quotation marks in written Nepali reported speech?

For direct speech (verbatim), yes — Nepali print uses double quotation marks just like English. For indirect speech with भनेर/भनी, no quotes are needed because the embedding particle marks the clause boundary.