Nepali Phrases for the Everest Base Camp Trek
The Khumbu doesn't reward fluency — it rewards effort. A handful of well-placed Nepali phrases will get you warmer dal bhat, a faster room at full lodges, and the quiet respect of Sherpa porters who have heard every version of broken Nepali.
- Region
- Khumbu / Solukhumbu
- Duration
- 12 days round trip
- Max elevation
- 5,545 m (Kala Patthar)
- Best season
- March–May & October–November
Greeting tea-house owners
Khumbu lodges are family-run. Most owners speak Sherpa at home and Nepali with outsiders — and English with paying guests. Lead with namaste, follow with a small bow, and they will switch into the warm hospitality the region is famous for. Address the owner as 'didi' (older sister) or 'dai' (older brother) — never by first name unless they offer it.
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नमस्ते
Hello
Namaste
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धन्यवाद
Thank you
Dhanyabaad
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कोठा छ?
Do you have a room?
Kotha chha?
Asking about altitude and pace
Above Namche (3,440 m), every conversation circles back to altitude. 'Lek lagyo?' — 'do you have altitude sickness?' — is a greeting on the trail above Tengboche. Knowing how to answer 'malai lek laagyo' or 'malai thik chha' (I'm fine) buys you trust with guides who are watching you for AMS symptoms whether you know it or not.
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मलाई लेक लाग्यो
I have altitude sickness
Malai lek laagyo
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मलाई थकाइ लाग्यो
I am tired
Malai thakai laagyo
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कति घण्टा हिँड्नुपर्छ?
How many hours of walking?
Kati ghanta hindnuparchha?
Food in the mountains
Above 4,000 m, menus shrink, prices double, and dal bhat becomes the only sane order — refills are unlimited and the calories matter. Ask 'ke chha?' (what's available?) before sitting down. Always specify 'filter paani' or boiled water; the bottled-water ban above Lukla is real and well-enforced.
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मलाई भोक लाग्यो
I am hungry
Malai bhok laagyo
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पानी दिनुहोस्
Water, please
Paani dinuhos
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म शाकाहारी हुँ
I am vegetarian
Ma shakahari hoon
Emergencies on the trail
If you have AMS, a knee injury, or worse, descend. Don't translate — use your guide's radio and the international rescue numbers. But for everything below the threshold of helicopter evacuation, 'malai sahayog garnuhos' (please help me) and 'malai doctor chahinchha' (I need a doctor) flag a porter or lodge owner who knows what to do.
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मलाई डाक्टर चाहिन्छ
I need a doctor
Malai doctor chahinchha
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मलाई सहयोग गर्नुहोस्
Can you help me?
Malai sahayog garnuhos
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प्रहरीलाई बोलाउनुहोस्
Call the police
Prahari laai bolaunuhos
Altitude and safety
EBC takes you from Lukla (2,840 m) to Kala Patthar (5,545 m) in a week. The standard itinerary builds in acclimatization days at Namche and Dingboche — take them. If you have a severe headache, ataxia, or breathlessness at rest, descend immediately. The phrase 'malai lek laagyo' is one of the most important Nepali sentences you will ever speak: it triggers an instant, well-rehearsed response from every guide in the Khumbu.
Cultural etiquette on the trail
The Khumbu is overwhelmingly Buddhist. Walk clockwise around mani walls, stupas, and prayer wheels. Don't touch ritual objects without permission. Tipping at the end of the trek is expected — budget USD 8–15 per day per porter and USD 15–25 per day per guide, paid as a lump sum on the last day in Lukla.