Language/Nepali-individual-language/Grammar/Past-Tense-in-Nepali

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Nepali (individual language) Grammar → Past Tense in Nepali

In this lesson, we will explore the Past Tense in Nepali, an essential aspect of the language that allows us to talk about actions and events that have already occurred. Understanding how to use the past tense will enable you to share your experiences, narrate stories, and engage in conversations about things that have happened in the past.

The past tense in Nepali is not only crucial for communication but also offers a glimpse into the culture and everyday life of Nepal. You'll find that expressing past actions can be both simple and intricate, depending on what you want to convey.

To structure our lesson effectively, we will cover the following points:

1. Understanding the Past Tense: What it is and why it's important.

2. Formation of the Past Tense: How to construct past tense sentences.

3. Examples of Past Tense Usage: Illustrative examples to clarify the concept.

4. Exercises: Practice scenarios to reinforce your understanding.

5. Solutions and Explanations for Exercises: Detailed answers to help you learn effectively.

Understanding the Past Tense

The past tense in Nepali is used to describe actions that have been completed. It is essential for recounting experiences, telling stories, and sharing information about past events. In Nepali, the past tense is generally formed by modifying the verb based on the subject's gender and number, as well as the formality of the conversation.

Here are some key points to remember about the past tense in Nepali:

• It conveys actions that have already occurred.

• It has different forms based on the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the subject.

• The verb endings change accordingly to indicate these aspects.

Formation of the Past Tense

In Nepali, the formation of the past tense is usually done by changing the verb root with specific suffixes. The basic structure can be broken down as follows:

1. For masculine singular subjects, the verb typically ends with "-यो" (yo).

2. For feminine singular subjects, it ends with "-यी" (yi).

3. For plural subjects, the endings change to "-े" (e) for masculine and "-ी" (i) for feminine.

Here's a simple formula to help you construct past tense sentences:

• Subject + Verb (in past tense form) + Object/Complement

Let's see some examples to illustrate this.

Nepali (individual language)	Pronunciation	English
मैले खायो।	Maile khāyo.	I ate.
उसले पढ्यो।	Usle paḍhyo.	He studied.
उसले खाना खायो।	Usle khānā khāyo.	She ate food.
हामीले काम गर्यौं।	Hāmīle kām garyau.	We worked.
तिमीले गीत गायौ।	Timīle gīt gāyau.	You sang a song.
उनीहरूले तस्वीर बनाएका थिए।	Unīharule tasvīr banā'ēka thie.	They made a picture.
मैले चिया पिएँ।	Maile chiyā piyēn.	I drank tea.
उनले कुकुरलाई खुवाए।	Unle kukurlā'ī khuvā'ē.	He fed the dog.
तपाईंले घर बनाउनु भयो।	Tapā'īle ghar banā'unu bhayo.	You built a house.
उनीहरूले क्रिकेट खेल्दा थिए।	Unīharule krikeṭ kheldā thie.	They played cricket.

Examples of Past Tense Usage

Now that we understand how to form the past tense, let's delve into various contexts where the past tense is used. Here are some examples to illustrate different situations:

1. Sharing Personal Experiences:

• मैले काठमांडौ घुम्न गएको थिएँ। (Maile Kāṭhmāṇḍau ghumnā gā'ēko thie.) – I had gone to visit Kathmandu.

2. Talking About Events:

• हामीले पार्टीमा रमाइलो गर्यौं। (Hāmīle pārṭīmā ramā'ilo garyau.) – We enjoyed the party.

3. Narrating Stories:

• ऊ बागमती नदीमा तैरिएको थियो। (Ū Bāgmatī nadīmā tairieko thie.) – He had swum in the Bagmati River.

4. Discussing Past Habits:

• म स्कूल जान्थें। (Ma skūl jānthēn.) – I used to go to school.

5. Recollecting Memories:

• मैले मेरो बच्चपन सम्झें। (Maile mero bacchapan samjhe.) – I remembered my childhood.

6. Describing Past Situations:

• त्यो दिन मौसम राम्रो थियो। (Tyō din maūsam rāmrō thie.) – The weather was nice that day.

7. Expressing Completed Actions:

• उनले किताब पढी। (Unle kitāb paḍhī.) – She read the book.

8. Talking About Achievements:

• मैले परीक्षा पास गरे। (Maile parīkṣā pās gare.) – I passed the exam.

9. Describing Events in Past Timeframes:

• हामीले दुई दिन अघि यात्रा गर्यौं। (Hāmīle duī din aghi yātrā garyau.) – We traveled two days ago.

10. Discussing Family History:

• मेरो दाजु अमेरिका गएका थिए। (Mero dāju Amerikā gēkā thie.) – My brother had gone to America.

Let’s compile some more examples to give you a broader perspective on how the past tense is applied in various contexts.

Nepali (individual language)	Pronunciation	English
मैले फिल्म हेरेँ।	Maile phim hērēn.	I watched a movie.
उनले चाँदमा चढे।	Unle chāndmā chaḍhē.	He climbed on the moon.
म बगैंचामा बसेको थिएँ।	Ma bagainchāmā basēko thie.	I was sitting in the garden.
हामीले बासको लागि तयारी गर्यौं।	Hāmīle bāskō lāgi tayārī garyau.	We prepared for camping.
तिमीले म संगै यात्रा गर्यौ।	Timīle ma sangai yātrā garyau.	You traveled with me.
उनीहरूले मलाई मद्दत गरे।	Unīharule malā'ī maddat gare.	They helped me.
मैले कलेजको प्रथम वर्षमा पढ्न थालेको थिएँ।	Maile kalējō prathama varṣamā paḍhnā thālekō thie.	I had started studying in the first year of college.
उसले मलाई चाँदमा चढ्नको लागि प्रेरित गर्यो।	Usle malā'ī chāndmā chaḍhnakō lāgi prērit garyo.	He motivated me to climb the moon.
मैले मेरो जन्मदिनको पार्टी आयोजना गरें।	Maile mero janmadinkō pārṭī āyojanā gare.	I organized a birthday party.
उनीहरूले पुरानो गाना गाए।	Unīharule purānō gānā gāyē.	They sang an old song.

Exercises

Now that we've gone through the theory and examples, it's time to put your understanding to the test! Below are some exercises designed to help you practice using the past tense in Nepali.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the given verb.

1. मैले ___ (खाना) खाएँ।

2. उसले ___ (पढ्नु) पढ्यो।

3. हामीले ___ (काम) गर्यौं।

4. तिमीले ___ (गाउँ) गाए।

5. उनीहरूले ___ (किताब) पढे।

Exercise 2: Translate the following sentences into Nepali.

1. I visited my friend.

2. She cooked dinner.

3. They played football.

4. He traveled to Pokhara.

5. We watched a documentary.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the following sentences in the past tense.

1. म बगैंचामा खेल्दै छु। (I am playing in the garden.)

2. ऊ चाँदमा चढ्दै छ। (He is climbing on the moon.)

3. हामी फिल्म हेरिरहेका छौं। (We are watching a movie.)

4. तिमी चिया पिउँदै छौ। (You are drinking tea.)

5. उनीहरू कुकुरलाई खुवाउँदै छन्। (They are feeding the dog.)

Exercise 4: Create five sentences in the past tense about your day yesterday.

Exercise 5: Match the sentences in English to their Nepali translations.

1. I danced at the party.

a. मैले पार्टीमा नाचें।

2. He studied hard.

b. उसले कडा अध्ययन गर्यो।

3. They traveled last month.

c. उनीहरूले गत महिना यात्रा गरे।

4. She called me.

d. उसले मलाई फोन गर्यो।

5. We enjoyed the festival.

e. हामीले चाड मनायौं।

Exercise 6: Identify the errors in the following sentences and correct them.

1. मैले खाना खाई। (I ate food.)

2. तिमीले किताब पढी। (You read the book.)

3. उनले चिया पिएको छ। (She has drunk tea.)

4. हामीले पार्टीमा रमाइलो गर्यो। (We enjoyed the party.)

5. ऊ खेलमा जिते। (He won the game.)

Exercise 7: Write a short paragraph about a memorable event that happened in your life using the past tense.

Exercise 8: Translate the following sentences into English.

1. मैले आज बिहान चिया पिएँ।

2. उसले मलाई चाकु दियो।

3. हामीले काठमाडौँ घुम्न गएका थियौं।

4. तिमीले राम्रो काम गर्यौ।

5. उनीहरूले पुस्तकालयमा अध्ययन गरे।

Exercise 9: Choose the correct past tense form to complete the sentences.

1. मैले ___ (खाएको / खायो) चिया।

2. उसले ___ (गएको / गइ) स्कूल।

3. हामीले ___ (पाएको / पाए) पुरस्कार।

4. तिमीले ___ (गायको / गाए) गाना।

5. उनीहरूले ___ (पढेको / पढे) लेख।

Exercise 10: Create five sentences using the past tense about your family members.

Solutions and Explanations for Exercises

Exercise 1 Solutions:

1. मैले खाना खाएँ। (Maile khānā khāēn.) – I ate food.

2. उसले पढ्यो। (Usle paḍhyo.) – He studied.

3. हामीले काम गर्यौं। (Hāmīle kām garyau.) – We worked.

4. तिमीले गाउँ गाए। (Timīle gāun gāyē.) – You sang a song.

5. उनीहरूले किताब पढे। (Unīharule kitāb paḍhē.) – They read a book.

Exercise 2 Solutions:

1. मैले मेरो साथीलाई भेटे। (Maile mero sāthīlā'ī bhēṭē.) – I visited my friend.

2. उसले रातको खाना पकाएको। (Usle rātkō khānā pakā'ēkō.) – She cooked dinner.

3. उनीहरूले फुटबल खेले। (Unīharule phuṭbāl khēlē.) – They played football.

4. ऊ पोखरा गयो। (Ū Pokharā gayō.) – He traveled to Pokhara.

5. हामीले एक डोक्युमेन्ट्री हेर्यौं। (Hāmīle ēka ḍōkyumēnṭrī hēryau.) – We watched a documentary.

Exercise 3 Solutions:

1. मैले बगैंचामा खेलें। (Maile bagainchāmā khēlēn.) – I played in the garden.

2. ऊ चाँदमा चढ्यो। (Ū chāndmā chaḍhyo.) – He climbed on the moon.

3. हामीले फिल्म हेर्यौं। (Hāmīle phim hēryau.) – We watched a movie.

4. तिमीले चिया पियौ। (Timīle chiyā piyau.) – You drank tea.

5. उनीहरू कुकुरलाई खुवाए। (Unīharu kukurlā'ī khuvā'ē.) – They fed the dog.

Exercise 4 Solutions: Responses will vary based on individual experiences.

Exercise 5 Solutions:

1 - a

2 - b

3 - c

4 - d

5 - e

Exercise 6 Solutions:

1. Correct: मैले खाना खाएँ। (Maile khānā khāēn.) – I ate food.

2. Correct: तिमीले किताब पढ्यौ। (Timīle kitāb paḍhyau.) – You read the book.

3. Correct: उसले चिया पिई। (Usle chiyā pī.) – She drank tea. (Change "पिएको" to "पिई")

4. Correct: हामीले पार्टीमा रमाइलो गर्यौं। (Hāmīle pārṭīmā ramā'ilo garyau.) – We enjoyed the party.

5. Correct: ऊ खेलमा जित्यो। (Ū khēlmā jityo.) – He won the game.

Exercise 7 Solutions: Responses will vary based on individual experiences.

Exercise 8 Solutions:

1. I drank tea this morning.

2. He gave me a knife.

3. We went to visit Kathmandu.

4. You did a good job.

5. They studied in the library.

Exercise 9 Solutions:

1. मैले खायो चिया। (Maile khāyo chiyā.) – I drank tea.

2. उसले गएको स्कूल। (Usle gayō skūl.) – He went to school.

3. हामीले पाएको पुरस्कार। (Hāmīle pā'ēko puraskār.) – We received an award.

4. तिमीले गाए गाना। (Timīle gāyē gānā.) – You sang a song.

5. उनीहरूले पढे लेख। (Unīharule paḍhē lekh.) – They read the article.

Exercise 10 Solutions: Responses will vary based on individual family members.

By understanding and practicing these concepts, you will be able to effectively communicate in the past tense in Nepali. Keep practicing, and don't hesitate to refer back to this lesson whenever you need a refresher!

Table of Contents - Nepali (individual language) Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Introduction to Nepali Nouns
• Noun Cases in Nepali
• Pronouns in Nepali

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Introduction to Nepali Verbs
• Present Tense in Nepali
• Past Tense in Nepali
• Future Tense in Nepali

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives in Nepali
• Comparison of Adjectives in Nepali
• Adverbs in Nepali

  ---

Negation and Interrogatives

• Negation in Nepali
• Interrogatives in Nepali

  ---

Numbers in Nepali

• Cardinal Numbers
• Ordinal Numbers
• Plural and Fractional Numbers

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Words and Phrases

• Greetings and Introductions
• Common Nepali Words and Phrases

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Food and Drinks

• Food in Nepali
• Drinks in Nepali

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Festivals in Nepal

• Dashain Festival
• Tihar Festival
• Holi Festival

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Nepali Society

• Family and Marriage in Nepal
• Religion and Beliefs in Nepal

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Nepali Cuisine

• Traditional Nepali Dishes
• Nepali Spices and Herbs

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Nepali Arts and Crafts

• Nepali Handicrafts
• Nepali Music and Dance

Other Lessons

• Introduction to Nepali Nouns
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns in Nepali
• Give your Opinion
• Interrogatives in Nepali
• Verbs kriyaharu क्रियाहरू
• Comparison of Adjectives in Nepali
• Adjectives
• How to Use Be

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