Chapter 8 – States and Conditions
Unit 1 — Key Vocabulary
In this unit, you will learn common Nepali words for describing states, conditions, colours, size, taste, weather, and everyday objects. You will practise using कस्तो (kasto) “what is it like?” and descriptive words such as राम्रो (rāmro) “good,” सानो (sāno) “small,” ठूलो (ṭhūlo) “big,” तातो (tāto) “hot,” चिसो (ciso) “cold,” and रातो (rāto) “red.”
Study the words below first. Read each Nepali word, look at the transliteration, and practise saying it aloud. Use the English meaning to check your understanding.
Vocabulary
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| के | ke | what? |
| कस्को | kasko | whose? |
| कस्तो | kasto | how is it? / what is it like? |
| केरा | kerā | banana |
| कागज | kāgaj | paper |
| कोठा | koṭhā | room |
| घर | ghar | home / house |
| चिया | ciyā | tea |
| टोपी | ṭopī | hat |
| ज्याकेट | jyākeṭ | jacket |
| जुत्ता | juttā | shoe / shoes |
| मौसम | mausam | weather |
| रुख | rukh | tree |
| सर्ट | sarṭ | shirt |
| स्याउ | syāu | apple |
Colours
These words help you describe the colour of people, places, clothing, food, and objects.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| कालो | kālo | black |
| गुलाबी | gulābī | pink |
| गाढा | gāḍhā | dark |
| खैरो | khairo | brown |
| खरानी रङ | kharānī raṅ | grey |
| निलो | nilo | blue |
| पहेंलो | pahẽlo | yellow |
| बैजनी | baijanī | purple |
| रातो | rāto | red |
| रङ | raṅ | colour |
| रङ्गीचङ्गी | raṅgīcaṅgī | multicoloured |
| सेतो | seto | white |
| सुन्तला रङ | suntalā raṅ | orange |
| हरियो | hariyo | green |
| हल्का | halkā | light |
Adjectives and Conditions
These words help you describe how something is, feels, looks, or tastes.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| कस्तो | kasto | how is it? / what is it like? |
| राम्रो | rāmro | good / nice |
| सानो | sāno | small |
| ठूलो | ṭhūlo | big |
| तातो | tāto | hot |
| चिसो | ciso | cold |
| न्यानो | nyāno | warm |
| महँगो | mahā̃go | expensive |
| सस्तो | sasto | cheap |
| व्यस्त | byasta | busy |
| मीठो | mīṭho | sweet / tasty |
| गुलियो | guliyo | sweet (taste) |
| अमिलो | amilo | sour |
Useful Sentence Patterns
Use the vocabulary above with these simple sentence patterns.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| यो के हो? | yo ke ho? | What is this? |
| यो स्याउ हो। | yo syāu ho. | This is an apple. |
| स्याउ कस्तो छ? | syāu kasto cha? | What is the apple like? |
| चिया कस्तो छ? | ciyā kasto cha? | What is the tea like? |
| मौसम कस्तो छ? | mausam kasto cha? | What is the weather like? |
| कोठा कस्तो छ? | koṭhā kasto cha? | What is the room like? |
| यो कस्तो सर्ट हो? | yo kasto sarṭ ho? | What kind of shirt is this? |
| त्यो कस्को टोपी हो? | tyo kasko ṭopī ho? | Whose hat is that? |
| यो रातो सर्ट हो। | yo rāto sarṭ ho. | This is a red shirt. |
| त्यो कालो टोपी हो। | tyo kālo ṭopī ho. | That is a black hat. |
Practice
Look around your room or classroom. Choose five objects and describe them in Nepali.
Example:
स्याउ कस्तो छ?
syāu kasto cha?
What is the apple like?
स्याउ मीठो छ।
syāu mīṭho cha.
The apple is tasty.
चिया तातो छ।
ciyā tāto cha.
The tea is hot.
मौसम चिसो छ।
mausam ciso cha.
The weather is cold.
यो रातो सर्ट हो।
yo rāto sarṭ ho.
This is a red shirt.
