Learning in Practice

In this unit, you will use the greetings and survival phrases from this chapter in simple real-life situations. Practise slowly at first. Then try to speak a little more naturally.

Try it in real life

Greet one person using Nepali. You can practise with a classmate, friend, family member, teacher, or language partner.

Start with:

नमस्ते।
namaste.
Hello.

Then ask:

तपाईंलाई कस्तो छ?
tapāī̃lāī kasto cha?
How are you?

Answer with:

मलाई ठीक छ।
malāī ṭhīk cha.
I am fine.

Then end with:

धन्यवाद।
dhanyawād.
Thank you.

Practice task

Practise this short exchange three times:

A: नमस्ते।
namaste.

B: नमस्ते।
namaste.

A: तपाईंलाई कस्तो छ?
tapāī̃lāī kasto cha?

B: मलाई ठीक छ। तपाईंलाई नि?
malāī ṭhīk cha. tapāī̃lāī ni?

A: मलाई पनि ठीक छ। धन्यवाद।
malāī pani ṭhīk cha. dhanyawād.

Mini culture note

नमस्ते (namaste) is one of the most useful greetings in Nepali. You can use it with elders, teachers, strangers, friends, neighbours, and community members.

In many situations, नमस्ते (namaste) is safer than casual greetings because it sounds respectful and appropriate. When you are not sure how formal to be, नमस्ते (namaste) is a good choice.

Common mistake

Do not use overly casual language with elders, teachers, or people you do not know well.

For now, use तपाईं (tapāī̃) when speaking to others. It is respectful and appropriate for beginners.

Better for beginners:

तपाईंलाई कस्तो छ?
tapāī̃lāī kasto cha?
How are you?

Avoid using very informal forms unless you know the relationship is close and casual.

Say it aloud

Practise these phrases slowly. Listen to your pronunciation, then repeat them more naturally.

After you practise, use the audio recorder below to record yourself. Listen to your recording and try again if you want to improve your pronunciation.

नमस्ते।
namaste.

धन्यवाद।
dhanyawād.

माफ गर्नुहोस्।
māph garnuhos.

फेरि भन्नुहोस्।
pheri bhannuhos.

मलाई थाहा छैन।
malāī thāhā chaina.

ठीक छ।
ṭhīk cha.

हुन्छ।
huncha.

होइन।
hoina.

Rhythm practice

Read this short exchange aloud:

नमस्ते।
namaste.

तपाईंलाई कस्तो छ?
tapāī̃lāī kasto cha?

मलाई ठीक छ।
malāī ṭhīk cha.

धन्यवाद।
dhanyawād.

Can-do checklist

By the end of this chapter, I can:

• greet someone politely in Nepali
• use नमस्ते (namaste) in respectful situations
• ask “How are you?”
• answer “I am fine”
• say thank you
• say excuse me / sorry
• ask someone to repeat
• say “I don’t know”
• use तपाईं (tapāī̃) respectfully
• begin and end a very short Nepali conversation