Unit 4 — Grammar Focus

Telling Time, Schedules, Routines, Needs, and Wants

In this section, you will learn how to talk about time, days of the week, schedules, daily routines, needs, and wants in Nepali.

These patterns are useful for everyday conversations such as:

• asking what time it is
• saying when a class or meeting starts
• talking about weekly schedules
• describing daily routines
• saying what you need
• saying what you want to do

Telling Time

In Nepali, clock time is commonly expressed with the verb बज्नु (bajnu), which means “to ring” or “to strike,” as in a bell or clock striking the hour.

Two very common forms are:

बज्यो
bajyo
It is … o’clock.

बजे
baje
at … o’clock

The number comes before बज्यो (bajyo) or बजे (baje).

बज्यो for “It Is … O’clock”

Use बज्यो (bajyo) when you are saying what time it is now.

For example:

एक बज्यो।
ek bajyo.
It is one o’clock.

तीन बज्यो।
tīn bajyo.
It is three o’clock.

आठ बज्यो।
āṭh bajyo.
It is eight o’clock.

Table 12.4.1 – Time with बज्यो (bajyo): “it’s … o’clock”

Learner Tip

बज्यो (bajyo) is grammatically a past/perfective form meaning “struck,” but in time-telling it functions like English present time: “It is now … o’clock.”

Do not translate it too literally.

Try It Now

Read the times aloud.

दुई बज्यो।
duī bajyo.
It is two o’clock.

चार बज्यो।
cār bajyo.
It is four o’clock.

सात बज्यो।
sāt bajyo.
It is seven o’clock.

बजे for “At … O’clock”

Use बजे (baje) when you mean “at … o’clock.”

This form is used for schedules, appointments, classes, meetings, buses, and events.

For example:

तीन बजे
tīn baje
at three o’clock

नौ बजे
nau baje
at nine o’clock

कक्षा नौ बजे सुरु हुन्छ।
kakṣā nau baje suru huncha.
The class starts at nine o’clock.

Table 12.4.2 – Time with बजे (baje) for “at … o’clock”

Simple Rule

Use बज्यो (bajyo) to say the current time.

Use बजे (baje) to say when something happens.

Compare:

तीन बज्यो।
tīn bajyo.
It is three o’clock.

तीन बजे कक्षा सुरु हुन्छ।
tīn baje kakṣā suru huncha.
The class starts at three o’clock.

Quarter Past, Half Past, and Quarter To

Nepali has common fixed expressions for 15-minute and 30-minute times.

These are very natural in everyday speech.

सवा
sawā
quarter past

साढे
sāḍhe
half past

पौने
paune
quarter to

These expressions are usually followed by बजे (baje) when giving a scheduled time.

For example:

सवा तीन बजे
sawā tīn baje
at 3:15

साढे पाँच बजे
sāḍhe pā̃c baje
at 5:30

पौने आठ बजे
paune āṭh baje
at 7:45 / quarter to eight

Table 12.4.3 – Quarter past, half past, quarter to

Try It Now

Read the times aloud.

सवा दुई बजे
sawā duī baje
at 2:15

साढे चार बजे
sāḍhe cār baje
at 4:30

पौने सात बजे
paune sāt baje
at 6:45

Making a.m. and p.m. Clear

Nepali often makes a.m. and p.m. clear by adding a time-of-day word before the clock time.

For example, ८ बजे (āṭh baje) only means “at eight o’clock.” It does not automatically tell us whether it is morning or evening.

To avoid confusion, speakers add words such as:

बिहान
bihāna
morning

दिउँसो
diũso
afternoon / daytime

बेलुका
belukā
evening

राति
rāti
night

For example:

बिहान आठ बजे
bihāna āṭh baje
at 8 a.m.

बेलुका आठ बजे
belukā āṭh baje
at 8 p.m.

Table 12.4.4 – Time of Day Words

Table 12.4.5 – Clock time with time-of-day words

Try It Now

Read the time phrases aloud.

बिहान सात बजे
bihāna sāt baje
at seven in the morning

दिउँसो दुई बजे
diũso duī baje
at two in the afternoon

बेलुका छ बजे
belukā cha baje
at six in the evening

राति दश बजे
rāti daś baje
at ten at night

Days of the Week

Nepali has two important words that English often translates as “day.”

दिन
din
day / a period of time

बार
bār
weekday

Use दिन (din) when you are talking about a day as a time period or duration.

Use बार (bār) when you are talking about the name of a weekday.

For example:

तीन दिन
tīn din
three days

आज के बार हो?
āja ke bār ho?
What day is it today?

Table 12.4.6 – दिन (din) vs. बार (bār)

Table 12.4.7 – Nepali weekday names: Sunday to Saturday

Weekday names typically end in –बार (–bār).

Table 12.4.8 – Relative-day words: past and future

These words are very common for everyday conversation.

Table 12.4.9 – Referring to past/future days

To refer to a specific day in the past or future, Nepali commonly uses गत (gata) “last” and आउँदो / अर्को (āũdo / arko) “next.” In everyday speech, many speakers also use गएको (gaeko) “last/past” with weekdays (e.g., “the Friday that has passed”).

Simple Rule

Use दिन (din) for duration.

Use बार (bār) for weekday names.

Try It Now

Read the questions aloud.

आज के बार हो?
āja ke bār ho?
What day is it today?

आज सोमबार हो।
āja sombār ho.
Today is Monday.

भोलि के बार हो?
bholi ke bār ho?
What day is tomorrow?

भोलि मंगलबार हो।
bholi maṅgalbār ho.
Tomorrow is Tuesday.

Cultural Note: Weekends

In Nepal, Saturday, शनिबार (śanibār), is commonly the weekly holiday. In many contexts, Sunday, आइतबार (aitabār), is a regular workday.

In India, weekend practice often includes Sunday and sometimes Saturday, depending on the workplace or institution.

Present Tense for Schedules: हुन्छ

Nepali often uses present-tense forms to talk about scheduled events.

In schedule sentences, हुन्छ (huncha) means “occurs,” “is held,” or “takes place.”

Even though हुन्छ (huncha) is a present-tense form, it often refers to regular or scheduled events, not something happening right now.

For example:

आज कक्षा हुन्छ।
āja kakṣā huncha.
There is class today. / Class is held today.

आइतबार कक्षा हुँदैन।
aitabār kakṣā hudaina.
There is no class on Sunday. / Class is not held on Sunday.

Scheduled Events

Use this pattern to say when an event happens:

event + day/time + हुन्छ
event + day/time + huncha

To say that an event does not happen, use हुँदैन (hudaina).

For example:

सोमबार बैठक हुन्छ।
sombār baiṭhak huncha.
There is a meeting on Monday.

आज परीक्षा हुँदैन।
āja parīkṣā hudaina.
There is no exam today.

Table 12.4.10 – Scheduled Events With huncha / hudaina

Simple Rule

Use हुन्छ (huncha) for “is held” or “takes place.”

Use हुँदैन (hudaina) for “is not held” or “does not take place.”

Start and End Times

When talking about schedules, Nepali commonly uses बजे (baje) with verbs such as:

सुरु हुन्छ
suru huncha
starts / begins

सकिन्छ
sakincha
ends / finishes

The basic pattern is:

event + time + बजे + सुरु हुन्छ / सकिन्छ

For example:

कक्षा नौ बजे सुरु हुन्छ।
kakṣā nau baje suru huncha.
The class starts at nine o’clock.

कक्षा एघार बजे सकिन्छ।
kakṣā eghāra baje sakincha.
The class ends at eleven o’clock.

Table 12.4.11 – Start/End Times on a Schedule

Try It Now

Read the schedule sentences aloud.

बैठक दश बजे सुरु हुन्छ।
baiṭhak daś baje suru huncha.
The meeting starts at ten o’clock.

बैठक एघार बजे सकिन्छ।
baiṭhak eghāra baje sakincha.
The meeting ends at eleven o’clock.

परीक्षा साढे नौ बजे सुरु हुन्छ।
parīkṣā sāḍhe nau baje suru huncha.
The exam starts at 9:30.

Routine Verbs: Habitual Present

To talk about routines and repeated actions, Nepali uses present-tense verb forms.

These forms often mean “usually” or “regularly,” especially when used with time expressions.

For example:

म स्कुल जान्छु।
ma skul jānchu.
I go to school.

म हरेक दिन पढ्छु।
ma harek din paḍhchu.
I study every day.

उहाँ सोमबार काम गर्नुहुन्छ।
uhā̃ sombār kām garnuhuncha.
He/She works on Monday.

This routine pattern is different from schedule sentences with हुन्छ (huncha).

Routine verbs describe what someone does.

Schedule sentences describe when an event occurs.

Table 12.4.12 – Present tense verb forms : जानु (jānu) “go” and गर्नु (garnu) “do” (by person)

Table 12.4.13 – Routine examples in the habitual present

Simple Difference

Routine verb:

म सोमबार काम गर्छु।
ma sombār kām garchu.
I work on Monday.

Schedule predicate:

सोमबार बैठक हुन्छ।
sombār baiṭhak huncha.
There is a meeting on Monday.

Try It Now

Read the routine sentences aloud.

म बिहान उठ्छु।
ma bihāna uṭhchu.
I wake up in the morning.

म दिउँसो पढ्छु।
ma diũso paḍhchu.
I study in the afternoon.

म बेलुका खाना खान्छु।
ma belukā khānā khānchu.
I eat dinner in the evening.

Need and Want

Nepali expresses “need” and “want” using three common patterns.

The first step is to decide what you mean in English:

• need a thing
• need to do an action
• want to do something

Each meaning uses a different Nepali construction.

Need a Thing or Resource: चाहिन्छ

Use चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) when you need a thing or resource.

This can include water, food, time, money, sleep, rest, help, or a book.

The person who needs something is marked with –लाई (–lāī).

The basic pattern is:

person + लाई + noun + चाहिन्छ

For example:

मलाई पानी चाहिन्छ।
malāī pānī cāhincha.
I need water.

मलाई किताब चाहिन्छ।
malāī kitāb cāhincha.
I need a book.

उहाँलाई आराम चाहिन्छ।
uhā̃lāī ārām cāhincha.
He/She needs rest.

Table 12.4.14 – Asking “Do you need …?”: –लाई + noun + चाहिन्छ (cāhincha)

Table 12.4.15 – Saying “I need …” (affirmative)

Table 12.4.16 – Saying “I don’t need …something”(negative)

Simple Rule

Use चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) for things or resources you need.

The form चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) stays the same for different people.

Try It Now

Read the sentences aloud.

मलाई पानी चाहिन्छ।
malāī pānī cāhincha.
I need water.

तपाईंलाई समय चाहिन्छ।
tapāī̃lāī samaya cāhincha.
You need time.

उहाँलाई खाना चाहिन्छ।
uhā̃lāī khānā cāhincha.
He/She needs food.

Need to Do an Action: पर्छ

Use पर्छ (parcha) when English means “need to” or “have to.”

This pattern expresses necessity or obligation to do an action.

The person who needs to do something is marked with –लाई (–lāī).

The action verb appears in the infinitive form ending in –नु (–nu).

The basic pattern is:

person + लाई + verb infinitive + पर्छ

For example:

मलाई जानु पर्छ।
malāī jānu parcha.
I need to go. / I have to go.

मलाई पढ्नु पर्छ।
malāī paḍhnu parcha.
I need to study. / I have to study.

उहाँलाई काम गर्नु पर्छ।
uhā̃lāī kām garnu parcha.
He/She needs to work. / He/She has to work.

NEED to Do an Action (–लाई + infinitive + parcha) — Questions

NEED to Do an Action — Affirmative

NEED to Do an Action — Negative

Simple Rule

Use चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) when you need a thing.

Use पर्छ (parcha) when you need to do an action.

Compare:

मलाई पानी चाहिन्छ।
malāī pānī cāhincha.
I need water.

मलाई जानु पर्छ।
malāī jānu parcha.
I need to go.

Try It Now

Read the sentences aloud.

मलाई घर जानु पर्छ।
malāī ghar jānu parcha.
I need to go home.

मलाई नेपाली पढ्नु पर्छ।
malāī nepālī paḍhnu parcha.
I need to study Nepali.

तपाईंलाई खाना खानु पर्छ।
tapāī̃lāī khānā khānu parcha.
You need to eat food.

Want: चाहनु

Use चाहनु (cāhanu) to express “want” in the sense of desire or preference.

Unlike चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) and पर्छ (parcha), चाहनु (cāhanu) is a regular verb. This means it changes according to the subject and level of respect.

When you want to do an action, Nepali usually places the verb in the –न (–na) form before चाहनु (cāhanu).

For example:

म जान चाहन्छु।
ma jāna cāhanchu.
I want to go.

म नेपाली पढ्न चाहन्छु।
ma nepālī paḍhna cāhanchu.
I want to study Nepali.

उहाँ आउन चाहनुहुन्छ।
uhā̃ āuna cāhanuhuncha.
He/She wants to come.

WANT (Regular verb cāhanu) — Questions

WANT — Affirmative

WANT — Negative

Simple Rule

Use चाहनु (cāhanu) when you want to express desire.

Use the –न (–na) form before चाहनु (cāhanu) when the desire is to do an action.

Try It Now

Read the sentences aloud.

म पानी पिउन चाहन्छु।
ma pānī piuna cāhanchu.
I want to drink water.

म नेपाल जान चाहन्छु।
ma nepāl jāna cāhanchu.
I want to go to Nepal.

उहाँ नेपाली सिक्न चाहनुहुन्छ।
uhā̃ nepālī sikna cāhanuhuncha.
He/She wants to learn Nepali.

चाहिन्छ, पर्छ, and चाहनु: Key Difference

These three patterns are different.

Use चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) for needing a thing.

Use पर्छ (parcha) for needing to do an action.

Use चाहनु (cāhanu) for wanting to do something.

Compare:

मलाई पानी चाहिन्छ।
malāī pānī cāhincha.
I need water.

मलाई पानी पिउनु पर्छ।
malāī pānī piunu parcha.
I need to drink water.

म पानी पिउन चाहन्छु।
ma pānī piuna cāhanchu.
I want to drink water.

Can You Do This Now?

At the end of this section, you should be able to:

• tell time using बज्यो (bajyo) and बजे (baje)
• understand the difference between “It is … o’clock” and “at … o’clock”
• use सवा (sawā), साढे (sāḍhe), and पौने (paune)
• make a.m. and p.m. clear using words such as बिहान (bihāna), दिउँसो (diũso), बेलुका (belukā), and राति (rāti)
• distinguish दिन (din) from बार (bār)
• talk about scheduled events with हुन्छ (huncha) and हुँदैन (hudaina)
• say when an event starts or ends using सुरु हुन्छ (suru huncha) and सकिन्छ (sakincha)
• describe routines with habitual present verbs
• use चाहिन्छ (cāhincha) for needing a thing
• use पर्छ (parcha) for needing to do an action
• use चाहनु (cāhanu) for wanting to do something