Chapter 14 – Narrating Past Events
Unit 1 — Key Vocabulary
In this unit, you will learn common Nepali words for narrating past events. You will practise saying what you did, where you went, what you ate, what you bought, and what happened during the day.
Study the words below first. Read each Nepali word or phrase, look at the transliteration, and practise saying it aloud. Use the English meaning to check your understanding.
Vocabulary
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| अस्ति | asti | the day before yesterday |
| आज | āja | today |
| अनि | ani | then / and then |
| किन | kina | why |
| दिउँसो | diũso | afternoon / daytime |
| त्यसपछि | tyasapachi | after that / then |
| त्यसो भए | tyaso bhaye | then / in that case |
| त्यति | tyati | that much |
| आठ | āṭh | eight |
| दश | daś | ten |
| मैले | maile | I (agentive form) |
Action Verbs
These verbs help you talk about actions in the past.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| आउनु | āunu | to come |
| उठ्नु | uṭhnu | to wake up / to get up |
| किन्नु | kinnu | to buy |
| खानु | khānu | to eat |
| खिच्नु | khicnu | to take (photo) |
| गर्नु | garnu | to do |
| जानु | jānu | to go |
| धुनु | dhunu | to wash (hands/face) |
| पढ्नु | paḍhnu | to read / to study |
| माझ्नु | mājhnu | to brush |
| सुत्नु | sutnu | to sleep |
| सिक्नु | siknu | to learn |
Food, Places, and Things
These words help you describe where you went, what you ate, and what you did.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| असन | asan | Asan (market) |
| कपडा | kapaḍā | clothes |
| किनमेल | kinmel | shopping |
| खाना | khānā | food / meal |
| खाजा | khājā | breakfast / snack |
| दालभात | dālbhāt | lentils and rice |
| दाँत | dā̃t | teeth |
| नेपाली भाषा | nepalī bhāṣā | Nepali language |
| पुस्तकालय | pustakālaya | library |
| मोमो | momo | momo / dumplings |
| मुख | mukh | face |
| रेस्टुरेन्ट | resṭureṇṭ | restaurant |
| तरकारी | tarkārī | vegetables |
| रमाइलो | ramāilo | fun / enjoyable |
Useful Sentence Patterns
Use the vocabulary above with these simple past-tense sentence patterns.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| अस्ति तपाईंले के गर्नुभयो? | asti tapāī̃le ke garnubhayo? | What did you do the day before yesterday? |
| मैले नेपाली भाषा पढें। | maile nepalī bhāṣā paḍhẽ. | I studied Nepali language. |
| मैले दालभात खाएँ। | maile dālbhāt khāẽ. | I ate dal bhat. |
| मैले मोमो खाएँ। | maile momo khāẽ. | I ate momo. |
| मैले असनमा किनमेल गरें। | maile asanmā kinmel garẽ. | I shopped in Asan. |
| मैले कपडा किनें। | maile kapaḍā kinẽ. | I bought clothes. |
| मैले फोटो खिचें। | maile phoṭo khicẽ. | I took photos. |
| त्यसपछि म पुस्तकालय गएँ। | tyasapachi ma pustakālaya gaẽ. | After that, I went to the library. |
| त्यसो भए, तपाईंले के सिक्नुभयो? | tyaso bhaye, tapāī̃le ke siknubhayo? | Then, what did you learn? |
| धेरै रमाइलो भयो। | dherai ramāilo bhayo. | It was very enjoyable. |
Practice
Practise saying what you did yesterday or the day before yesterday.
Example:
अस्ति तपाईंले के गर्नुभयो?
asti tapāī̃le ke garnubhayo?
What did you do the day before yesterday?
मैले नेपाली भाषा पढें।
maile nepalī bhāṣā paḍhẽ.
I studied Nepali language.
मैले असनमा किनमेल गरें।
maile asanmā kinmel garẽ.
I shopped in Asan.
त्यसपछि म पुस्तकालय गएँ।
tyasapachi ma pustakālaya gaẽ.
After that, I went to the library.
धेरै रमाइलो भयो।
dherai ramāilo bhayo.
It was very enjoyable.
