Chapter 16 – Shopping
Unit 1 — Key Vocabulary
In this unit, you will learn common Nepali words and phrases for shopping. You will practise asking prices, asking whether something is available, describing items as fresh, ripe, cheap, or expensive, and asking for items politely.
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.
Shopping Items
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| आँप | ā̃p | mango |
| चाउचाउ | cāucāu | instant noodles |
| चुइँगम | cuĩgam | chewing gum |
| प्याकेट | pyākeṭ | packet |
| रारा | rārā | “Rara” (brand name) |
| सलाई | salāī | matchbox |
| स्याउ | syāu | apple |
| वाइवाइ | wāiwāi | “Wai Wai” (brand name) |
Price and Quantity Words
These words help you ask about prices, totals, quantities, discounts, and payment.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| डलर | ḍalar | dollar |
| रुपैयाँ | rupaiyā̃ | rupees |
| पर्छ | parcha | costs |
| कति | kati | how much / how many |
| जम्मा | jammā | total |
| एक किलो | ek kilo | one kilogram |
| मात्रै | mātrai | only |
| छुटमा | chuṭmā | on sale / discounted |
| दिनुहोस् / दिनुस् | dinuhos / dinus | please give |
Descriptive Words
These words help you describe shopping items.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| ताजा | tājā | fresh |
| पाकेको | pākeko | ripe |
| नरम | naram | soft |
| सस्तो | sasto | cheap / cheaper |
| महँगो | mahaṅgo | expensive |
Numbers for Prices
Use these numbers when asking and answering prices.
| Digit | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| १० | das | 10 |
| २० | bīs | 20 |
| ५० | pacās | 50 |
| १०० | ek saya | 100 |
| २०० | duī saya | 200 |
| ५०० | pā̃c saya | 500 |
| १००० | ek hajār | 1000 |
Useful Phrases
Use these phrases when shopping in markets, shops, or small stores.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| यहाँ चाउचाउ पाइन्छ? | yahā̃ cāucāu pāincha? | Do you have noodles? |
| तपाईंलाई के चाहिन्छ? | tapāī̃lāī ke cāhincha? | What do you need? |
| एक किलो स्याउको कति पर्छ? | ek kilo syāuko kati parcha? | How much is 1 kg of apples? |
| आज आँप छुटमा छ। | āja ā̃p chuṭmā cha. | Today mangoes are on sale. |
| यी स्याउ ताजा छन्? | yī syāu tājā chan? | Are these apples fresh? |
| अलि महँगो छ। | ali mahaṅgo cha. | It’s a bit expensive. |
| अलि सस्तो हुन्छ? | ali sasto huncha? | Can it be a little cheaper? |
| अरू केही चाहिन्छ? | arū kehī cāhincha? | Anything else? |
| जम्मा कति रुपैयाँ भयो? | jammā kati rupaiyā̃ bhayo? | How much is the total? |
| जम्मा एक सय रुपैयाँ भयो। | jammā ek saya rupaiyā̃ bhayo. | The total is 100 rupees. |
Useful Sentence Patterns
Use the vocabulary above with these simple shopping sentence patterns.
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| मलाई एक किलो स्याउ दिनुस्। | malāī ek kilo syāu dinus. | Please give me one kilogram of apples. |
| मलाई एक प्याकेट चाउचाउ दिनुस्। | malāī ek pyākeṭ cāucāu dinus. | Please give me one packet of noodles. |
| स्याउ कति पर्छ? | syāu kati parcha? | How much do the apples cost? |
| चाउचाउ कति पर्छ? | cāucāu kati parcha? | How much do the noodles cost? |
| यी आँप पाकेका छन्? | yī ā̃p pākekā chan? | Are these mangoes ripe? |
| यी स्याउ ताजा छन्। | yī syāu tājā chan. | These apples are fresh. |
| जम्मा पाँच सय पचास रुपैयाँ भयो। | jammā pā̃c saya pacās rupaiyā̃ bhayo. | The total is 550 rupees. |
| ठीक छ, दिनुस्। | ṭhīk cha, dinus. | Okay, please give it to me. |
Practice
Practise asking for items and prices in Nepali.
Example:
यहाँ चाउचाउ पाइन्छ?
yahā̃ cāucāu pāincha?
Do you have noodles?
एक किलो स्याउको कति पर्छ?
ek kilo syāuko kati parcha?
How much is 1 kg of apples?
अलि सस्तो हुन्छ?
ali sasto huncha?
Can it be a little cheaper?
जम्मा कति रुपैयाँ भयो?
jammā kati rupaiyā̃ bhayo?
How much is the total?
