Learning in Practice

In this section, you will use past-tense forms to talk about simple events. You will practise saying what you did yesterday, where you went, what you ate, and who you met.

Try it in real life

Think about yesterday. Choose three things you did and say them in Nepali.

Example:

हिजो म बजार गएँ।
hijo ma bajār gaẽ.
Yesterday, I went to the market.

हिजो मैले खाना खाएँ।
hijo maile khānā khāẽ.
Yesterday, I ate food.

हिजो मैले साथी भेटेँ।
hijo maile sāthī bheṭẽ.
Yesterday, I met a friend.

हिजो मैले नेपाली पढेँ।
hijo maile Nepālī paḍhẽ.
Yesterday, I studied Nepali.

हिजो म घरमा बसेँ।
hijo ma gharmā basẽ.
Yesterday, I stayed at home.

Practice task

Practise this short exchange with a partner:

A: हिजो तपाईंले के गर्नुभयो?
hijo tapāī̃le ke garnubhayo?

B: हिजो मैले नेपाली पढेँ।
hijo maile Nepālī paḍhẽ.

A: हिजो तपाईं कहाँ जानुभयो?
hijo tapāī̃ kahā̃ jānubhayo?

B: हिजो म बजार गएँ।
hijo ma bajār gaẽ.

A: हिजो तपाईंले के खानुभयो?
hijo tapāī̃le ke khānubhayo?

B: हिजो मैले दालभात खाएँ।
hijo maile dālbhat khāẽ.

Mini culture note

Talking about past events is useful in everyday Nepali conversation. People often talk about what they did yesterday, where they went, what they ate, or who they met.

Time words such as हिजो (hijo), अस्ति (asti), and पहिले (pahile) help listeners understand that you are talking about the past.

Common mistake

Do not use present-tense forms when talking about past events.

Present:

म खाना खान्छु।
ma khānā khānchu.
I eat food.

Past:

मैले खाना खाएँ।
maile khānā khāẽ.
I ate food.

Present:

म बजार जान्छु।
ma bajār jānchu.
I go to the market.

Past:

म बजार गएँ।
ma bajār gaẽ.
I went to the market.

Also notice that many past-tense sentences use मैले (maile) when the subject is “I” and the verb is transitive, such as खाने (khāne), पढ्ने (paḍhne), or भेट्ने (bheṭne).

Say it aloud

Practise these slowly. Then say 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.

हिजो।
hijo.
Yesterday.

अस्ति।
asti.
The day before yesterday / recently.

मैले खाएँ।
maile khāẽ.
I ate.

मैले पढेँ।
maile paḍhẽ.
I studied / read.

मैले भेटेँ।
maile bheṭẽ.
I met.

म गएँ।
ma gaẽ.
I went.

म बसेँ।
ma basẽ.
I stayed / sat.

Rhythm practice

Read this short exchange aloud:

हिजो तपाईंले के गर्नुभयो?
hijo tapāī̃le ke garnubhayo?

हिजो मैले नेपाली पढेँ।
hijo maile Nepālī paḍhẽ.

हिजो तपाईं कहाँ जानुभयो?
hijo tapāī̃ kahā̃ jānubhayo?

हिजो म बजार गएँ।
hijo ma bajār gaẽ.

हिजो तपाईंले के खानुभयो?
hijo tapāī̃le ke khānubhayo?

हिजो मैले दालभात खाएँ।
hijo maile dālbhat khāẽ.

Can-do checklist

By the end of this chapter, I can:

• use हिजो (hijo) to talk about yesterday
• use अस्ति (asti) to talk about the recent past
• say what I did yesterday
• say where I went
• say what I ate
• ask someone what they did
• ask someone where they went
• recognize simple past-tense forms
• use short past-tense sentences in Nepali