Learning in Practice

In this section, you will use adjectives and छ (cha) to describe people, objects, food, places, and conditions. You will practise saying how something is in simple Nepali.

Try it in real life

Look around your room, classroom, or home. Choose five things and describe them using simple adjectives.

Example:

यो किताब राम्रो छ।
yo kitāb rāmro cha.
This book is good.

यो झोला ठूलो छ।
yo jholā ṭhūlo cha.
This bag is big.

यो कलम सानो छ।
yo kalam sāno cha.
This pen is small.

चिया तातो छ।
ciyā tāto cha.
The tea is hot.

पानी चिसो छ।
pānī ciso cha.
The water is cold.

Practice task

Practise this short exchange with a partner:

A: यो किताब कस्तो छ?
yo kitāb kasto cha?

B: यो किताब राम्रो छ।
yo kitāb rāmro cha.

A: त्यो झोला कस्तो छ?
tyo jholā kasto cha?

B: त्यो झोला ठूलो छ।
tyo jholā ṭhūlo cha.

A: चिया कस्तो छ?
ciyā kasto cha?

B: चिया तातो छ।
ciyā tāto cha.

Mini culture note

In Nepali, short descriptive sentences are very common in everyday conversation. You can use them to talk about food, tea, weather, clothing, places, objects, and how something feels.

For example, राम्रो छ (rāmro cha) can mean “It is good,” “It is nice,” or “It is fine,” depending on the context.

Common mistake

Do not use हो (ho) for most condition or description sentences. Use छ (cha) when describing how something is.

Correct:

चिया तातो छ।
ciyā tāto cha.
The tea is hot.

पानी चिसो छ।
pānī ciso cha.
The water is cold.

Not:

चिया तातो हो।
ciyā tāto ho.

पानी चिसो हो।
pānī ciso ho.

Use हो (ho) mainly for identification. Use छ (cha) for states, conditions, and descriptions.

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.

कस्तो?
kasto?
How? / What kind?

राम्रो।
rāmro.
Good / nice.

सानो।
sāno.
Small.

ठूलो।
ṭhūlo.
Big.

तातो।
tāto.
Hot.

चिसो।
ciso.
Cold.

यो राम्रो छ।
yo rāmro cha.
This is good.

त्यो सानो छ।
tyo sāno cha.
That is small.

Rhythm practice

Read this short exchange aloud:

यो कस्तो छ?
yo kasto cha?

यो राम्रो छ।
yo rāmro cha.

त्यो कस्तो छ?
tyo kasto cha?

त्यो ठूलो छ।
tyo ṭhūlo cha.

चिया कस्तो छ?
ciyā kasto cha?

चिया तातो छ।
ciyā tāto cha.

Can-do checklist

By the end of this chapter, I can:

• ask how something is
• use कस्तो (kasto) to ask about quality or condition
• describe objects with simple adjectives
• describe food and drinks
• use छ (cha) with adjectives
• understand why हो (ho) is not used for most condition sentences
• answer कस्तो छ? (kasto cha?) questions
• make simple descriptive sentences in Nepali