Chapter 4 – Ownership and Belongings
Overview
In this chapter, you will learn how to ask and answer “Whose is this?” in polite Nepali. You will practice high-frequency possessive forms such as मेरो (mero) “my,” तपाईंको (tapāī̃ko) “your” (polite), and उहाँको (uhā̃ko) “his/her” (honorific).
You will also learn how Nepali marks possession using the genitive endings -को (-ko), -का (-kā), and -की (-kī). These endings change depending on what is being described. For example, तपाईंको घर (tapāī̃ko ghar) means “your house,” तपाईंका किताबहरू (tapāī̃kā kitābharū) means “your books,” and तपाईंकी छोरी (tapāī̃kī chorī) means “your daughter.”
You will use these patterns in realistic situations such as identifying classroom items and handling lost-and-found conversations.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- ask about ownership using कस्को? (kasko?) and answer with polite possessive forms (मेरो mero / तपाईंको tapāī̃ko / उहाँको uhā̃ko)
- use the possession marker –को / –का / –की (–ko / –kā / –kī) with correct agreement based on the owned noun
- form plural ownership expressions (e.g., मेरा किताबहरू merā kitābharū; तपाईंका चाबीहरू tapāī̃kā cābīharū; उहाँका झोलाहरू uhā̃kā jholāharū)
- use affirmative and negative identification sentences with हो/हुन् (ho/hun) and होइन/होइनन् (hoina/hoinan) when talking about belongings
- participate in short, polite exchanges for claiming and returning items
