Chapter 17 – Giving Directions
Unit 4 — Grammar Focus
Giving Directions
In everyday direction-giving—especially with strangers, elders, teachers, or other non-intimate interlocutors—Nepali typically uses respectful (High) register. Politeness is encoded morphosyntactically through verb morphology, particularly the honorific ending -nuhos. In addition, speakers prefer short, sequential clauses and question-based requests, rather than direct imperatives.
Interaction opener
A common discourse strategy is to begin with a polite opener before asking a question. māph garnuhos (“excuse me”) is used to initiate interaction and establish politeness.
Table 17.4.1 – Polite openers: starting a directions question
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| माफ गर्नुहोस्। | māph garnuhos. | Excuse me. |
| माफ गर्नुहोस्। नजिकको बस स्टप कता छ? | māph garnuhos. najikko bas sṭap katā cha? | Excuse me. Where is the nearest bus stop (which way)? |
| माफ गर्नुहोस्। अस्पताल कहाँ छ? | māph garnuhos. aspatāl kahā̃ cha? | Excuse me. Where is the hospital? |
Polite asking
Direction requests are typically formulated as questions using modal or honorific verb forms rather than imperatives. This produces indirectness and politeness. The form -huncha / -hunuhuncha is commonly used to soften requests.
Table 17.4.2 – Polite requests for help (question form)
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| के तपाईं मद्दत गर्न सक्नुहुन्छ? | ke tapāī̃ maddat garna saknuhuncha? | Can you help? |
| कृपया बाटो बताइदिनुहुन्छ? | kṛpayā bāṭo batāidinuhuncha? | Could you please tell me the way? |
Polite instructions
When giving directions, Nepali uses the honorific imperative suffix -nuhos. The subject is usually omitted, as politeness is encoded in the verb morphology. Directions are typically expressed as short sequential clauses.
Table 17.4.3 – Polite route-step commands
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| यो बाटो सिधा जानुहोस्। | yo bāṭo sidhā jānuhos. | Go straight on this road. |
| बायाँ मोड्नुहोस्। | bāyā̃ moḍnuhos. | Turn left. |
| पुल पार गर्नुहोस्। | pul pār garnuhos. | Cross the bridge. |
Where‑Questions for Places in Nepali
In Nepali, location questions use the existential verb छ (cha). This reflects a grammatical distinction between existence/location (छ) and identification (हो). Two interrogative forms are central:
-
कहाँ (kahā̃) → asks for a location (place)
-
कता (katā) → asks for direction (route/which way)
1) कहाँ छ? (kahā̃ cha?)
कहाँ छ? asks for a fixed location (place identification). Answers typically provide location phrases.
Table 17.4.4 – “Where is it?” questions (place/location)
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| अस्पताल कहाँ छ? | aspatāl kahā̃ cha? | Where is the hospital? |
| बस स्टप कहाँ छ? | bas sṭap kahā̃ cha? | Where is the bus stop? |
Table 17.4.5 – Answers to kahā̃ cha?: location phrases (in/near/in front of)
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| काठमाडौंमा छ। | kāṭhmāḍaũmā cha. | It is in Kathmandu. |
| स्कूलको अगाडि छ। | skūlko agāḍi cha. | It is in front of the school. |
| बजार नजिक छ। | bajār najik cha. | It is near the market. |
2) कता छ? (katā cha?)
कता छ? asks for direction rather than a fixed place. Responses typically include route instructions rather than location names.
Table 17.4.6 – “Which way?” questions (direction/route): katā cha?
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| नजिकको बैंक कता छ? | najikko baiṅk katā cha? | Where is the nearest bank (which way)? |
| नजिकको बस स्टप कता छ? | najikko bas sṭap katā cha? | Where is the nearest bus stop (which way)? |
Table 17.4.7 – Answers to katā cha?: short direction steps
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| सिधा जानुहोस्। | sidhā jānuhos. | Go straight. |
| दायाँ मोड्नुहोस्। | dāyā̃ moḍnuhos. | Turn right. |
| बायाँपट्टि छ। | bāyā̃paṭṭi cha. | It’s on the left side. |
Sequencing: अनि, त्यसपछि, पछि
Direction-giving is structured as a sequence of short clauses. Discourse markers indicate order:
-
अनि (ani) → “and then”
-
त्यसपछि (tyaspachi) → “then/after that”
-
पछि (pachi) → “after (a landmark/action)”
Table 17.4.8 – Sequencing steps in directions: ani / tyaspachi / pachi
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| अनि सिधा जानुहोस्। | ani sidhā jānuhos. | And then go straight. |
| त्यसपछि 14th Street मा बायाँ मोड्नुहोस्। | tyaspachi 14th Street mā bāyā̃ moḍnuhos. | Then turn left on 14th Street. |
| बैंकपछि दायाँ मोड्नुहोस्। | baiṅkpachi dāyā̃ moḍnuhos. | After the bank turn right. |
| पुल पार गरेपछि बस स्टप दायाँ छ। | pul pār garepachi bas sṭap dāyā̃ cha. | After crossing the bridge the bus stop is on the right. |
Clarifying and repairing
Direction-giving often involves confirmation and repair. A common strategy is tag confirmation using hoina? (“right?”). Responses are typically minimal (ho / hoina) followed by correction if needed.
Table 17.4.9 – Checking and correcting
| Nepali | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| पुल पार गरेपछि दायाँ होइन? | pul pār garepachi dāyā̃ hoina? | On the right after crossing the bridge, right? |
| पहिलो चोकमा बायाँ होइन? | pahilo cokmā bāyā̃ hoina? | Left at the first intersection, right? |
| हो। | ho. | Yes. |
| होइन, दोस्रो चोकमा। | hoina, dosro cokmā. | No, at the second intersection. |
