Nepali
Lesson 1 Nepali Pronouns
Words and pronouns matter. Social constructions such as caste and gender dictate interactions with an underlying theme of purity and respect. When addressing someone in Nepali, the pronoun used also dictates the conjugation of the sentence and sentence verbs. In this lesson, we will cover the most commonly used pronouns.
First Person
| Nepali Script | Romanized Pronunciation | English Translation |
| म | ma | I |
| हामी | hāmī | We |
Second Person
| Nepali Script | Romanized Pronunciation | English Translation |
| तँ | tam̐ | You (low respect)*** |
| तिमी | timī | You (medium respect)** |
| तपाईँ | tapāī | You (high respect) * |
***Ta form is used when speaking to dogs/animals and sometimes children. Learn to recognize it, but do not use it when speaking to someone in Nepali.
**Timi is for familiar friends, children, and brothers and sisters.
**Tapai is the safest pronoun for non-native Nepali speakers to use with everyone. Always address/refer to elders with this pronoun, including when speaking about your parents
Third Person
| Nepali Script | Romanized Pronunciation | English Translation |
| ऊ | ū | He/She (neutral respect) |
| उनी | uni | He/She (medium respect) |
| उहाँ | waha | He/She (high respect) |
Second and Third Person Plural
To make plural forms of second and third person, add हरू (harū) to the end of the pronoun.
| Nepali Script | Romanized Pronunciation | English Translation |
| तिमीहरू | timiharu | You all (medium respect) |
| तपाईँहरू | tapaiharu | You all (high respect) |
| उनीहरू | uniharu | They (medium respect) |
| उहाँहरू | wahaharu | They (high respect) |
