Speaking & Listening Resources

Here are some speaking and listening resources that will further engage you with Nepali language!!

LISTENING  

FILM 

• Nepali Movies on YouTube
  • There are many pirated Nepali movies available to watch on YouTube. Chakka Panja is a series of three movies that are comedy dramas about different social issues in Nepal (usually involving many overlapping love stories). Chakka Panja 3 shows how corrupt politics affect the operation of government school in rural Nepal. All films have similar cast members and are a mix of song, dance, and acting. So, you can work on listening through context by both listening to the film and music in Nepali while watching and use deduction to infer meaning. Be aware of the use of figures of speech!
    • Chakka Panja 
    • Chakka Panja 3  
• Nepali Children’s Cartoons
  • Children’s cartoons provide excellent practice of beginner to intermediate vocabulary and sentence structures. Watching cartoons will also help language learners understand Nepali folklore, colloquial superstitions, and cultural norms. Two popular channels are:
    • PukuLuku
    • Nepali Bachchaharu kathaharu / Nepali Fairy Tales

PODCASTS/RADIO 

• SABSCAST by Sabeena Karki
  • Sabeena Karki is a famous radio personality in Nepal where she talks about random issues in Nepal or about life. Great for listening practice, and they can be found conveniently on Apple podcasts and SoundCloud. (I have not listened to her yet, but I have heard many great things about her podcasts!)
• Learning Continuity Campaign Radio Program (UNICEF Nepal)
  • UNICEF Nepal launched the LCC in Nepal to support student learning while schools were/are closed in Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic. This radio program is instructional for caregivers to help students through lessons at home, so it helps to hear familiar familial terms and it gives instructional commands. There is a wide range of resources for each grade as well.
• Hamropatro Radio App
  • Hamropatro has multiple Nepali language apps including a transliteration keyboard, calendar, card games and dictionary. When downloaded to your smartphone, you can listen to a variety of Nepali radio stations including news and music.

WEBINARS

• Trans-cultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Nepal Facebook page
  • This organization provides mental health services for people of all ages across Nepal. They have a range of programming and are very active on their Facebook page. They constantly have informational videos, webinars, or other informational videos posted in regard to mental health in Nepal, so this is a great resource for language immersion through listening.

SPEAKING 

CONVERSATION/PRONUNCIATION 

• Voice Recordings & Voice Memos
  • A great way to practice speaking is to record yourself! On most phones there is a voice recording feature that allows you to record yourself speaking. Play it back to yourself so you can pick up on where your pronunciation may need fine-tuning.
  • Additionally, you can send voice recorded memos to people over Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. In the message bar, you should see a microphone symbol which will allow you to record your voice. Sending voice memos back and forth with someone in Nepali is a helpful way to practice your speaking (and to practice monologues) if you cannot arrange a specific time to meet with someone to converse in Nepali.
• Interview or Dialogue
  • If you want to practice more conversational Nepali, try creating a dialogue to practice or write a mock interview. If you do not have anyone to practice it with, get creative with yourself! Try recording yourself to listen back to afterwards well. If you have a mentor or language partner for this exchange, then even better! You can try switching roles and settings for greater language immersion as well.
• Nepali A Beginners Primer Conversation and Grammar
  • This textbook contains a plethora of dialogue exercises, reading passages, vocabulary, and sentence structures. Language learners will find this book useful for conversation practice and contextual use of vocabulary.

COMPREHENSION/PRONUNCIATION

• Peace Corps Basic Course in Nepali – Dictaphone 
  • The Peace Corps basic course has an e-book, audio, and a pronunciation tool called “Dictaphone” that allows you to record yourself speaking to focus on pronunciation. This could be helpful if you are trying to pair reading/listening comprehension with speaking with orally dictating your answers! (I have not used this tool yet, but it sure seems useful!)