Lessons
Advanced grammar
Have someone do something — Nepali causative verbs
English distinguishes “I cooked” from “I had it cooked” with an extra verb (have). Nepali does it inside the verb itself — a small infix turns the base form into the causative. Once you see the pattern, you'll never miss this shape again.
The concept: doing vs. having done
गर्नु (garnu) is “to do.” गराउनु (garaaunu) is “to have done.” The first says you are the agent; the second says you arranged for someone else to be the agent. Both forms are followed by the usual tense and honorific endings.
Formation rule: insert -आउ-
The regular rule is to insert -आउ- (-aau-) between the stem and the infinitive ending -नु. A few verbs shift a vowel for euphony — but the shape is always there. Some pairs use -वा- (-waa-, e.g. खानु → खुवाउनु) instead.
Pattern
stem + -आउ- + नु
गर्- + आउ + नु → गराउनु | सुत् + आउ + नु → सुताउनु
Ten base → causative pairs
Tap any verb to hear it. The example sentence shows the causative in real use.
| Base | Causative | Example |
|---|---|---|
गर्नु garnu — to do | गराउनु garaaunu — to have done / make do | मैले कोठा सफा गराएँ। Maile koṭhā saphā garaae~. I had the room cleaned. |
खानु khaanu — to eat | खुवाउनु khuwaaunu — to feed / cause to eat | आमाले बच्चालाई भात खुवाउनुभयो। Aamaale bachchaalaai bhaat khuwaaunubhayo. Mother fed the child rice. |
पिउनु piunu — to drink | पियाउनु piyaaunu — to give to drink | मैले कुकुरलाई पानी पियाएँ। Maile kukurlaai paani piyaae~. I gave the dog water to drink. |
सुत्नु sutnu — to sleep | सुताउनु sutaaunu — to put to sleep | उनले बच्चालाई सुताइन्। Unle bachchaalaai sutaain. She put the baby to sleep. |
उठ्नु uṭhnu — to rise / get up | उठाउनु uṭhaaunu — to wake / lift up | बिहान ६ बजे उठाइदिनुस्। Bihaan 6 baje uṭhaaidinus. Please wake me at 6 am. |
हिँड्नु hi~ḍnu — to walk | हिँडाउनु hi~ḍaaunu — to make walk / lead | गाइडले हामीलाई दुई घण्टा हिँडाउनुभयो। Gaaiḍle haamiilaai dui ghaṇṭā hi~ḍaaunubhayo. The guide had us walk for two hours. |
पढ्नु paḍhnu — to read / study | पढाउनु paḍhaaunu — to teach (make read) | उनले स्कुलमा नेपाली पढाउनुहुन्छ। Unle skul-mā nepālī paḍhaaunuhunchha. He teaches Nepali at the school. |
हेर्नु hernu — to look / see | हेराउनु heraaunu — to show / cause to see | कोठा हेराइदिनुस्। Koṭhā heraaidinus. Please show the room. |
बुझ्नु bujhnu — to understand | बुझाउनु bujhaaunu — to explain (cause to understand) | नियम बुझाइदिनुस्। Niyam bujhaaidinus. Please explain the rules. |
सुन्नु sunnu — to hear / listen | सुनाउनु sunaaunu — to tell (cause to hear) | मलाई कथा सुनाइदिनुस्। Malaai kathā sunaaidinus. Please tell me a story. |
Real expat examples
Causative + the benefactive ending -दिनुस् (-dinus) gives you the politest way to ask for a chore to be done. This is the workhorse of household and rental Nepali.
Please have the room cleaned.
कोठा सफा गराइदिनुस्।
Koṭhā saphā garaaidinus.
Please get the laundry done.
लुगा धुवाइदिनुस्।
Lugā dhuwāidinus.
Please have the pipe repaired.
पाइप बनाइदिनुस्।
Pāip banāidinus.
Please wake me at six.
मलाई ६ बजे उठाइदिनुस्।
Malaai 6 baje uṭhaaidinus.
Please feed the dog.
कुकुरलाई खुवाइदिनुस्।
Kukurlaai khuwāidinus.
Common mistakes
- Using the causative when you did the thing yourself. If you cooked the rice, say पकाएँ (pakaae~) — not पकाएँ गराएँ.
- Forgetting that causatives are still regular verbs after the infix — they take the normal tense, person, and honorific suffixes.
- Stacking causatives — Nepali allows गराइदिनुस् (have-it-done-for-me), which is fine. But pure double-causation (have someone make someone do it) is rare in speech; rephrase instead.