Course
Unit 16 · Intermediate
Everyday conversations
The glue of real talk — small talk, quick check-ins, reacting and agreeing, and the little tag questions Nepali speakers sprinkle everywhere.
In this unit you'll learn to
- Make small talk and check in casually
- Use the short, real-life "how are you"
- Add tag questions with hoina? and hai?
- Soften your speech with ni and na
Listen along
Sample conversations — restaurant and market (lesson 17)
Public-domain audio — FSI Nepali Basic Course (via Live Lingua).
Bumping into a friend
Raju
ए, कस्तो छ?
E, kasto chha?
Hey, how's it going?
Emma
ठीकै छ, तपाईंलाई नि?
Thikai chha, tapailai ni?
I'm fine, and you?
Raju
मलाई पनि ठीकै। के गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ?
Malai pani thikai. Ke gardai hununhunchha?
I'm fine too. What are you up to?
Emma
केही छैन, घुम्दै छु।
Kehi chhaina, ghumdai chhu.
Nothing much, just wandering around.
Raju
राम्रो, पछि भेटौँला।
Raamro, pachhi bhetaula.
Nice — see you later.
Vocabulary
- कस्तो छ kasto chha
- how are you / how is it
- ठीकै thikai
- fine / okay
- के गर्दै ke gardai
- what (are you) doing
- केही छैन kehi chhaina
- nothing / nothing much
- पछि pachhi
- later / after
- भेट्नु bhetnu
- to meet
- साँच्चै saanchai
- really / truly
- अनि ani
- and / so / then
- है hai
- okay? / right? (tag)
- नि ni
- (softening / "and you?" particle)
Grammar
"How are you?" — the everyday version
The textbook Tapailai kasto chha? shrinks in real life to just Kasto chha? ("how's it going?"). The default reply is Thikai chha ("fine") or Ramro chha ("good").
Bounce it back with ...ni?: Tapailai ni? ("and you?"). That little ni does a lot of friendly work.
Tag questions
Nepali loves a tag. ...hoina? turns a statement into "...isn't it?": Ramro chha, hoina? ("It's nice, isn't it?"). ...hai? adds a warm "okay?": Bholi aaunchhau, hai? ("You'll come tomorrow, okay?").
Softening with ni and na
The particles ni and na soften requests and add warmth: Sunnuhos na ("do listen", gentler), Bhetaula ni ("we'll meet, then"). Sprinkling them is the difference between sounding clipped and sounding natural.
Practice
1. Greet a friend with "How's it going?"
Show answer
कस्तो छ? (Kasto chha?)
2. Reply "I'm fine, and you?"
Show answer
ठीकै छ, तपाईंलाई नि? (Thikai chha, tapailai ni?)
3. Add a tag: "It's nice, isn't it?"
Show answer
राम्रो छ, होइन? (Ramro chha, hoina?)
4. Say "See you later."
Show answer
पछि भेटौँला। (Pachhi bhetaula.)