Lessons
Reference grid
The honorific paradigm
Every Nepali verb conjugates across two axes simultaneously: who's doing it (pronoun) and what honorific level (low / mid / high). The full grid for the reference verb ‘garnu’ (to do). Memorize this once; every other regular verb follows the same pattern.
Related: pronouns & honorifics, verb conjugation rules, imperatives by honorific level.
| Subject (pronoun) | Level | Present | Past | Future | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| म (ma) — I | Low / intimate | गर्छु (garchu) | गरें (gare) | गर्ने छु (garne chu) | — |
| हामी (haami) — we | Low / intimate | गर्छौं (garchau) | गर्यौं (garyau) | गर्ने छौं (garne chau) | — |
| तँ (tã) — you (intimate / lowest) | Low / intimate | गर्छस् (garchas) | गरिस् (garis) | गर्ने छस् (garne chas) | गर् (gar) |
| तिमी (timi) — you (familiar / peer) | Mid / familiar | गर्छौ (garchau) | गर्यौ (garyau) | गर्ने छौ (garne chau) | गर (gara) |
| तपाईं (tapaai) — you (formal / safe default) | High / formal | गर्नुहुन्छ (garnuhuncha) | गर्नुभयो (garnubhayo) | गर्नुहुनेछ (garnuhunecha) | गर्नुहोस् (garnuhos) |
| यो/त्यो (yo/tyo) — he/she (peer, third) | Mid / familiar | गर्छ (garcha) / गर्छिन् (garchin) F | गर्यो (garyo) / गरी (gari) F | गर्ने छ (garne cha) | — |
| वहाँ (wahaa) — he/she (high honorific) | Honorific (3rd person) | गर्नुहुन्छ (garnuhuncha) | गर्नुभयो (garnubhayo) | गर्नुहुनेछ (garnuhunecha) | — |
| तिनी (tini) — he/she (literary / written 3rd) | Mid / familiar | गर्छन् (garchan) | गरे (gare) | गर्ने छन् (garne chan) | — |
Safe-default rule
When unsure, use tapaai (high) — formal endings. Over-formality is forgiven everywhere; under-formality offends. Tourists rarely meet anyone who deserves ‘tã’ (low).
Subject-verb agreement
The ending agrees with the SUBJECT, not the listener. ‘Ma garchu’ never changes by who you're speaking to. Only when the subject IS the listener (timi/tapaai), the form encodes their social rank.