Family Vocab

In English, there are only a few names for family members. For example, our father's brother and our mother's brother are both called the same thing: "uncle."
But in Nepali the words and titles used for family are much more specific, which can make it difficult for a beginner!
In addition, strangers are also addressed by "family" names: the lady you buy your veggies from is your 'older sister,' the kid that lives on your block is your 'little brother,' and the older woman who asks you for directions is your 'auntie.' There are no words for "excuse me" as we would use it in English to address a stranger - it's literally almost required for you to call someone as though they are a family member!

In regards to actual relatives, there are so many different words for so many different members of the family that it's almost impossible to list them all in once place. Here is a partial list of words to get you started:

Immediate family:

father - बुबा buba/buwa
mother - आमा aama, मा maa, ममी mami
son - छोरा choraa

Nepali Verbs - Conjugation in all forms/tenses (Part 3)

Click here for part one and here for part 2 of this article.

Here are a couple more Nepali verb tenses for you:

1.
गर्दै छ 
gardai cha
"am/are/is doing"

This tense tends to be used for things that you are doing right at the moment (eating, walking, etc) as opposed to ongoing projects (like writing a novel, etc). For the latter, you can use the next verb form.
For verbs with stems that end in consonants (i.e., garnu: stem = gar-) you can use the stem as-is and add -dai plus the correct conjugation of hunu (cha, chan, etc.)
For verbs with stems that end in vowels, keep that "n" from the -nu dictionary ending and then add the -dai suffix. For example, khaanu "to eat" becomes khaan-dai instead of khaa-dai.

Sandheko - Nepali Appetizer Recipe! (Cooking With Sharad)

Try out this delicious Nepali appetizer/snack which Sharad teaches us how to cook in our second recipe video!



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10 Best Nepali Songs (My List)

There are SO many Nepali songs out there - for such a small country, there are many singers, songwriters, and "Kollywood" musicals putting out their music nearly every week, it seems.
Fortunately for Nepali entertainment fans, pretty much 100% of movies and songs are released by their creators/companies on YouTube where they can be enjoyed for free.
Here is a list of some of my favorite/most famous Nepali songs. (This is not an exhaustive list, there is plenty more great Nepali music to be found and I might have to make a Part 2, 3, 4....)
Keep reading to find out (and listen to) my favorites.

Here's our first video featuring Coco, our mascot puppy.
We took a weekend trip to Palung Bazaar and Daman, where we could play in the rivers (much cleaner than Kathmandu's), meet some doggos and see a beautiful view of the Himalayas.
Coco drew a lot of attention since dachshunds are pretty rare in Nepal, especially in the country!
She was ecstatic to make new friends, but she kept her cool in front of the camera. She's a natural star, what can I say.

Nepali Verbs - Conjugation in all forms/tenses (Part 2)

In part 1, we covered three basic verb tenses: Simple present, past, and future. But there are plenty more verb conjugations in the Nepali language. Let's look at some more now.

1. 
   

गर्ने थियो
garne thiyo
"would have done"

The conjugation for this verb tense is fairly simple.
You can take the simple form of the future tense (e.g. I will do "garnechu" - simplified = "garne") and add a form of the past tense of hunu, specifically the "thiyo" form.

Check out our new recipe for Sharad's way of cooking Nepali Chicken Curry.
It's so delicious!
Sharad is a really good cook and we'll be posting more how-to videos of Nepali cuisine, so be sure to subscribe to our channel (Coco's Nepal) to see more!

Tips for Learning A New Language

If you're in the process of learning a new language, you've probably already read a lot of motivating articles about how to learn quicker and more efficiently. I read a lot of these too. Many of them seemed to be written by polyglots who have somehow learned the mystical secret to learning a language in a couple of months or even a few weeks.
I am not one of those people.
It took me a long time to become fluent in Nepali, even though I studied every textbook I could find and practiced with Nepali speakers every day.
But I learned to enjoy the learning process and finally finding out the meaning of a new grammar point or a word I couldn't find in the dictionary was like a lightbulb moment every time it happened. It was a really rewarding journey and it opened up a door to a new culture, a new way of thinking, even a new sense of humor! Most importantly, I think, it really helped to improve myself - I went from a shy girl who didn't really know how to express herself in English to a (relatively) outgoing Nepali speaker who loves meeting new people!
We all have different reasons for learning a new language, but whatever it is, it can be a really rewarding process. If you're committed to learning, there will be times when you're going to hit a plateau and think about giving up. There will be days where you think you've got the hang of the language and before you know it you're deep into a conversation when you realize you only understand every other word.
So tip #1 is
DON'T GIVE UP! Keep your enthusiasm and make it fun to learn. Don't go crazy with textbooks and rote memorization if it's not your thing and it's boring you to tears. I happen to like studying from textbooks, so I did it a lot - but I stopped when it stopped being enjoyable and moved on to different methods of learning and practicing. So you can switch it up too! Just don't give up and let what you've already learned slip out of your mind.

Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are some more tried-and-true tips that have helped me:

2. Don't be shy or scared to practice with native speakers

A lot of new language learners are afraid to practice at first because they are worried they will sound stupid with their limited vocabulary or grasp of grammar. Well, here's the thing - you probably will sound stupid! But that's okay - in fact, it's almost necessary. I tend to remember mistakes I've made while speaking better than times when got the hang of something new right away.
If you have a native speaker correct you on something you said wrong, it can be kind of embarrassing - but you are bound to remember it for next time!
Besides, native speakers are very rarely inclined to make fun of you or be annoyed for your attempting to speak their language. Really, it's usually the opposite! Especially in Nepal, I find that Nepali are really excited and happy to hear a foreigner speak even just one or two words in their language.
Don't forget, too, that many people are either learning another language or are already bilingual - so they understand the struggle of practicing.
Basically, it's a matter of being humble and accepting that you're going to make mistakes - you might as well laugh at it and have fun learning the language as opposed to being shy and never making progress!

3. SRS programs
If you've done research about learning a new language, I'm sure the phrase SRS has popped up once or twice. SRS stands for Spaced Repetition Software. These programs basically work like flashcards, but with a twist - they're designed to have you review something just before you were going to forget it, making it cemented deeper in your mind.
One of the best catch-all SRS programs is Anki, a program available for nearly all operating systems which allows you to make your own flash cards or download an existing set made by the user community.
I really recommend making your own flashcards, as being bombarded with a lot of words/sentences/grammar points you've never heard of all at once can be frustrating.
Instead I like to take a notebook with me wherever I go and when I hear or see something I want to understand, I write it down and later add it to my Anki deck with the definition. This immediately gives the flash card more significance to me since it is something I personally learned or wanted to know in a specific situation.
That being said, especially at first you are going to want to start off with a set of basic vocabulary/phrases so you can start speaking right away. So you can copy phrases/words from your dictionary, phrasebook or textbook into your SRS program as well. At any rate, it's a great, useful tool that I definitely recommend to get you started.


4. Listen to music/watch movies in that language.

Listening practice helps you get the accent/tone down. BUT don't be discouraged when you don't understand what is being said - songs usually have very poetic-style lyrics which don't necessarily reflect how people talk in real life, and movies often feature 'slang'-style speaking or really advanced vocabulary/speak really fast so it is naturally much harder to understand for a beginner.
Even if you don't understand, though, you're still subconsciously learning a lot. Watching media in your target language gives an insight into the culture, gestures, and tone of the language. You can pick up on the differences between polite and formal speech and rude, course speech as well as how close friends talk to each other. You will definitely pick up on some phrases that are used in many different situations and you will hear over and over again. (For instance, in Nepali, when someone is hurt they might yell out "Aiyya!" instead of "ow!" I would never have thought to look that up in a dictionary, but seeing it in many movies and observing it said in real life slowly got me in the habit of saying it when I hurt myself, too!)
And this will also really help your pronunciation of your target language. When you first start learning you may find video lessons or talk with people who speak really slowly and clearly which is super helpful for a beginner. But in everyday conversation, nobody speaks like that - in any language! I used to get frustrated when I would talk to a Nepali friend and understand pretty well...then she would start talking to another Nepali person and I couldn't understand a word! That's natural and it's going to happen at first. But getting a head start on watching/listening to media in your target language is never a bad idea.

5. Keep a diary.
I think I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but it really helped me in learning how to use my new language in a practical way. Keep a journal in your target language and write down something in it every day. Write down the events of the day - even boring things - anything you know how to say. You can look up words you don't know in the dictionary to use (and add them to your list to learn, as well). Write about how you feel, who you met, etc.
As you progress you'll find yourself wanting to write more complicated things and being motivated to figure out how to say them. You will also notice mistakes you made in previous entries or find that you've found a better way to say them. This is really good for keeping yourself motivated, too. You can really see how far you've come in your language learning!


I hope that these little tips may help you in learning your target language!

Nepali Pronouns

There are a couple of pronouns I've left out of this list, but only because they are either not commonly used or are too rude/low respect.

These are pronouns in their normal form. For certain purposes these may have to be modified slightly, which we will get into later.

First Person singular

(I, me) - म ma

First Person plural 

(we, us) - हामी haami

Beginner Nepali Video Lesson 2 - Asking "How are you?" in Nepali

We're back for lesson 2 with some phrases you can use to ask "How are you?" in Nepali!

Please check it out and like and subscribe if you want to see more lessons like this!

Also don't forget to watch Lesson 1!

Some Nepali Jokes (And Why They're Funny)

Nepali humor is usually quite goofy in nature. Although I have noticed some instances of sarcasm and dry humor, this is definitely the exception, not the rule.

When I was first learning Nepali I talked with a nice lady who enthusiastically told me a Nepali joke. Although I didn't understand everything at that time, I got the gist of it. It basically went like this:

हुनु Hunu - "To Be" in Nepali

Hunu is a very interesting Nepali verb. It means "to be" - simple enough. But it changes form depending on what you are talking about, so you have to get multiple conjugations of this verb straight.

Much like Spanish, there are two different forms to use when saying "to be" in Nepali. In Spanish, you have ser and estar.
In Nepali, though, it's really just one verb (हुनु hunu) which is changed depending on the way you are using it - to define or to describe.

Nepali Verbs - Conjugation in all forms/tenses (Part 1)

For the sake of simplicity, in the examples of verb conjugation, we will mostly use the verb गर्नु garnu, "to do"
There are a couple of irregular verbs in Nepali to keep in mind as well. However, most of the verbs will follow these rules.

Nepali has different levels of politeness/respect, and with each level there is a corresponding verb conjugation. It's difficult to keep track of them all at first, so if you like you can just focus on the most polite forms to make it easier on yourself!

To begin with...

All Nepali verbs end with -नु  -nu.
To conjugate the verb into a different tense, you have to remove the -nu ending to leave the "stem" of the verb. In the case of गर्नु garnu, the stem would be गर् "gar." Then you can change the ending depending on the conjugation needed.

Beginner Nepali Video Lesson 1 - Meeting Someone New

Have a look at our latest video on our YouTube channel!

This time Sharad is here to teach you a few basic phrases to introduce yourself in Nepali.

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Best Resources For Learning Nepali

I've searched for/used nearly every medium available for learning the Nepali language. Now that I'm fluent, I can share my tips about which resources helped the most! Here are some of them...

• Hamro Dictionary

This offline dictionary is available for free on the Google Play store. It's a pretty comprehensive dictionary considering it is a mobile app and is helpful for when you're out and about - you don't have to lug a huge dictionary around with you like I used to when I first started learning Nepali!
There are some typos and words that I've searched for that aren't in the dictionary. But overall this is a great resource.
Be sure to check out the developer's other apps as well. Their app Hamro Patro has a lot of tools to use on your trip to Nepal, from currency conversion rates to Nepali festival dates and everything in between.

*

• NEPALI IN CONTEXT: A Topical Approach to Learning Nepali

This is rare (and expensive) to find online...Amazon currently lists it at $55USD!
But it can be found in Nepal at larger bookstores and it contains a wealth of information about Nepali grammar, vocab, phrases, etc. All presented in an easy-to-understand manner.
The book is designed to be best used with a Nepali tutor, so if you have a Nepali friend to practice with, that would be the best approach.

• Nepali Movies on Youtube

The Nepali film industry doesn't care much about pirating movies - for the most part, the film companies themselves release films for free on YouTube a few months after their initial release in theaters.

This provides a wealth of options for Nepali entertainment/listening practice.
Nepali films are great for two reasons - one, you can listen to Nepali people speak naturally (read: extremely fast and difficult to understand) and two, Nepali movies are just absolutely bonkers.
In recent times Nepali movies have taken a big step forward in terms of not being so very corny, but there's plenty of goofy, contrived fare to enjoy.
Some more recent uploads include English subtitles, but it's also fun and good practice to figure out what's going on watching without subs.
Just search 'Nepali movie' on YouTube and a lot of choices will show right up.

• English learning textbooks found at Nepali stationery/book shops

It may seem counter-intuitive to pick up a book in Nepali about learning English, instead of the other way around. And the English is often phrased a little oddly...

But these are a very cheap, easy to use resource for learning Nepali. Many of these books are put together for Nepali students looking to get a working visa abroad. So the phrases/grammar given is simple, everyday conversations covering introducing yourself, small talk, asking for help in an emergency, etc.
The reason these are great is that while the English translations may be a little stilted, the corresponding Nepali phrases are accurate. It's great reading practice after you've learned the Nepali alphabet and it will help you understand the grammar of basic Nepali sentence structure as well. There's usually a concise dictionary of important words at the end as well.
Best of all, these books are usually only a couple hundred rupees (2 or 3 U.S. dollars), so it can't hurt to pick one or two up when you arrive in Nepal.

Mero Maya Nepal Episode 2 - Boudhanath

Check out our new video about Boudhanath, an enormous Buddhist stupa on the east side of Kathmandu.

Boudhanath stupa has been around for centuries and is a hub for Tibetan culture in Nepal. You can find souvenirs, traditional clothing, and food from multiple Nepali cultural groups.
Many tourist attractions in Kathmandu are tied to Hinduism and shopping around these areas is more akin to south Asian clothing and souvenirs. But Boudhanath has more central Asian vibes and is an interesting change of pace.

Not mentioned in the video, but there is very good food to be found around Boudhanath as well - from traditional Chinese food to enormous momo (steamed dumplings) to Himalayan Java (Nepal's equivalent to Starbucks).

It's an extremely popular tourist destination as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Definitely worth checking out during a visit to Nepal.

5 Things You Might Not Expect in Nepal

Here are a few things that you might be surprised by on your first visit to Nepal:

1. Dogs

Dogs are EVERYWHERE in Nepal. In Kathmandu especially, you will find dogs on basically every street. Some are dogs with a home who are allowed to roam where they please, others (most of them) are street dogs.
If you are afraid of dogs, this might be a challenge for you, but for the most part dogs are happy to leave you alone. I am a dog lover so I approach most dogs that seem friendly and 90% of them are just happy-go-lucky, friendly individuals. But you do have to be careful! Some dogs can be vicious, especially near butcher shops where they are intent on getting scraps of meat (and competing with other dogs for it). At night some friendly dogs turn into guard dogs as they try to keep strangers away from their territory, so be careful if you are walking late at night. Also the adage that dogs can smell fear is really true as far as I'm concerned - a friend of mine who is afraid of strange dogs and never approaches them has had more run-ins with less-than-friendly doggies than I have, and I basically throw caution to the wind when it comes to meeting dogs. So just be prepared for lots and lots of pups.
And one more thing - if you feed a dog in Kathmandu, that dog is automatically your forever friend and will follow you EVERYWHERE. Once I had a dog follow me down several blocks of a busy part of town, risking the ire of other doggie gangs. I felt bad for him as he tried to escape getting in a scrape just because he wanted to be with me. So keep that in mind if you are into making dog friends.

2. Cows

While not as common as dogs, cows are a very common sight. Since cows are sacred in the Hindu religion, cows are generally used for milk, but are very rarely slaughtered and used for meat. While this sounds like a good thing for cows, there are some problems attached. Most people will keep a baby girl cow because she will grow up to be a milk maker, but baby boys are considered worthless except for breeding. So if someone already has a bull for breeding, they just leave the bulls out on the street to fend for themselves.
Because of this, there are baby bulls in places where you shouldn't find them - their favorite place to hang out is smack in the middle of busy roads where the blacktop is nice and warm from the sun. If they are wandering around shops and sidewalks people tend to chase them away, and they are usually very skittish. It's a very sad thing to see and I wish I had a big farm to keep all the baby cows in!
Occasionally you will see a big truck go down and collect all the stray baby bulls they can. I'm not quite sure what they do with them though...

3. Littering

There is trash everywhere in Kathmandu. People don't think twice about littering wherever they are. Public trash cans are usually nowhere to be seen, so that may be an explanation. The first time I came to Nepal, the trash collectors went on strike, and you had to wade through a SEA of garbage. Fortunately that hasn't happened for a while, so there's just a "normal" about of litter scattered about.
Sadly many rivers and bodies of water in Kathmandu are disgusting and smelly now because of poor waste and trash management. Friends of mine report that just a few years ago they were much cleaner.
BUT if you are looking for natural beauty in Nepal, it is everywhere - just not in Kathmandu. And you don't have to travel all the way out to the Himalayas to find it. Go out a few miles in any direction and you will find beautiful scenery and clean rivers/streams. Of course, the best sites ARE in the trekking areas of Nepal outside of Pokhara. When I went trekking on the ABC route (Annapurna Base Camp), the views were gorgeous. There was no trash to be seen and the streams coming from the mountains were so clear and clean that I could drink it without getting sick (in Kathmandu I filter even the "drinking water" so that should tell you something)!

4. What's going on with the power lines?!

Take a trip to Thamel - the busiest part of Kathmandu and a big tourist hub - and you might notice something odd right away - the power lines are just a huge tangled mess. I don't know how electricians can keep track of it all, but they seem to have a handle on it. It looks like a fire hazard but I've never seen an accident happen...yet....
And as for loadshedding (scheduled power outages) - that thankfully is not as big of a problem in Kathmandu as it was a year or two ago, but power outages that AREN'T scheduled are still common. Most places (restaurants/hotels/etc.) have a generator or at least a battery-powered line so that you can still use lights and charge your phone while the main power is out.

5. Queuing is a free-for-all

Nepali people, for the most part, don't believe in "standing in line" like you may be used to.
If you go to a bank or an office people will usually abide by the rules, but in a more informal setting (e.g., shopping at a busy store) people are more than happy to literally push you aside to get in front of you. Be ready for that. Pushing is one of my very few pet peeves, so it was very hard for me to deal with at first. Don't be afraid to squish yourself as far ahead as you can in a busy crowd. People won't blink an eye. It's not really considered rude to cut in line or push ahead - it's more of a "well, you should have gone further up if you didn't want it to happen" sort of situation.

All this being said, I love Kathmandu and its many quirks. It may be dirty and noisy and crazy in every sense, but that makes it more of an adventure! The things I listed here may be viewed as "cons," but they do certainly make for a very interesting experience. So please don't be scared off by any of this. Kathmandu has so many can't-miss sites and experiences!
And as I mentioned, Kathmandu isn't the only thing Nepal has to offer. I'll be sure to include posts about other places outside of Kathmandu in the days to come.

In the meantime, check out our YouTube channel - Mero Maya Nepal. We're working on adding video tours of different attractions in Kathmandu and other places in Nepal.

Nepali Grammar: "Rahecha"

रहेछ

Rahecha....

Ugh, one of those words/grammar points that drove me crazy trying to figure out. I almost never saw it in writing or in my Nepali textbooks, but I heard it all the time. When I finally found a textbook that gave its definition, I still had no idea how to use it myself in regular speech.

Well, I am writing this blog post (to a demographic of, I'm assuming, 1-2 other people on earth) so that no one else has to go through the torture of learning this grammar point the [very] hard way.

First, the simple definition:

Rahanu is a verb which really means "to remain."
But when you convert it to "rahecha," it suddenly takes on a different meaning. The general idea is that of surprise, or acknowledging that you just found out something you didn't know before.

E.g., "Oh, no, I left the lights on all day" + "rahecha" = I didn't realize until just now, I left the lights on!

"You've eaten dinner" + "rahecha" = I see you've already eaten (I was thinking that you hadn't).

There are two different ways to use "rahecha" in this sense.

The first is by far the easier way, and you will probably hear it more often in spoken Nepali.

Random Nepali Phrases to Make You Sound Like a Local

Here is a sampling of common phrases that you can use in almost every situation in Nepal.

Huss/Hunchaहवस्/हुन्छ
Okay, all right.

NOTE: "Huss" is viewed as more polite while "huncha" is more informal.
You can use "huss" in the following situations....

• politely excusing yourself ("Huss, janchu hey" = "Ok, I'm going now, all right?")
• agreeing to something ("Huss" = "Ok, I will do that for you")
• Accepting someone something has said (i.e., someone just gave you directions - "huss, dhanyavad" = "ok, thank you"
• at the end of a phone conversation ("huss, huss" = "ok, I'm hanging up now")
• basically anytime you would use the phrase "OK" or "all right"

"Huncha" ("hoon-cha") is more of a way of saying, "Yes, let's do that" or "ok, I'm in." You can use it to agree to plans or say you will do something that the other person has asked of you. Again, though, it is more informal and used more among friends than with people you barely know.

🎔

Mero Maya Nepal Episode 1 - Swayambhu

Check out our first video in our series about Nepal's food, culture and language!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more like this coming in the near future.

💗

Nepali Fashion - Kurta Suruwal

KURTA SURUWAL

From simple, super comfortable everyday-wear to glamorous, Bollywood-style outfits worthy of a wedding or a dance party, you can find incredible range in kurtas.

In India they are often called salwar kameez, and if you're shopping online, that's what you'll find them as. But in Nepal, this outfit is referred to as Kurta Suruwal. Kurta is the tunic/dress top and suruwal refers to the trousers. The outfit is usually completed with a matching scarf, called a "saal."

You can find ready-made saree and kurtas, which is a great option if you don't have a lot of time in Nepal. But I highly recommend getting one tailor-made. It's simple, cheap, and you'll have an outfit custom-made for you.

A great perk of having your outfit tailor-made is that you have control over the style. You can choose the common Punjabi-style suruwal, which in layman's terms is the Poofy Pants look, which is super comfortable and sort of breezy which is nice for hot weather.

Shopping in Nepali, part 2

Here are some phrases you can use while shopping and bargaining in Nepal:

Phrases

अलिकति मिलाउनुस न! Alikati milaunus na! (Ah-lee-kah-tee mih-lau-noos nah!)
- Please cut the price a little!
After a vendor has stated his/her price for the item you want to buy, you can try this out to start the bargaining process.

Shopping in Nepali, part 1

Shopping in Nepal is a fun but also challenging activity...
From buying souvenirs to clothes to kitchen utensils, you may have to be prepared to bargain hard to get a good deal!
Depending on where you stay in Nepal, there may be a few supermarkets that have fixed prices and accept credit cards (think Wal-Mart, Nepali style). Bhat Bhateni and Salesberry are a couple popular options. But these places, while convenient, are often more expensive and certainly less exciting than the family-owned businesses that you will find on pretty much any street.

Some tips:

• Ask a Nepali friend what the item you're searching for normally costs. It's much easier to bargain if you know the price range before hand. Often a shopkeeper will tell you, "Name your price!" and if you have no idea what a fair price is, it can get difficult!

• Don't feel like you have to buy what you're looking for at the first shop you find it (unless you've been informed that this is the best place). If you're determined, you might be able to find a better deal at another nearby shop. Also - if you seem interested in an item but hesitate and try to leave, the shopkeeper might offer you a better deal so he/she doesn't lose your business!

• Don't feel too bad for trying to cut the price as much as you can. Especially in Kathmandu (and especially in neighborhoods with lots of tourists), shopkeepers know exactly what they're doing and may try to charge an exorbitant price at first. They won't let an item go for less than they know it's worth, so you don't have to feel guilty!

In part 2 I'll go over handy phrases and vocabulary you can use to shop and bargain in Nepali!

Greetings in Nepali

As with every language, there are many ways to say hello in Nepali.

• नमस्ते "Namaste" (nah-ma-stay) is the go-to phrase for greeting just about anyone. You can't go wrong here; it's polite and friendly!
  Remember - Instead of waving hello, hold your hands together like this: