Random Nepali Phrases to Make You Sound Like a Local

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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.

🎔


Ke garne? ("kay gar-nay?")
के गर्ने?
What can you do?/Oh well


"Ke garne" literally means "what will I do" or "what will you do" but, in this sense, conveys more of a tone of defeat - nothing can be done.

ला, बत्ति गायो. के गर्ने. "Laa, batti gaayo. Ke garne."
Oh no, the power went out. Oh well.

Or you can use it with more serious subjects as well, i.e. "I lost my job, ke garne." "I am getting old, ke garne." Etc.

You can follow it up with "jindagi yestai ho" ("jin-dah-gee [hard g] ess-tay ho") to add an extra layer of apathy - "such is life".




🎔

Het-terika 

"HET-tehr-ee-ka" - There is quite a guttural stop at the end of the "het" so that there is not so much of a "t" sound as there is a sudden stop and slight pause before saying "terika" rather quickly.
I've never seen this in writing so I don't know how to spell it in Devanagari, but I hear it quite often!

This is a phrase to use when you're exasperated, i.e. "I can't believe this," or "oh [expletive]". I don't believe it has any bad connotations, though, so I wouldn't classify it as a curse or offensive in any way.

"Het-terika, bike feri bigriyo." = "Oh, no, my [motor]bike's broken again."

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Amamama

Pronounced pretty much how it looks, but you can emphasize the first syllable, as in"ahhh-mamama"
"Oh, wow...."

You can use this when you're surprised or shocked at something. Nothing sudden or scary like a nearby lightning strike or an unexpected sound but more like expressing disbelief...

"I ate three plates of momos today!"
"Amamama...." ("that's way too much!")

If you really want to drive the point home you can add more "mamama's" to the end!

"That's nothing, I had 7 servings of chow mein!"
"Amammamamamamama....."

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La"luh"
ल


This is a catch-all word, meaning "okay," "I understand/got it," etc.
I hear it used mainly in phone conversations, but you can use it any time, and especially combined with "huss" or "huncha":

"La, la, huss" = "Okay, I understand" "I'll be on my way now" "Yes, I'll do that"

Make sure you make it sound like "luh" and not "lah" - the long A sound makes it sound like you're exasperated or being rude, as my husband always points out to me when I say it wrong!

On that note...

Laaaa"oh nooooo"

This is the exasperated version. You can use this when you just remembered something important that you forgot, or something just went very wrong.

"Laaaaaa, aaja kam janu parne thiyo!!" = "Oh no, [I forgot] I had to go to work today!"

🎔

Hajur? Hajur!हजुर
"Excuse me?"/"Yes"/"I'm here"


Another word with many meanings - "hajur" is used like the word "you" to address someone with extreme politeness. But it has many other uses as well...
  • "Hajur?" = "I'm sorry, I didn't understand"/"Come again?"
  • "Hajur." = "yes, that's true" "yes, I understand"
  • "Hajur!" = "I'm here!" "Yes, I'm listening"
  • "Hajur...." = "Yes, I'm thinking about it..." "hold on...." "I'm not sure I understand..."

🎔

Honorable mentions....


"Aiyya!"
"Ow, that hurts!!"

"Abheeeee!"
"Oh, that's awful!!" = i.e., when you see an enormous spider and you're scared of it


Nai, nai (pronounced like "nigh")
"No"/"No way!"


"Ah" / "Aha"
अँ/अहँ
"Ah"/"Uh" means Yes
"Aha"/"Uh-huh" (accent on second syllable) means No



Comments

  1. wonkamomAugust 9, 2017 at 5:00 AM

    Very helpful! One question: Is "huss" a long (as in fuse) or short (as in bus) sound?

    ReplyDelete

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