Rahecha रहेछ Part 2 -- Nepali Verb Endings

 In a previous post, I went over the Nepali word "rahecha" रहेछ which indicates the speaker is surprised about something or just learned something new. I gave a few examples of how it is used with nouns and verbs. If you're interested, check that post out before reading this one.

There's another way that रहेछ can be used, and that's by being conjugated into the verb itself.

For instance,

 "पानी पारेको रहेछ." Paani paareko rahechha.

This means "It has rained" -- indicating that the speaker has only just noticed this fact. There's a slight tone of surprise.

This sentence is constructed using the present perfect conjugation of पार्नु "paarnu" (to fall) = पार् + -एको 

(For more information on how this works, check out this post)

But there's an easier way to say this!

Instead of the -एको रहेछ tacked onto the verb root, you can just say:

"पानी पारेछ." Paani paarechha.

This means the same thing as "Paani paareko rahechha."

The rules are simple. We treat the verb the same way as we would if we were using the present perfect conjugation, by using the root of the verb (without -nu at the end). Instead of adding -eko, though, we just add -e + chha.

Examples:

गर्नु garnu (to do) → Root: गर् gar- + ए e + छ chha
= गरेछ garechha

"कसले गरेछ?" Kasle garechha? = "Who has done this?" or "Who did it turn out to be who did this?"

खानु khaanu (to eat) → Root: खा- khaa- + ए e + छ chha
= खाएछ khaaechha

"कुक्कुरले मेरो बिस्कुट खाएछ!" Kukkurle mero biskut khaaechha! = "The dog ate my biscuit!" Indicating surprise upon seeing that the dog has eaten this person's biscuit. Of course, the tone will indicate whether this is a pleasant surprise or an unpleasant one!

Image generated by Dall-e

 

This only works for verbs. So if you're talking about a person, place, or thing, you'll want to use "rahechha" in its full form.

Nepali Texting: Writing Nepali with Latin Letters

When living in Nepal, I have had to text in Nepali several times. Although I was familiar enough with reading the language in textbooks, Nepali texting was a completely different story. I was really surprised by the different shortcuts and surprising letter combinations that Nepali people use when texting. So I am compiling some things I've noticed here for Nepali learners!

Nepali is a language spoken by about 16 million people in Nepal and neighboring countries. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family and uses a script called Devanagari, which consists of 36 consonant characters and 12 vowel characters. (Reference)

However, not everyone has access to a Nepali keyboard or knows how to type with Devanagari letters. That's why many Nepali people use the Latin alphabet when texting or chatting online.

There are different ways of transliterating Nepali into Latin letters, depending on personal preference, convenience, and familiarity. Some common techniques are:

• -Replacing 'ph' with 'f', such as 'fursad' for 'फुर्सद' (leisure)
• -Replacing 'chha' with 'xa' or just 'x', such as 'thaha xa' for 'थाहा छ' ([I] know)
• Using '6' for 'chha', since the Nepali word for 6 is also 'chha', such as 'malai man par6' for 'मलाई मन पर्छ' (I like [it])
• Replacing 'bh' with 'v', such as 'vayo' for 'भयो' (happened)
• Shortening verbs that end in '-bhaaeko' to just '-vako', such as 'garnuvako' for गर्नुभएको (you/he/she did) (polite)
• Shortening 'ke' to 'k', such as 'k xa?' for 'के छ?' (what's up?)
  

These techniques may be used all together or none at all, depending on the context and clarity of communication.

Some people may also use emojis, abbreviations, acronyms, slang words, or English words when texting in Nepali.

Of course, many phones also support the Devanagari typing system, so you will also see Nepali people texting with that. Some people may switch between Latin and Devanagari letters depending on their mood or audience.

I found some examples of Nepali people using such techniques in YouTube comments on Nepali videos (music videos and movies.)
Here's one:

"Aaja voli ko movie ta k ho k ho ahile ko film vnda ta pahilako puranoii film dherii ramro lgxa ahileko movie ta filmko kanun testai xa kunoii different xina yrr"

This commenter has changed the 'bh' in "भोलि" 'bholi' ("tomorrow") to a 'v' in "aaja voli ko movie," meaning "movies nowadays". Ke "के" is also shortened to 'k'. She also shortened "bhanda" "भन्दा" (a comparison word meaning "than") to just 'vnda'. She shortened "laagchha" "लाग्छ" (feel) to "lgxa".
"Testai xa" is shortened from "tyastai chha" "त्यस्तै छ" ("like that")
Chhaina "छैन" becomes "xina". And the word "yaar" "यार" (meaning something like "dude" or "bro") becomes "yrr" -- an untraditional spelling.

In this comment on an older Nepali movie available to watch on YouTube, the commenter is saying that she enjoys older movies more than newer ones, which all seem the same.

Let me know if you found this helpful and if you have other examples of Nepali-style texting and typing!