The verb “to play” in Nepali is खेल्नु (khelnу). This lesson covers comprehensive conjugations across four essential mood and tense categories: Present Tense (Simple Present), Past Tense (Simple Past), Future Tense, and Imperative Mood (Commands). Understanding these conjugations will enable you to express playing actions and sports activities across different time frames and with various pronouns. Each conjugation table includes complete sentence structures using common games like फुटबल (football), क्रिकेट (cricket), and भलिबल (volleyball). Notice how the verb form changes based on the pronoun, tense, and level of formality or respect.
Use the Present tense to describe habitual playing activities or regular sports. This is the base form for discussing what someone plays or their favorite games.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Nepali Sentence | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| म (I) | खेल्छु | म फुटबल खेल्छु। | Ma football khelchu. |
| तिमी (You – informal) | खेल्छौ | तिमी क्रिकेट खेल्छौ। | Timi cricket khelchau. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | खेल्नुहुन्छ | तपाईं भलिबल खेल्नुहुन्छ। | Tapai volleyball khelnuhunchha. |
| ऊ (He/She) | खेल्छ | ऊ फुटबल खेल्छ। | U football khelchha. |
| उनी (They – singular) | खेल्छिन् | उनी टेनिस खेल्छिन्। | Uni tennis khel chhin. |
| हामी (We) | खेल्छौं | हामी क्रिकेट खेल्छौं। | Hami cricket khelchaun. |
| उनीहरू (They – plural) | खेल्छन् | उनीहरू फुटबल खेल्छन्। | Uniharu football khelchhan. |
Use the Past tense to describe games that were played or sporting activities that already happened. This tense indicates the action is complete.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Nepali Sentence | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| म (I) | खेलेँ | म फुटबल खेलेँ। | Ma football khelen. |
| तिमी (You – informal) | खेल्यौ | तिमी क्रिकेट खेल्यौ। | Timi cricket khelyau. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | खेल्नुभयो | तपाईं भलिबल खेल्नुभयो। | Tapai volleyball khelnubhayo. |
| ऊ (He/She) | खेल्यो | ऊ फुटबल खेल्यो। | U football khelyo. |
| उनी (They – singular) | खेलिन् | उनी टेनिस खेलिन्। | Uni tennis khelin. |
| हामी (We) | खेल्यौं | हामी क्रिकेट खेल्यौं। | Hami cricket khelyaun. |
| उनीहरू (They – plural) | खेले | उनीहरू फुटबल खेले। | Uniharu football khele. |
Use the Future tense to describe games that will be played or sporting activities planned for the future. This indicates an intention or prediction.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Nepali Sentence | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| म (I) | खेल्नेछु | म फुटबल खेल्नेछु। | Ma football khelnechu. |
| तिमी (You – informal) | खेल्नेछौ | तिमी क्रिकेट खेल्नेछौ। | Timi cricket khelnechau. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | खेल्नुहुनेछ | तपाईं भलिबल खेल्नुहुनेछ। | Tapai volleyball khelnuhunechha. |
| ऊ (He/She) | खेल्नेछ | ऊ फुटबल खेल्नेछ। | U football khelnechha. |
| उनी (They – singular) | खेल्नेछिन् | उनी टेनिस खेल्नेछिन्। | Uni tennis khelnechhin. |
| हामी (We) | खेल्नेछौं | हामी क्रिकेट खेल्नेछौं। | Hami cricket khelnechaun. |
| उनीहरू (They – plural) | खेल्नेछन् | उनीहरू फुटबल खेल्नेछन्। | Uniharu football khelnechan. |
Use the Imperative mood to give commands, make requests, or give instructions about playing games. This mood is used when directly addressing someone and telling them to play.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Nepali Sentence | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| तिमी (You – informal) | खेल | तिमी फुटबल खेल। | Timi football khel. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | खेल्नुहोस् | तपाईं क्रिकेट खेल्नुहोस्। | Tapai cricket khelunuhos. |
You’ve now mastered the verb “to play” (खेल्नु) across four essential mood and tense categories. Notice how the verb form changes based on the pronoun, tense, and level of formality or respect. The root verb form खेल्नु transforms systematically through different tenses: Present (खेल्छु/छौ/छ), Past (खेलेँ/खेल्यौ/खेल्यो), Future (खेल्नेछु/खेल्नेछौ/खेल्नेछ), and Imperative (खेल/खेल्नुहोस्). These patterns are consistent with many other Nepali action verbs. Practice using this verb with different sports and games to build fluency in discussing hobbies and recreational activities.
The conjugations of खेल्नु follow predictable patterns. Once you master this verb, you’ll recognize similar patterns in other Nepali action verbs like लेख्नु (to write) and गर्नु (to do), accelerating your overall learning progress.
Notice the difference between informal (तिमी खेल्छौ) and formal (तपाईं खेल्नुहुन्छ) forms. Using the correct form shows respect and cultural awareness in social interactions.
The sentences use फुटबल (football), क्रिकेट (cricket), भलिबल (volleyball), and टेनिस (tennis) as examples. You can easily substitute any sport or game to discuss your favorite activities.
Practice using these conjugations when discussing sports hobbies, making plans to play games, or asking others about their favorite sports. These patterns enable natural conversation about recreational activities.
Master Playing Activities: The verb खेल्नु (to play) is essential for discussing sports and recreational activities in Nepali. Continue practicing these conjugations in authentic sentences about different games and sports. Try creating your own sentences using the patterns you’ve learned, and use this verb naturally in conversations about hobbies. Your dedication to mastering these patterns will enhance your ability to discuss interests and social activities fluently in Nepali!
We also recommend the Ling App, the easy path to hard languages. Ling makes hard languages easy and joyful to learn. Ling does this by deeply understanding the cultures and languages our users explore. Click on the banner below to sign up for a Ling account now.
