/
A linking verb is a verb that connects ideas or describes a subject without showing an action. Verbs like “to be,” “seems,” “appears,” or other verbs that reference the five senses are linking verbs. In Nepali, these are called “सामंजस्य गर्ने क्रिया” (samanjasya garne kriya) or “जोड्ने क्रिया” (jodne kriya)—literally “connecting verbs.”
These verbs establish a relationship between the subject and its description. Unlike action verbs, linking verbs don’t describe what the subject is doing—they describe the subject’s state, condition, or identity. Examples: “That smells good,” “The cactus feels spiky,” “It is an idea.”
Master linking verbs to accurately describe people, things, and situations in Nepali!
Linking verbs follow a specific structure that connects the subject to a complement, providing information about the subject’s state or identity.
Pattern: Subject + Linking Verb + Subject Complement
Nepali: विषय + लिङ्क क्रिया + विषय पूरक
Example: ऊ शिक्षिका हो। (She is a teacher.)
Subject: The person or thing the sentence is about (वाक्यको मुख्य व्यक्ति वा वस्तु)
Linking Verb: Connects subject to complement (छ, हो, थियो, जस्तो देखिन्छ)
Subject Complement: Information about subject—noun, pronoun, or adjective (संज्ञा, विशेषण)
Predicate Nominative: A noun that renames the subject (शिक्षिका – teacher)
Predicate Adjective: An adjective that describes the subject (खुसी – happy, सजिलो – easy)
Example: ऊ खुसी थियो। (He was happy. – adjective) vs ऊ शिक्षक हो। (He is a teacher. – noun)
State of Being: छ, हो, थियो, भएको छ (is, was, have been)
Sensory Verbs: लाग्नु (feel), गन्धाउनु (smell), स्वाद (taste), सुनिन्छ (sound), देखिन्छ (appear)
Other Linking: बन्नु (become), जस्तो लाग्नु (seem), देखिन्छ (look), रह्नु (remain)
No Action: Linking verbs do NOT describe an action—they describe a state or condition
Connection Role: They bridge the subject and the description, creating a logical relationship
Sensory Importance: Verbs related to the five senses (smell, taste, feel, look, sound) are often linking verbs
Complement Required: Linking verbs always need a subject complement to complete the meaning
Study these authentic examples of linking verbs in Nepali, showing how they connect subjects to meaningful descriptions.
Nepali: ऊ शिक्षिका हो।
Romanized: U shikshika ho.
English: She is a teacher.
Nepali: उनीहरू साथीहरू छन्।
Romanized: Uniharu saathiharu chhan.
English: They are friends.
Nepali: ऊ खुसी थियो।
Romanized: U khusi thiyo.
English: He was happy.
Nepali: यो सजिलो जस्तो देखिन्छ।
Romanized: Yo sajilo jasto dekhinchha.
English: It seems easy.
Nepali: मलाई चिसो लागेको छ।
Romanized: Malai chiso lagyeko chha.
English: I feel cold.
Nepali: ऊ डाक्टर भई।
Romanized: U doctor bhai.
English: She became a doctor.
Nepali: केकको गन्ध स्वादिष्ट छ।
Romanized: Kekko gandh swaadisht cha.
English: The cake smells delicious.
Nepali: म थाकेको छु।
Romanized: Ma thakeko chhu.
English: I am tired.
Nepali: हामी ढिलो भएका थियौं।
Romanized: Hami dhilo bhayeka thiyaun.
English: We were late.
Create 5 of your own sentences using linking verbs to describe people, things, and situations. Mix state-of-being verbs (छ, हो, थियो) with sensory verbs (लाग्नु, गन्धाउनु, देखिन्छ). Record yourself speaking them for pronunciation practice!
Master linking verbs to accurately describe states, conditions, and identities in Nepali communication!
Linking verbs don’t describe actions—they connect a subject to a description. They establish relationships between who/what something is and its characteristics or identity.
Include state-of-being verbs (छ, हो, थियो), sensory verbs (गन्धाउनु, लाग्नु, देखिन्छ), and verbs of change (बन्नु, भई). Each serves a specific descriptive purpose.
Use linking verbs constantly to describe people’s professions, emotions, physical states, and sensory experiences in natural, fluent Nepali conversation.
छ / हो (cha/ho): is – ऊ शिक्षक हो। (He is a teacher.)
थियो (thiyo): was – ऊ खुसी थियो। (He was happy.)
छन् (chhan): are – उनीहरू साथी छन्। (They are friends.)
गन्धाउनु (gandhaunu): smell – केकको गन्ध मीठो छ। (The cake smells sweet.)
लाग्नु (lagnu): feel – मलाई चिसो लागेको छ। (I feel cold.)
देखिन्छ (dekhinchha): look/appear – सजिलो जस्तो देखिन्छ। (It looks easy.)
बन्नु (bannu): become – ऊ डाक्टर बन्न चाहन्छ। (She wants to become a doctor.)
भई (bhai): became – ऊ डाक्टर भई। (He became a doctor.)
Wrong: ऊ शिक्षिका गर्छ। (She does/makes a teacher – doesn’t make sense)
Correct: ऊ शिक्षिका हो। (She is a teacher.)
Wrong: ऊ हो। (She is. – incomplete)
Correct: ऊ शिक्षिका हो। (She is a teacher. – complete)
Wrong: मलाई चिसो लाग्छु। (Mixing forms incorrectly)
Correct: मलाई चिसो लागेको छ। (I feel cold.)
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.
