Namaste and welcome to Learn Nepali! Today, we are going to learn how to conjugate a very important verb — “to do” (गर्नु / garnu). This is one of the most essential verbs in Nepali, used in countless daily situations. We will explore how this verb changes in continuous tenses: Present Continuous, Past Continuous, and Future Continuous. By the end, you’ll confidently say “I am doing,” “He was doing,” and “They will be doing” in proper Nepali!
The Present Continuous Tense describes an action currently happening at the moment of speaking or a temporary ongoing action.
Structure: Subject + गर्दै (gardai) + छु/छ/छौ/छन्/हुनुहुन्छ
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I am doing | Ma gardai chu | म गर्दै छु। |
| You are doing (informal) | Timi gardai chau | तिमी गर्दै छौ। |
| You are doing (formal) | Tapai gardai hunuhuncha | तपाईं गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ। |
| He is doing (informal) | Uh gardai cha | ऊ गर्दै छ। |
| She is doing (informal) | Uni gardai chin | उनी गर्दै छिन्। |
| He/She is doing (formal) | Uha gardai hunuhuncha | उहाँ गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ। |
| We are doing | Hami gardai chau | हामी गर्दै छौं। |
| They are doing | Uniharu gardai chan | उनीहरू गर्दै छन्। |
Note: The verb changes slightly based on who the subject is — whether it’s I, he/she, or we.
The Past Continuous Tense describes actions that were happening in the past — not finished yet at that time. In Nepali, we use गर्दै plus the past form of the verb “to be”.
Structure: Subject + गर्दै (gardai) + थिएँ/थियो/थिए/हुनुहुन्थ्यो
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I was doing | Ma gardai thiye | म गर्दै थिएँ। |
| You were doing (informal) | Timi gardai thiyou | तिमी गर्दै थियौ। |
| You were doing (formal) | Tapai gardai hunuhunthiyo | तपाईं गर्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। |
| He was doing (informal) | Uh gardai thiyo | ऊ गर्दै थियो। |
| She was doing (informal) | Uni gardai thin | उनी गर्दै थिइन्। |
| He/She was doing (formal) | Uha gardai hunuhunthiyo | उहाँ गर्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। |
| We were doing | Hami gardai thiyou | हामी गर्दै थियौं। |
| They were doing | Uniharu gardai thiye | उनीहरू गर्दै थिए। |
The Future Continuous Tense tells us about actions that will be happening in the future. In Nepali, we use गर्दै plus the future form of the verb “to be”.
Structure: Subject + गर्दै (gardai) + हुनेछु/हुनेछ/हुनेछन्/हुनुहुनेछ
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I will be doing | Ma gardai hunechu | म गर्दै हुनेछु। |
| You will be doing (informal) | Timi gardai hunechau | तिमी गर्दै हुनेछौ। |
| You will be doing (formal) | Tapai gardai hunuhunecha | तपाईं गर्दै हुनुहुनेछ। |
| He will be doing (informal) | Uh gardai hunecha | ऊ गर्दै हुनेछ। |
| She will be doing (informal) | Uni gardai hunechin | उनी गर्दै हुनेछिन्। |
| He/She will be doing (formal) | Uha gardai hunuhunecha | उहाँ गर्दै हुनुहुनेछ। |
| We will be doing | Hami gardai hunechau | हामी गर्दै हुनेछौं। |
| They will be doing | Uniharu gardai hunechan | उनीहरू गर्दै हुनेछन्। |
The verb गर्नु (to do) is one of the most essential verbs in Nepali. By mastering its continuous forms, you’ve learned a pattern that applies to countless other verbs. Remember: the verbal stem गर्दै stays constant, and only the auxiliary verb changes. Practice using this verb in daily conversations to build confidence and fluency.
Present: गर्दै + छु/छ/छन्/हुनुहुन्छ (happening now)
Past: गर्दै + थिएँ/थियो/थिए/हुनुहुन्थ्यो (was happening)
Future: गर्दै + हुनेछु/हुनेछ/हुनेछन्/हुनुहुनेछ (will be happening)
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