Welcome to our lesson on the continuous tense conjugation of the verb “to have” in Nepali! In Nepali, the verb “to have” is commonly expressed through context-specific verbs depending on what you’re having. Understanding how to say sentences like “I am having lunch,” “They were having a meeting,” or “You will be having tea” is essential for natural and fluent communication. Whether you’re a beginner or building on your Nepali skills, this lesson will strengthen your ability to speak about ongoing actions.
Unlike English, Nepali doesn’t have a direct verb exactly like “to have.” Instead, it uses specific action verbs depending on context. For example, “to have food” uses खाना खान (khana khana – to eat food), “to have tea” uses चिया पीन (chiya piin – to drink tea), and “to have a meeting” uses बैठक गर्न (baithak garn – to conduct a meeting). This lesson focuses on these context-specific expressions in continuous tense forms.
Basic Continuous Tense Structure:
Subject + verb root + दै (dai) + conjugative suffix (छु/छे/छ/थियो/थिए/हुनेछ/etc.)
Structure: Subject + verb root + दै (dai) + छु/छे/छ/छौँ/छौ/छन् (chu/che/cha/chau/chau/chan)
The present continuous tense describes actions that are happening right now. The example below shows “I am having lunch” with different subject pronouns.
| English | Romanized | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I am having lunch. | Ma khana khadai chu | म खाना खाँदै छु। |
| You (informal) are having lunch. | Timi khana khadai chau | तिमी खाना खाँदै छौ। |
| You (formal) are having lunch. | Tapai khana khadai hunuhuncha | तपाईं खाना खाँदै हुनुहुन्छ। |
| He is having lunch. (informal) | Uh khana khadai cha | ऊ खाना खाँदै छ। |
| She is having lunch. (informal) | Uni khana khadai chin | उनी खाना खाँदै छिन्। |
| He/She is having lunch. (formal) | Uha khana khadai hunuhuncha | उहाँ खाना खाँदै हुनुहुन्छ। |
| We are having lunch. | Hami khana khadai chau | हामी खाना खाँदै छौं। |
| They are having lunch. | Uniharu khana khadai chan | उनीहरू खाना खाँदै छन्। |
Structure: Subject + verb root + दै (dai) + थियो/थिए/etc. (thiyo/thiye/etc.)
The past continuous tense describes actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. The example below shows “I was having a meeting” with different subject pronouns.
| English | Romanized | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I was having a meeting. | Ma baithak gardai thiye | म बैठक गर्दै थिएँ। |
| You (informal) were having a meeting. | Timi baithak gardai thiyou | तिमी बैठक गर्दै थियौ। |
| You (formal) were having a meeting. | Tapai baithak gardai hunuhunthiyo | तपाईं बैठक गर्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। |
| He was having a meeting. (informal) | Uh baithak gardai thiyo | ऊ बैठक गर्दै थियो। |
| She was having a meeting. (informal) | Uni baithak gardai thiin | उनी बैठक गर्दै थिइन्। |
| He/She was having a meeting. (formal) | Uha baithak gardai hunuhunthiyo | उहाँ बैठक गर्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। |
| We were having a meeting. | Hami baithak gardai thiyou | हामी बैठक गर्दै थियौं। |
| They were having a meeting. | Uniharu baithak gardai thiye | उनीहरू बैठक गर्दै थिए। |
Structure: Subject + verb root + दै (dai) + हुनेछ/हुनेछन्/etc. (hunecha/hunechan/etc.)
The future continuous tense describes actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future. The example below shows “I will be having lunch” with different subject pronouns.
| English | Romanized | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I will be having lunch. | Ma khana khadai hunechu | म खाना खाँदै हुनेछु। |
| You (informal) will be having lunch. | Timi khana khadai hunechau | तिमी खाना खाँदै हुनेछौ। |
| You (formal) will be having lunch. | Tapai khana khadai hunuhunecha | तपाईं खाना खाँदै हुनुहुनेछ। |
| He will be having lunch. (informal) | Uh khana khadai hunecha | ऊ खाना खाँदै हुनेछ। |
| She will be having lunch. (informal) | Uni khana khadai hunechin | उनी खाना खाँदै हुनेछिन्। |
| He/She will be having lunch. (formal) | Uha khana khadai hunuhunecha | उहाँ खाना खाँदै हुनुहुनेछ। |
| We will be having lunch. | Hami khana khadai hunechau | हामी खाना खाँदै हुनेछौं। |
| They will be having lunch. | Uniharu khana khadai hunechan | उनीहरू खाना खाँदै हुनेछन्। |
Here are common verbs used to express “having” different things in Nepali. Use these verb roots with the continuous tense structure you’ve learned above.
Having food / Eating food
Having tea / Drinking tea
Having coffee / Drinking coffee
Having a meeting / Conducting a meeting
Having an interview / Conducting an interview
| Tense | English | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| Present | She is having tea. | उनी चिया पिइरहेकी छिन्। |
| Past | He was having coffee. | ऊ कफी पिइरहेको थियो। |
| Future | They will be having dinner. | उनीहरू रातीको खाना खाँदै हुनेछन्। |
You’ve now mastered how to express “to have” in Nepali continuous tenses! Remember that Nepali uses context-specific verbs rather than a single “have” verb. By combining the continuous tense structure (verb root + दै + conjugative suffix) with verbs like खान (to eat), पीन (to drink), and गर्न (to do/conduct), you can express having anything in present, past, or future tenses. Practice these patterns with different verbs, and you’ll find yourself naturally expressing ongoing actions in Nepali!
Nepali doesn’t have a direct “have” verb—instead it uses specific action verbs based on what’s being “had.”
All continuous tenses follow the same formation pattern with only the conjugative suffix changing for tense.
Mastering these forms allows you to speak naturally about ongoing activities and everyday experiences.
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