In this lesson, we’ll teach you how to conjugate the verb “to sleep” (सुत्नु) in different continuous tenses in Nepali. Though an irregular verb, learning its forms is essential for everyday conversations and grammar practice. The continuous tense is used to describe actions that are ongoing — something that is happening right now, was happening, or will be happening.
To form the continuous tense in Nepali with “to sleep” (सुत्नु), follow these two simple steps. This pattern forms the continuous base that is used across all three tenses.
| Step | Action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Remove the suffix -nu from the verb infinitive | सुत्नु (sutnu) → सुत (sut) |
| Step 2 | Add दै (dai) to the verb root to form the continuous base | सुत (sut) + दै → सुत्दै (sutdai) |
Once you have the continuous form (सुत्दै), you add different conjugative suffixes depending on the tense (present, past, or future) and the subject pronoun.
Structure: Subject + सुत्दै (sutdai) + छु/छे/छ/छौँ/छौ/छन् (chu/che/cha/chau/chau/chan)
The present continuous tense describes actions that are happening right now. Each subject pronoun has a different conjugative suffix to match the person and number.
| English | Romanized | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I am sleeping. | Ma sutdai chu | म सुत्दै छु। |
| You (informal) are sleeping. | Timi sutdai chau | तिमी सुत्दै छौ। |
| You (formal) are sleeping. | Tapai sutdai hunuhuncha | तपाईं सुत्दै हुनुहुन्छ। |
| He is sleeping. (informal) | Uh sutdai cha | ऊ सुत्दै छ। |
| She is sleeping. (informal) | Uni sutdai chin | उनी सुत्दै छिन्। |
| He/She is sleeping. (formal) | Uha sutdai hunuhuncha | उहाँ सुत्दै हुनुहुन्छ। |
| We are sleeping. | Hami sutdai chau | हामी सुत्दै छौं। |
| They are sleeping. | Uniharu sutdai chan | उनीहरू सुत्दै छन्। |
Structure: Subject + सुत्दै (sutdai) + थियो/थिए/etc. (thiyo/thiye/etc.)
The past continuous tense describes actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. The suffix changes to match the subject pronoun while using the past tense marker.
| English | Romanized | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I was sleeping. | Ma sutdai thiye | म सुत्दै थिएँ। |
| You (informal) were sleeping. | Timi sutdai thiyou | तिमी सुत्दै थियौ। |
| You (formal) were sleeping. | Tapai sutdai hunuthiyo | तपाईं सुत्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। |
| He was sleeping. (informal) | Uh sutdai thiyo | ऊ सुत्दै थियो। |
| She was sleeping. (informal) | Uni sutdai thien | उनी सुत्दै थिइन्। |
| He/She was sleeping. (formal) | Uha sutdai hunuthiyo | उहाँ सुत्दै हुनुहुन्थ्यो। |
| We were sleeping. | Hami sutdai thiyou | हामी सुत्दै थियौं। |
| They were sleeping. | Uniharu sutdai thiye | उनीहरू सुत्दै थिए। |
Structure: Subject + सुत्दै (sutdai) + हुनेछ/हुनेछन्/etc. (hunecha/hunechan/etc.)
The future continuous tense describes actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future. The future marker हुनेछ is added with the appropriate conjugation for each subject.
| English | Romanized | Nepali Script |
|---|---|---|
| I will be sleeping. | Ma sutdai hunechu | म सुत्दै हुनेछु। |
| You (informal) will be sleeping. | Timi sutdai hunechau | तिमी सुत्दै हुनेछौ। |
| You (formal) will be sleeping. | Tapai sutdai hunu hunecha | तपाईं सुत्दै हुनुहुनेछ। |
| He will be sleeping. (informal) | Uh sutdai hunecha | ऊ सुत्दै हुनेछ। |
| She will be sleeping. (informal) | Uni sutdai hunechin | उनी सुत्दै हुनेछिन्। |
| He/She will be sleeping. (formal) | Uha sutdai hunu hunecha | उहाँ सुत्दै हुनुहुनेछ। |
| We will be sleeping. | Hami sutdai hunechau | हामी सुत्दै हुनेछौं। |
| They will be sleeping. | Uniharu sutdai hunechan | उनीहरू सुत्दै हुनेछन्। |
Understanding subject pronouns is essential for conjugating verbs correctly. Here’s a quick reference guide for all the important pronouns used in the continuous tense forms above.
I — Ma
You (informal) — Timi
You (formal) — Tapai
He (informal) — Uh
She (informal) — Uni
He/She (formal) — Uha
We — Hami
They — Uniharu
By mastering the conjugation of “to sleep” (सुत्नु) in all continuous tenses, you’ve learned an important irregular verb pattern that frequently appears in Nepali conversation. The consistent structure of forming the continuous base (सुत्दै) and then adding the appropriate conjugative suffix for tense and subject makes it straightforward to describe sleeping and other ongoing actions in Nepali with confidence. This skill strengthens your foundation for fluent, natural-sounding Nepali speech across different time periods.
Though “to sleep” is irregular, its continuous tense formation follows a predictable pattern that can be applied to many other Nepali verbs.
Present, past, and future continuous tenses follow the same structure but use different conjugative suffixes to indicate the time period.
Mastering this verb helps you describe everyday activities and express yourself naturally in common conversation contexts.
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