This lesson presents real Nepali language used in everyday life in a simple, natural, and practical way. You will learn commonly used Nepali sentences and conversations that people actually speak in real-life situations — covering daily scenarios such as at home, in the market, while travelling, at school, in offices, shops, and meetings.
The focus is on natural pronunciation, useful vocabulary, and real expressions — not textbook language. Whether you are a beginner or an intermediate learner, this lesson will help you use Nepali more naturally in daily life.
Study the vocabulary below. Focus on recognising both the romanised pronunciation and the Devanagari script. Try saying each word aloud before moving on to the sentences.
| English | Romanized Nepali | नेपाली |
| Hello / Greeting | Namaste | नमस्ते |
| Please | Kripaya | कृपया |
| Give | Dinuhos | दिनुहोस् |
| Have / Available | Paunchha | पाउँछ |
| One | Ek | एक |
| Cup | Cup | कप |
| Milk | Dudh | दूध |
| Tea | Chiya | चिया |
| Want | Chahanchhu | चाहन्छु |
| Come | Aeko | आएको |
| Ticket | Ticket | टिकट |
| Since | Dekhi | देखि |
| Pain | Dukh | दुख |
| Also | Pani | पनि |
| Name | Naam | नाम |
| A little | Ali | अलि |
| Big / Bigger | Thulo | ठूलो |
| Size | Size | साइज |
| Show | Dekhaunus | देखाउनुस् |
| Time | Samaya | समय |
| Today | Aaja | आज |
| Tomorrow | Bholi | भोलि |
| Go | Jana | जान |
| Take | Laijaanu | लैजानु |
| Menu | Menu | मेनु |
| Recommendation | Sifaris | सिफारिस |
| Food | Khana | खाना |
Read each sentence aloud in romanised Nepali, then in Devanagari script. Notice how the sentence structure differs from English. Practice until you can say each one naturally.
| English | Romanized Nepali | नेपाली |
| Please give me a cup of milk tea. | Ek cup dudh chiya dinuhos. | एक कप दूध चिया दिनुहोस्। |
| Do you have milk tea? | Dudh chiya paunchha? | दूध चिया पाउँछ? |
| I have come to check in for my flight. | Ma flight check-in garna aeko hu. | म फ्लाइट चेक-इन गर्न आएको हुँ। |
| This is my ticket. | Yo mero ticket ho. | यो मेरो टिकट हो। |
| I have had a headache for two days. | Malai dui din dekhi tauko dukhirako chha. | मलाई दुई दिनदेखि टाउको दुखिरहेको छ। |
| My throat also hurts. | Ghati pani dukchha. | घाँटी पनि दुख्छ। |
| Hello, my name is Alex. | Namaste, mero naam Alex ho. | नमस्ते, मेरो नाम Alex हो। |
| What is your name? | Tapai ko naam ke ho? | तपाईंको नाम के हो? |
| How did you come here? | Tapai yaha kasari aunubho? | तपाईं यहाँ कसरी आउनुभयो? |
| Do you have a slightly bigger size? | Yo bhanda ali thulo size chha? | यो भन्दा अलि ठूलो साइज छ? |
| Please show me another size. | Arko size dekhaunus. | अर्को साइज देखाउनुस्। |
| Can I make an appointment? | Appointment lina milchha? | अपोइन्टमेन्ट लिन मिल्छ? |
| Do you have time today or tomorrow? | Aaja wa bholi samaya chha? | आज वा भोलि समय छ? |
| I want to go to this hotel. | Ma yo hotel jana chahanchhu. | म यो होटल जान चाहन्छु। |
| Please take me here. | Yaha laijaanuhos. | यहाँ लैजानुहोस्। |
| Please give me the menu. | Kripaya malai menu dinuhos. | कृपया मलाई मेनु दिनुहोस्। |
| I would like one potato paratha and one dal bhat. | Ma eutaa aloo paratha ra eutaa dal bhat khana chahanchhu. | म एउटा आलु पराठा र एउटा दाल भात खान चाहन्छु। |
| What do you recommend? | Tapai ko sifaris ke ho? | तपाईंको सिफारिस के हो? |
These grammar patterns appear throughout the sentences above. Understanding them will help you build your own sentences. Study each pattern and identify it in the sentences you have already practiced.
| English | Romanized | नेपाली |
| Polite request | Dinuhos | दिनुहोस् |
| Asking availability | Paunchha? | पाउँछ? |
| Expressing want | Chahanchhu | चाहन्छु |
| Present continuous (ongoing) | Dukhirako chha | दुखिरहेको छ |
| Asking a question (what) | Ke ho? | के हो? |
| Comparison (a little more) | Ali | अलि |
| Since (time reference) | Dekhi | देखि |
| Polite suggestion / acceptance | Huncha | हुन्छ |
Which sentence pattern do you find most useful for daily life? Try writing one original sentence using that pattern.
Notice that Nepali places the verb at the end of the sentence. How does this differ from English sentence structure?
Practice the restaurant dialogue from Activity 2 with a partner. Then try substituting a different food item — how would you order aloo paratha instead of dal bhat?
Four principles to carry into your Nepali language practice.
|
Principle 01
Real Language, Real Contexts
Everyday Nepali differs from textbook Nepali. Immersing yourself in real conversations builds natural fluency faster than studying grammar rules in isolation. |
|
Principle 02
Polite Forms Matter
Nepali culture places high value on respectful address. Learning polite verb endings like -nuhos and huncha helps you communicate warmly and appropriately. |
|
Principle 03
Script and Sound Together
Devanagari script is phonetic — once you learn the alphabet, you can pronounce any word you see. Practising romanised and script together accelerates reading comprehension. |
|
Principle 04
Verb-Final Structure
Nepali typically follows a Subject–Object–Verb order. Internalising this pattern early prevents common English-influenced word-order errors in your speaking. |
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.
