In Nepali, the habitual past tense describes actions or states that were regularly or habitually performed in the past. It corresponds to the English “used to” or “would” when referring to past habits.
The habitual past tense in Nepali is typically formed by combining the root of the verb with specific suffixes based on the subject’s gender and number, along with the auxiliary verb थियो (thiyo) for singular or थिए (thie) for plural.
Structure of Habitual Past Tense:
Verb root + suffix + थियो/थिए
- For singular masculine subjects: -थ्यो
- For singular feminine subjects: -थी
- For plural subjects (both genders): -थे
To form a conjugation:
The suffixes are added to the primary base.
Conjugation table
| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Ma | primary base+ the Khan+the | Primary base+dinathe Khan+dinathe |
| Tapai | Verb+hunthyo Khanu+hunthyo | verb+hunnathyo Khanu+hunnathyo |
| Uha | Verb+hunthyo Khanu+hunthyo | verb+hunnathyo Khanu+hunnathyo |
| Hami | Primary base+thyou Khan+thyou | Primary base +dainthyou Khan+dainathyou |
| Timi/Timiharu | Primary base+thyou Khan+thyou | Primary base +dainathyou Khan+dainathyou |
| Uh/Yo/Tyo | Primary base+thyo Khan+thyo | Primary base + dainathyo Khan+dainathyo |
| Uhniharu | Primary base + the Khan+the | Primary base+dainathe Khan+dainathe |
Examples:
- Masculine Singular:
- खेल्थ्यो (khelthyo)
- Translation: “He used to play.”
- ऊ बेलुका किताब पढ्थ्यो।
- Translation: “He used to read books in the evening.”
- खेल्थ्यो (khelthyo)
- Feminine Singular:
- खेल्थी (khelthi)
- Translation: “She used to play.”
- ऊ बिहान चिया पिउथी।
- Translation: “She used to drink tea in the morning.”
- खेल्थी (khelthi)
- Plural (Masculine or Feminine):
- खेल्थे (khelthe)
- Translation: “They used to play.”
- उनीहरू गीत गाउँथे।
- Translation: “They used to sing songs.”
- खेल्थे (khelthe)
- Formal or Respectful Singular/Plural:
- खेल्नुहुन्थ्यो (khelnuhunthyo)
- Translation: “You (formal) used to play.”
- तपाईं मन्दिर जानुहुन्थ्यो।
- Translation: “You used to go to the temple.”
- खेल्नुहुन्थ्यो (khelnuhunthyo)
Notes:
- The suffix depends on the subject’s gender and number, so it is essential to match the verb ending accordingly.
- थियो/थी/थिए are used as auxiliary verbs to indicate the past.
- Habitual past tense is often used to narrate routines, customs, or repeated events in the past.
