In this lesson, you’ll learn how tenses work in Nepali and how to express actions happening now, in the past, and in the future. Understanding tense patterns is essential for forming sentences accurately and speaking with confidence in everyday conversations.
Every language uses time words to describe when actions happen. In English, we say “yesterday,” “today,” and “tomorrow.” In Nepali, verbs change their form based on the time of the action. These changes signal to the listener exactly when something occurs.
Ma garchhu. → I do. (Present)
Maile gare. → I did. (Past)
Ma garnechhu. → I will do. (Future)
The present tense in Nepali expresses three different situations: daily habits and routines, actions happening right now, and actions that started in the past and continue today.
We use the present tense to talk about daily life or habits. Time words like roj, prati din, hamesha, and aksar (always, every day, often) go with present tense.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I study Nepali every day. | Ma prati din Nepali padhchhu. | म प्रत्येक दिन नेपाली पढ्छु। |
| He always drinks milk. | Uha sadhai bihana dudh khanuhunchha | उहाँ सधैँ दूध खानुहुन्छ। |
When something is happening right now, we use Present Continuous Tense. Time words like ahile, aile samaya ma, and yo bela help show that an action is in progress.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I am studying now. | Ma ahile paddai chhu | म अहिले पढ्दै छु। |
| He/She is speaking. | Uha boldai hunuhunchha | उहाँ बोल्दै हुनुहुन्छ। |
For actions that started before and continue now, or for experiences, we use Present Perfect Tense. Time words like ahile samma, dekhi, and pahila dekhi are commonly used.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I have been learning Nepali for two years. | Ma dui barsha dekhi Nepali sikdai aayeko chhu. | म दुई वर्षदेखि नेपाली सिक्दै आएको छु। |
| He/She has already watched. | Uhale pahilai herisaknu vayeko cha | उहाँले पहिल्यै हेरीसक्नुभएको छ। |
Use Past Simple Tense for actions that are completely finished. Time words like hijo (yesterday), pahila (before), and bihana (morning) are used with past tense.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I ate momo yesterday. | Maile hijo momo khae. | मैले हिजो मोमो खाएँ। |
| He used to live there. | Uha pahila basthyo | उहाँ पहिले बस्नु हुँथ्यो। |
When you talk about something that happened before another past action, use Past Perfect Tense. This helps show the sequence of events clearly.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I had studied before exam. | Maile pariksha suru huna agadi padhisakeko thie | मैले परीक्षा सुरु हुनुअघि पढिसकेको थिएँ। |
| I had reached home before he came. | Uha auna agadi ma ghar pugisakeko thie. | उहाँ आउनुअघि म घर पुगिसकेको थिएँ। |
Use Future Simple to talk about plans, hopes, or what will happen. Time words like bholi (tomorrow), pachhi (later), and agami (next/coming) are used.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I will go to market tomorrow. | Ma bholi bazaar janu chhu. | म भोलि बजार जान्छु। |
| He/She will come to Nepal. | Uha nepal aunu huneche | उहाँ नेपाल आउनुहुनेछ। |
Use Future Continuous to talk about actions happening at a certain future time. Time words like bholi yo samaya and aaune hapta signal ongoing future actions.
| English | Romanized Nepali | Nepali |
| I will be teaching tomorrow. | Bholi yes samayama ma kakchya liraheko hunechu | भोलि यस समयमा म कक्षा लिइरहेको हुनेछु। |
| They will be travelling. | Uniharu arko hafta yatra gariraheka huncehan | उनीहरू अर्को हप्ता यात्रा गरिरहेका हुनेछन्। |
Mastering Nepali tenses allows you to express ideas with clarity and precision. Each tense type has its specific use, and understanding when to use them makes your speaking sound more natural and authentic.
Shows habits, ongoing actions, and experiences that continue to now.
Describes completed actions and shows the sequence of past events.
Expresses plans, predictions, and actions that will happen later.
Always pair tenses with appropriate time markers for clarity.
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