The verb गर्नु (garnu) meaning “to do” is one of the most versatile and commonly used verbs in Nepali. It conjugates according to pronoun, tense, and level of formality or respect. This comprehensive guide shows the verb form changes and complete sentence structures for different tenses, helping you express a wide range of actions and activities in Nepali conversations.
The present tense describes current or habitual actions. Note the complete sentence structure with object (काम/work) and verb conjugation.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Sentence | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| म (I) | गर्छु | म काम गर्छु। | Ma kaam garchu. |
| तिमी (You – informal) | गर्छौ | तिमी काम गर्छौ। | Timi kaam garchau. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | गर्नुहुन्छ | तपाईं काम गर्नुहुन्छ। | Tapai kaam garnuhunchha. |
| ऊ (He/She) | गर्छ | ऊ काम गर्छ। | U kaam garcha. |
| उनी (They – singular) | गर्छिन् | उनी काम गर्छिन्। | Uni kaam garchhin. |
| हामी (We) | गर्छौं | हामी काम गर्छौं। | Hami kaam garchhaun. |
| उनीहरू (They – plural) | गर्छन् | उनीहरू काम गर्छन्। | Uniharu kaam garchhan. |
The past tense describes completed actions. Note the agent marker (ले) used with first and second person subjects.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Sentence | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| म (I) | गरे | मैले काम गरे। | Maile kaam gare. |
| तिमी (You – informal) | गर्यौ | तिमीले काम गर्यौ। | Timile kaam garyau. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | गर्नुभयो | तपाईंले काम गर्नुभयो। | Tapaile kaam garnubhayo. |
| ऊ (He/She) | गर्यो | उसले काम गर्यो। | Usle kaam garyo. |
| उनी (They – singular) | गरिन् | उनीले काम गरिन्। | Unile kaam garin. |
| हामी (We) | गर्यौं | हामीले काम गर्यौं। | Hamile kaam garyaun. |
| उनीहरू (They – plural) | गरे | उनीहरूले काम गरे। | Uniharule kaam gare. |
The future tense describes actions that will happen. It uses the suffix -नेछ for informal and -नुहुनेछ for formal forms.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Sentence | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| म (I) | गर्नेछु | म काम गर्नेछु। | Ma kaam garnechu. |
| तिमी (You – informal) | गर्नेछौ | तिमी काम गर्नेछौ। | Timi kaam garnechau. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | गर्नुहुनेछ | तपाईं काम गर्नुहुनेछ। | Tapai kaam garnuhunechha. |
| ऊ (He/She) | गर्नेछ | ऊ काम गर्नेछ। | U kaam garnechha. |
| उनी (They – singular) | गर्नेछिन् | उनी काम गर्नेछिन्। | Uni kaam garnechhin. |
| हामी (We) | गर्नेछौं | हामी काम गर्नेछौं। | Hami kaam garnechaun. |
| उनीहरू (They – plural) | गर्नेछन् | उनीहरू काम गर्नेछन्। | Uniharu kaam garnechan. |
The imperative mood is used to give commands or make requests. It only applies to second person (तिमी/तपाईं) and changes based on formality level.
| Pronoun (Addressed) | Conjugation | Sentence | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| तिमी (You – informal) | गर | तिमी काम गर। | Timi kaam gar. |
| तपाईं (You – formal) | गर्नुहोस् | तपाईं काम गर्नुहोस्। | Tapai kaam garnuhos. |
Root Verb: गर्नु (garnu) = “to do”
Pronoun-Based Variation: The verb changes based on seven pronouns: म, तिमी, तपाईं, ऊ, उनी, हामी, उनीहरू
Object Flexibility: काम (work) is used in examples. You can replace it with any action: खेल (play), पढ (read), हिँड (walk), खा (eat), सुन (listen), बोल (speak), आ (come), गै (go), etc.
Sentence Examples with Different Objects:
म खेल खेल्छु। (I play games.)
तिमी पढ पढ्छौ। (You read.)
उनीहरू गान गर्छन्। (They sing.)
हामी घर जान्छौँ। (We go home.)
By mastering गर्नु (to do), you’ve learned one of Nepali’s most versatile and essential verbs. The conjugation patterns demonstrated here apply to many other Nepali verbs, making this knowledge foundational for expressing actions across all tenses and politeness levels.
The verb गर्नु changes form based on the seven pronouns. Each pronoun has distinct conjugations across tenses, showing the sophisticated agreement system in Nepali grammar.
Present (-छु/-छ), Past (-े/-यो/-ए), and Future (-नेछु/-नुहुनेछ) follow predictable patterns, making the verb systematic and learnable across different tenses.
Formal forms (तपाईं, उनी) use -नुहुन्छ endings, while informal forms (तिमी, ऊ) use simpler suffixes. Always choose appropriate forms based on your relationship with the listener.
Create sentences using different objects and pronouns: “म किताब गर्छु” doesn’t work, but “म पढ गर्छु” (I read) does. Create meaningful sentences like “तिमी के गर्छौ?” (What do you do?), “उनीहरू काम गर्छन्” (They work), “हामी खेल गर्नेछौं” (We will play). Practice the imperative: “तपाईं काम गर्नुहोस्!” (Please do the work!). Understand that गर्नु is very versatile—in many contexts, rather than a specific verb, Nepali uses गर्नु + a noun for the action. Compare these patterns with other verbs you’ve learned (दिनु, लिनु, सिक्नु, बुझ्नु) to recognize the consistent conjugation system in Nepali.
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