Difference between revisions of "Nepali phrasebook"

Revision as of 18:03, 25 February 2009

Nepali is the official language of Nepal. It's related to Hindi, Punjabi, and other Indo-Aryan languages, and is normally written with the Devanagari script (as is Hindi). While most Nepalese people speak at least some Nepali, it is not the mother tongue of a large percentage of the population. An example of other languages spoken in Nepal are Tharu around Chitwan, Newari in the Kathmandu Valley, and Sharwa (Sherpa) in the Everest area.

Educated Nepalis can often speak English, because of the proximity of India, even though Nepal was never a British colony. Learning even a few words of Nepali can be fun and very useful, especially outside of the tourist district and while trekking.

There are lots words of borrowed from other languages, especially English, so most of the Nepali people understand these words rather then its literal meaning in Nepali e.g. coat, TV, breakfast,basket etc.

Pronunciation

h A superscript "h" indicates that the proceeding consonant is aspirated. "Aspiration" just means that the sound involves a more forceful breath. At first it will sound like everyone around you is always on the verge of laughing -- "c -ha!- t" "d -ha!- og!" For now it's just important to remember that "th" is not the "th" sound in "that" -- there is no "thuuu" sound in Nepali.

n A superscript "n" indicates that the proceeding vowel is nasal. To the English-speaking ear (don't try to visualize that too hard) nasalized vowels just sound like they are followed by a "n." Listen to yourself say words like "injury," "animal," and "young."

! The trickiest sound for non-natives are the "retroflex" consonants. Usually they are represented by a dot under the letter or by bold text, but I find that too easy to overlook so I'm using an exclamation mark. The retroflex consonants are what make an "Indian accent" sound "Indian." Think of Apu the Kwik E Mart owner, from the Simpsons, then:

1. Find your tongue
2. Find the inside of your mouth
3. Use your tongue to poke at the roof of your mouth
4. Notice there's a kind of ridge behind your top teeth
5. Curl your tongue so that the bottom of the tip is touching this ridge
6. Look in a mirror
7. Do you see the gross bottom of your tongue? Good!
8. Now say "Doh!" like Homer
9. Now find someone you know who can make the sound and have them show you

All the Nepali words you'll see here are written in "Roman Transliteration" -- which just means using the Roman alphabet to try and represent sounds in the Nepali alphabet (which isn't really an "alphabet" per se, but that's another conversation).

In English we use a combination of letters to represent different sounds, so the "a" in "father" is different from the "a" in "made" or "bat". In the transliteration of Nepali, one letter pretty much equals one sound. There are no silent "q"s or "k"s or "e"s. K-n-i-e-f is "K-nief," m-a-d-e is "ma-de," etc.

Consonants, with the exception of the aspirated and retroflex variety are pretty much what you'd expect.

Vowels

a 

like 'a' in "apple",

aa 

like 'a' in "made", but longer

e 

'e' in "bed"

i 

like the 'y' in "Johnney"

o 

like 'o' in "top"

u 

like 'oo' in "coop"

Consonants

b 

like 'b' in "bed"

bh 

like 'b' in "bed," but with an extra puff of air, like "Bhuh-ed"

ch 

like 'ch' in "chat"

d 

like 'd' in "dog"

dh 

like 'd' in "dog" but with an extra puff of air, like "Dhuh-og"

f 

like 'f' in "frog"

g 

like 'g' in "go"

gh 

like 'g' in "go" but with an extra puff of air "gh

h 

like 'h' in "help" (often silent in the UK and other Commonwealth countries)

j 

like 'dg' in "edge"

k 

like 'c' in "cat"

l 

like 'l' in "love"

m 

like 'm' in "mother"

n 

like 'n' in "nice"

p 

like 'p' in "pig"

q 

like 'q' in "quest" (with "u", almost always)

r 

like 'r' in "row", like 'r' in "feather" (often silent in the UK and other Commonwealth countries at end of word)

s 

like 'ss' in "hiss"

t 

like 't' in "top"

v 

at the beginning of a word, somewhere between the "v" in "vice" and "w" in "wives." In the middle of a word somewhere between the "v" in "vice" and the "b" in "bike." Spelling-wise, these are interchangable ("Shiva-Shiba" "Vishnu"-"Wishnu"). Err on the side of a "v" sound.

Phrase list

Basics

Hello. 

Namaste. (Nah-MAH-stay)

Hello. (formal) 

Namaskar. (Nah-MAH-skar)

How are you? 

Sanchai cha? (San-chai-CHA?) or Kustho cha? (Kus-tho CHA?)

Fine, thank you. 

Sanchai cha,Dhanyabaad. (San-chai-CHA) or Ramro cha. (Ram-row CHA)

What is your name? 

Hajur ko naam ke ho? (ha-jur ko na-m k ho?) or Tapai ko naam ke ho? (ta-pai ko na-m kay-ho?)

My name is ______ . 

Meero naam ______ ho. (MAY-ro na-m _____ ho.)

Please. 

indicated by using the polite form

Thank you. 

dhanyabaad (DHAN-naii-bat)

Yes. 

Hajur. (HA-jur) or Ho. (HO)

No. 

Chaina. (Chai-NA) or Haina. (Hai-Na)

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

Excuse me.

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

maaf garnus. (MA-af-GAR-nus)

I'm sorry. 

ma maafi chahanchu.

Goodbye 

Namaskaar

Goodbye (informal) 

Namaste

Bye Bye 

Ta-ta

I only speak a little Nepali

ma ali-ali Nepali bolchu . (Ma all-ee all-ee nee-pa-li bowl-chu )

Do you speak English? 

Tapaai Angreji bolnuhunchha? (Ta-Pai- Ang-gri-jee bolnu-hun-cha?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Koi English bolne cha? (Ko-i English bol-ne-cha?)

Good morning. 

Subha Prabhat. (not used; instead use Namaste or Good Morning)

Good evening. 

Good evening. (not used; instead use Namaste or Good Evening)

Good night. 

Subha ratri. (not used; instead use Namaste or Good Night)

I don't understand. 

Maile buhjina. (Mai-le Bu-jhi-na)

Where is the toilet? 

Toilet kata cha? (Toilet ka-ta cha?)

Problems

Leave me alone. 

Malaai eklai chodnus. (Ma-laai ek-laai chod-nus)

Don't touch me! 

Malaai na chunus! (Ma-laai na chu-nus)

I'll call the police. 

Ma police bolau chu. (Ma police bo-lau-n chu)

Police! 

Police! (police)

Stop! Thief! 

Parkha! Chor! (Pak-ra! cho-r!)

I need your help. 

Malaai sahayog chaiyo. (Ma-laai sa-ha-yog chai-yo)

It's an emergency. 

aapat paryo. (Aa-pat par-yo)

I'm lost. 

Ma haraye. (Ma ha-ra-ye)

I lost my bag. 

Mero jhola harayo. (Me-ro jho-la ha-ra-yo)

I lost my wallet. 

Mero wallet harayo. (Me-ro wallet ha-ra-yo)

I'm sick. 

Malaai sancho chaina. (Muh-lay sann-cho cha-ee-nah)

I've been injured. 

Malaai chot lagyo. (Ma-laai cho-t lag-yo)

I need a doctor. 

Malaai doctor chaiyo. (Ma-laai doctor chai-yo)

Can I use your phone? 

K ma hajur ko Phone prayog garna sakchu? (K ma ha-jur ko phone pra-yog gar-na sak-chu?)

Numbers

1 

ek (A-kh)

2 

dui (Du-ee)

3 

tien (Tee-n)

4 

char (Cha-r)

5 

panch (Pa-n-ch)

6 

chha (Cha)

7 

saat (Sa-at)

8 

aath (Aa-th)

9 

nau (Na-u)

10 

das (Daa-ss)

11 

eghara (A-ghaa-ra)

12 

bara (Bha-ra)

13 

teera (Th-e-ra)

14 

chauda (Chau-da)

15 

pandhra (Pan-dra)

16 

sorha (So-rha)

17 

satra (Sat-ra)

18 

athara (Aa-tha-ra)

19 

unais (Un-nai-s)

20 

bis (Bis)

30 

teece (Tee-sh)

40 

chaleece (Cha-lee-sh)

50 

pachaase (Pa-cha-sh)

60 

sathi (Sat-ti)

70 

sattari (Sa-tha-ri)

80 

assi (aa-si)

90 

nabbe (nab-be)

100 

ek saye (A-kh sai-ya)

200 

dwi saye (Du-ee sai-ya)

300 

tin saye (Tee-n sai-ya)

1000 

ek hazar (A-kh Ha-zar)

2000 

dwi hazar (Du-ee Ha-zar)

100,000 

ek lakh (A-kh la-kh)

1,000,000 

dus lakh (Daa-ss la-kh)

number _____ (train, bus, etc.) 

number _____ (...)

half 

aadha (aa-dha)

less 

kaam (cum)

more 

dherai (dhe-raii)

Time

now 

ahile (aa-hee-le)

later 

pachi (paa-chi)

before 

agadi (aa-gha-dee)

morning 

bihana (bee-haa-na)

afternoon 

diuso (di-u-sho)

evening 

beluka (be-lu-kha)

night 

rati (raa-ti)

Clock time

one o'clock AM 

bihana ek baje (...)

two o'clock AM 

bihana dui baje (...)

noon 

madhyantar (...)

one o'clock PM 

diuso ek baje (...)

two o'clock PM 

diuso dui baje (...)

midnight 

madhyaraat (...)

Duration

_____ minute(s) 

_____ minute(s) (...)

_____ hour(s) 

_____ ghanta(haru) (gh-n-ta)

_____ day(s) 

_____ din(haru) (dee-n)

_____ week(s) 

_____ haptaa(haru) (hap-ta)

_____ month(s) 

_____ mahina(haru) (maa-hee-na)

_____ year(s) 

_____ barsa(haru) (ba-r-sha)

Days

today 

aaja (aa-ja)

yesterday 

hijo (hee-jo)

tomorrow 

bholi (bho-lee)

this week 

yo hapta(yo hap-ta)

last week 

asti ko hapta(as-ti ko hap-ta)

next week 

arko hapta(ar-ko hap-ta)

Sunday 

aaitabaar (ai-ta-bar)

Monday 

sombaar (som-bar)

Tuesday 

mangalbaar (man-girl-bar)

Wednesday 

budhabaar (bu-dho-bar)

Thursday 

bihibaar (bee-hee-bar)

Friday 

shukrabaar (shuk-ro-bar)

Saturday 

shanibaar (sa-ni-bar)

Months

The Nepali Calendar, called Bikram Sambat or B.S., is a lunar calendar based on ancient Hindu tradition. It is roughly 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar (the year 2000 AD was equivalent to the years 2056-2057 BS). The beginning of the year usually falls on the 13th or 14th of April. Therefore, the months are not compatible with the Gregorian calendar.

April 

Baisakh (...)

May 

Jestha (...)

June 

Asadh (...)

July 

Shrawan (...)

August 

Bhadra (...)

September 

Ashoj (...)

October 

Kartik (...)

November 

Mangshir (...)

December 

Poush (...)

January 

Magh (...)

February 

Falgun (...)

March 

Chaitra (...)

Writing Time and Date

Give some examples how to write clock times and dates if it differs from Enlish.

Colors

black 

kalo (...)

white 

seto (...)

gray 

kharani (...)

red 

raato (...)

blue 

nilo (...)

yellow 

pahelo (...)

green 

hariyo (...)

orange 

suntala rang (...)

purple 

baijani (...)

brown 

khairo (...)

pink 

gulabi (...)

Transportation

Bus and Train

How much is a ticket to _____? 

Ticket ko kati paisa ho _____? (...)

One ticket to _____, please. 

Euta ticket dinu hos _____? (...)

Where does this train/bus go? 

Yo gadi kahan janchha? (...)

Where is the train/bus to _____? 

Gaadi kahan pauchha _____? (...)

Does this train/bus stop in _____? 

Yo gadi _____ ma rokchha? (...)

When does the train/bus for _____ leave? 

Gadi kun bela janchha _____? (...)

When will this train/bus arrive in _____? 

Kun bela ma puginchha _____? (...)

What time does the last bus leave? 

Last bust kun bela janchha? (...)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ? 

_____ kasari jhaane? (...)

...the train station? 

...the train station? (...)

...the bus station? 

...the bus station? (...)

...the airport? 

...the airport? (...)

...downtown? 

...downtown? (...)

...the youth hostel? 

...the youth hostel? (...)

...the _____ hotel? 

...the _____ hotel? (...)

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? 

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? (...)

Where are there a lot of... 

Where are there a lot of... (...)

...hotels? 

...hotels? (...)

...restaurants? 

...restaurants? (...)

...bars? 

...bars? (...)

...sites to see? 

...sites to see? (...)

Can you show me on the map? 

malaai naksamaa dekhunus? (...)

street 

sadak (...)

Turn left. 

baayaa jaanus. (ba-ya, jaa-noos)

Turn right. 

daya jaanus. (...)

left 

left (baayaa) (bye yaa)

right 

right (dayaa)(die yaa)

straight ahead 

sidha (See-DAH)

towards the _____ 

_____ tira (tei-raw..)

past the _____ 

_____ pachhi (paw-chie)

before the _____ 

_____ aghaaDi (o-gaa-Di)

Watch for the _____. 

_____lai hernus. (lie-hey r-noos)

intersection 

intersection (...)

north 

uttar (u-tta-rr)

south 

dakshin (duck- shin)

east 

purba (pu-r-ba)

west 

paschim (pos-chim)

uphill 

ukaalo (oo-kaa-low)

downhill 

ohralo (o-raa-low)

Taxi

Taxi! 

Taxi!

Take me to _____, please. 

kripaya,malaai________ laanus. (kri-paw-yaa, ma-lie- laa-noos)

How much does it cost to get to _____? 

____ maa jaana kaati parchha? ( maa-jaa-na ka-ti, par-chaa)

Take me there, please. 

kripaya, malaai tyahaa laanus. (kri-payaa, ma-lie tya-haa, laa-noos)

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? 

America/Australia/Canada ko paisaa chalchha? (...)

Do you accept British pounds? 

Belaayako paisaa chalchha? (...)

Do you accept credit cards? 

Credit card chalchha? (...)

Can you change money for me? 

Malaai khoodraa dinu hunchha ki? (...)

Where can I get money changed? 

Paisa kahaa saatinchha? (...)

Can you change a traveler's check for me? 

travel check linuhucnhha? (...)

Where can I get a traveler's check changed? 

tralvel check kahaa saatichha? (...)

What is the exchange rate? 

saTahi dar ke chha? (...)

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? 

(ATM)maysin kahaa chaa? (...)

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please. 

kripaya Tebul ek yaa dui janaako lagi. (...)

Can I look at the menu, please? 

ma menu herna sakchhu? (...)

Can I look in the kitchen? 

ma keychen herna sakchhu? (...)

Is there a house specialty? 

gharmaa banaaieko kehi chha? (...)

Is there a local specialty? 

sthaaniya bisess kehi chha? (...)

I'm a vegetarian. 

Ma masu kandina. (Ma- ma-SU Kan-DIE-nah)

I don't eat pork. 

ma bangoor khaadina. (...)

I only eat kosher food. 

I only eat kosher food. (...)

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) 

yaslaai jalaaunus", please? (...)

fixed-price meal 

nischit darko khaanaa

(...)

à la carte 

à la carte (...)

breakfast 

breakfast (...)

lunch 

lunch (...)

tea (meal) 

tea (...)

supper 

supper (...)

I want _____. 

_____ chahanchhu. (...)

I want a dish containing _____. 

_____bhaeko thaal chahanchhu. (...)

chicken 

kukhuraa (...)

beef 

gaaiko masu (...)

fish 

maachhaa(...)

ham 

ham (...)

cheese 

chij (...)

eggs 

anDaa (...)

salad 

salad (...)

(fresh) vegetables 

(taajaa) tarkaari (...)

(fresh) fruit 

(taajaa) phalphul (...)

bread 

roTi(roti)

toast 

toast (...)

noodles 

chau chau (...)

rice 

bhat (BHAT)

lentils 

daal (da-all)

May I have a glass of _____? 

malaai ek gilaas _____ dinus? (...)

May I have a cup of _____? 

malaai ek cup _____ dinus? (...)

May I have a bottle of _____? 

malaai ek botal_____ dinus? (...)

coffee 

coffee (...)

tea (drink) 

chiya (CHEE-ah)

juice 

juice (...)

water 

pani (PAN-ee)

beer 

beer (BEER)

May I have some _____? 

malaai kehi _____ dinus? (...)

salt 

nun (noon)

black pepper 

marich (...)

butter 

butter (...)

I'm finished. 

Pugcha. (POOG-CHA)

It was delicious. 

. (...)

Please clear the plates. 

Please clear the plates. (...)

The check, please. 

The check, please. (...)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol? 

Do you serve alcohol? (...)

Is there table service? 

Is there table service? (...)

A beer/two beers, please. 

A beer/two beers, please. (...)

A glass of red/white wine, please. 

A glass of red/white wine, please. (...)

A pint, please. 

A pint, please. (...)

A bottle, please. 

A bottle, please. (...)

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. 

_____ and _____, please. (...)

whiskey 

whiskey (...)

vodka 

vodka (...)

rum 

rum (...)

water 

water (pani)

club soda 

club soda (...)

tonic water 

tonic water (...)

orange juice 

orange juice (...)

Coke (soda) 

Coke (...)

Do you have any bar snacks? 

Do you have any bar snacks? (...)

One more, please. 

One more, please. (...)

Another round, please. 

Another round, please. (...)

When is closing time? 

When is closing time? (...)

Shopping

Do you have this in my size? 

mero size maa mil chha? (...)

How much is this? 

yes ko kati parchha? (...)

That's too expensive. 

yo ekdam mahango bhayo. (...)

Would you take _____? 

_____ rupiya linus? (...)

expensive 

mahango (...)

cheap 

sasto (...)

I can't afford it. 

ma kinna sakdina. (...)

I don't want it. 

malaai chahidaina. (...)

You're cheating me. 

tapaai malaai chhaldai hunuhunchha. (...)

I'm not interested. 

ma ichchhuk chhaina. (..)

OK, I'll take it. 

OK, thik chha, ma yo linchhu. (...)

Can I have a bag? 

malaai euTaa jhoolaa dinus? (...)

Do you ship (overseas)? 

tapaai shipmaa paThaunuhunchha(bidesmaa)? (...)

I need... 

malaai chaahinchha... (...)

...toothpaste. 

...danta manjan. (...)

...a toothbrush. 

...daat majhne burus. (...)

...tampons. 

...tampons. (...)

...soap. 

sabun. (...)

...shampoo. 

...shampoo. (...)

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) 

...dukhaai haTaaune aushadhi. (...)

...cold medicine. 

...chiso dawaai. (...)

...stomach medicine. 

...peTko aushadi. (...)

...a razor. 

...a razor. (...)

...an umbrella. 

...chhataa. (...)

...sunblock lotion. 

...sunblock lotion. (...)

...a postcard. 

...a postcard. (...)

...postage stamps. 

...hulaak Tikat. (...)

...batteries. 

...batteries. (...)

...writing paper. 

...lekhne kaapi. (...)

...a pen. 

...kalam. (...)

...English-language books. 

...angreji bhaasaako kitaab. (...)

...English-language magazines. 

...angreji bhaasaako patrikaa. (...)

...an English-language newspaper. 

...angreji bhaasaako patrikaa. (...)

...an English-English dictionary. 

...angreji bhaasaako sabdkosh. (...)

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong. 

Maile kehi galti gareko chaina. (...)

It was a misunderstanding. 

bujhaai maa kehi galti thiyo. (...)

Where are you taking me? 

tapaai malaai kahaa laadai hunuhunchha? (...)

Am I under arrest? 

ma pakrau pareko hu? (...)

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. 

ma American/Australian/British/Canadian naagarik hu. (...)

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. 

ma American/Australian/British/Canadian dutaabaas/ baanijya dutaabaas sanga kura garna chahanchhu. (...)

I want to talk to a lawyer. 

ma wakil sanga kuraa garna chahanchhu. (...)

Can I just pay a fine now? 

ma jariwaanaa maatra tirchhu? (...)