Vocabulary: Verbs (I)

INTRODUCTION

Imagine if you had no words to describe how you did something. You caught a big fish? Well, too bad you can’t tell what happened because you lack the word to describe the action. Fortunately, we do have verbs, allowing us to describe what exactly we did to others.

Verbs are very important because they allow communication of action(s) performed by someone or something. Thus, verbs are words which describe an action, state or occurrence. Examples in English include, but not limited to: to sleep, to eat, to run etc.

Verbs are called क्रियापद (kriyāpad) in Nepali. Check out the future lists here (II) and here (III).

INFLECTION AND ROOT OF THE VERB

Before we proceed to the list, we need to note that Nepali declines verbs according to the properties possessed by the subject, much like English. For example:

I go to school. | first person | singular 
He goes to school. | third person | singular

Note that the verbs listed below are in their dictionary form i.e. they are not inflected and are in the infinitive form. All verbs listed in dictionary form are of the following structure:

Root + नु (nu)

For example:

खानु (khānu) =  खा (khā) [root] + नु (nu)

The root helps us conjugate the verb.

The list below is not exhaustive.

LIST

Verbs whose root is one syllable long

To be/ To have	हुनु (hunu)
To cry	रुनु (runu)
To eat	खानु (khānu)
To get	लिनु (linu)
To go	जानु (jānu)
To touch	छुनु (chunu)

Verbs whose root ends in a vowel sound

To come	आउनु (āunu)
To cook	पकाउनु (pakāunu)
To drink	पिउनु (piunu)
To forget	बिर्सनु (birsanu)
To remember	सम्झनु (samjhanu)
To return	फर्कनु (pharkanu)
To run	दौडनु (dauḍanu)
To slip	चिप्लनु (ciplanu)
To stand	उभिनु (ubhinu)
To use	चलाउनु (calāunu)
To wait	पर्खनु (parkhanu)
To wear	लगाउनु (lagāunu)

Verbs whose root ends in a consonant sound

To buy	किन्नु (kunnu)
To cut	काट्नु (kāṭnu)
To die	मर्नु (marnu)
To do	गर्नु (garnu)
To hear	सुन्नु (sunnu)
To laugh	हाँस्नु (hā~snu)
To live (in an area)/ To sit	बस्नु (basnu)
To lose (a competition)	हार्नु (hārnu)
To meet	भेट्नु (bheṭnu)
To open	खोल्नु (kholnu)
To play	खेल्नु (khelnu)
To read/ To study	पढ्नु (paḍhnu)
To say	भन्नु (bhannu)
To see	देख्नु (dekhnu)
To sell	बेच्नु (becnu)
To sleep	सुत्नु (sutnu)
To speak/ To talk	बोल्नु (bolnu)
To stop	रोक्नु (roknu)
To take	लग्नु (lagnu)
To wake up	उठ्नु (uṭhnu)
To walk	हिँड्नु (hi~ḍnu)
To watch/ To look	हेर्नु (hernu)
To win	जित्नु (jitnu)
To write	लेख्नु (lekhnu)

EXERCISES

A. WHAT IS THE ROOT OF THE FOLLOWING VERBS?

B. GIVE THE TRANSLATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING VERBS.

1. भेट्नु (bheṭnu)
2. लेख्नु (lekhnu)
3. जानु (jānu)
4. दौडनु (dauḍanu)
5. हार्नु (hārnu)

ANSWERS

A.1. जित् (jit)
A.2. रु (ru)
A.3. पकाउ (pakāu)
A.4. पर्ख (parkha)
A.5. गर् (gar)
B.1. To meet
B.2. To write
B.3. To go
B.4. To run
B.5. To lose (a competition)