के नहि ... ?

Questions That Make a Point

Level 5Sounds Like kē nahi ... ?

के नहि ... ? means "who doesn't ...?" and implies "everyone does".

How It Works

A rhetorical question is a question that makes a point. In Maithili, के नहि ("who does not") turns the sentence into a statement that everyone does the action.

QuestionWhat it says
सुख के नहि चाहैत अछि?Everyone wants happiness.
ई बात के नहि जनैत अछि?Everyone knows this.
ठेकुआ के नहि खाइत अछि?Everyone eats thekua.
  • The object stays at the start and the verb stays at the end.
  • Use a rising tone and the question mark ?.
  • The speaker does not wait for a name.

The question form के नहि works best when the listener already agrees. It feels warm in family talk and strong in speeches. Do not use it to scold; the tone may come across as sarcastic.

Examples (4)

  1. सुख के नहि चाहैत अछि?

    Who doesn't want happiness?

    के नहि asks a question whose answer is "everyone".

  2. ई बात के नहि जनैत अछि?

    Who doesn't know this?

    The speaker is sure that everyone knows.

  3. ठेकुआ के नहि खाइत अछि?

    Who doesn't eat thekua?

    The question makes a point about how popular it is.

  4. छठिक गीत के नहि सुनैत अछि?

    Who doesn't listen to Chhath songs?

    The object stays first and the verb comes last.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

के नहि ... ?Level 5Questions That Make a Point

Learn This First

A question that makes a point is built from के and नहि.

Words in This Pattern

केनहि