-दै छ

Actions Happening Now

Level 2Sounds Like dai cha

-दै छ means is doing right now: stem + -दै + छ.

How It Works

The present progressive says what is happening right now. Take the verb stem, add -दै and then the present of छ: म चिया पिउँदै छु (I am drinking tea), उनी खाना बनाउँदै छिन् (she is cooking).

Only छ changes for the doer: छु, छौ, छ, छौँ, छन् or छिन् for a woman. For तपाईं and उहाँ, use हुनुहुन्छ: तपाईं के गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ? (what are you doing?).

A stem that ends in a vowel makes the vowel nasal before -दै: खाँदै (eating), जाँदै (going), पिउँदै (drinking). A stem that ends in a consonant stays as it is: गर्दै, पढ्दै, खेल्दै.

VerbStem + -दैExample
खानुखाँदैहामी खाँदै छौँ।
पढ्नुपढ्दैबच्चाहरू पढ्दै छन्।

In the progressive the doer usually does not take ले, because the sentence is in the present.

Examples (5)

  1. म चिया पिउँदै छु।

    I am drinking tea.

    पिउँ + दै, then छु for म.

  2. उनी खाना बनाउँदै छिन्।

    She is cooking.

    छिन् goes with a woman.

  3. तपाईं के गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ?

    What are you doing?

    हुनुहुन्छ replaces छ for a polite doer.

  4. हामी खाँदै छौँ।

    We are eating.

    The vowel stem खा becomes खाँ before -दै.

  5. बच्चाहरू पढ्दै छन्।

    The children are studying.

    A consonant stem takes -दै with no nasal.

Common Mistakes

  • Learners leave out the nasal after a vowel stem.

    म जादै छु।
    म जाँदै छु।

    A vowel stem nasalizes before -दै: जाँदै.

  • Learners put ले on the doer of the progressive.

    मैले चिया पिउँदै छु।
    म चिया पिउँदै छु।

    The present progressive does not use ले.

How It Connects

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-दै छLevel 2Actions Happening Now

Learn This First

-दै छ says what is happening now.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.