-दिनँ / -दैन / -दैनन्

Saying No in the Present

Level 1Sounds Like dinam̐, -daina ra -dainan

The negative has its own ending for each doer.

How It Works

The negative of the simple present replaces -छ with -दैन.

DoerEndingExample
म-दिनँम मासु खाँदिनँ।
तिमी-दैनौतिमी चिया पिउँदैनौ।
ऊ-दैनऊ चिया पिउँदैन।
उनीहरू-दैनन्उनीहरू काम गर्दैनन्।
तपाईं-नुहुन्नतपाईं मासु खानुहुन्न?

A vowel stem turns nasal before -दैन and -दिनँ: जाँदैन, खाँदैन, आउँदैन, पिउँदैन. A consonant stem does not: गर्दैन.

The ending after म, -दिनँ, has a chandrabindu on the last letter.

The polite negative -नुहुन्न needs no stem change: जानुहुन्न and पिउनुहुन्न. It is the form to use with strangers, teachers and elders. A second form, -नुहुँदैन, means the same.

When the doer is a woman, ऊ takes -दिन and उनी takes -दिनन्: ऊ चिया पिउँदिन, सरिता चिया पिउँदिनन्. उनीहरू can also take -दिनन् for a group of women, and तिमी can take -दिनौ for a woman. म and तपाईं stay the same.

For a question, the same forms work with a rising voice: तिमी चिया पिउँदैनौ? asks whether you do not drink tea.

Examples (5)

  1. ऊ चिया पिउँदैन।

    He does not drink tea.

    -दैन is the negative for ऊ.

  2. म मासु खाँदिनँ।

    I do not eat meat.

    -दिनँ goes with म, and खा turns nasal.

  3. तिमी चिया पिउँदैनौ?

    Don't you drink tea?

    -दैनौ goes with तिमी.

  4. उनीहरू बिहान काम गर्दैनन्।

    They do not work in the morning.

    -दैनन् goes with उनीहरू.

  5. तपाईं मासु खानुहुन्न?

    Don't you eat meat?

    -नुहुन्न is the polite negative.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the nasal on a vowel stem.

    ऊ जादैन।
    ऊ जाँदैन।

    जा turns nasal before -दैन.

  • Using the wrong ending after म.

    म चिया पिउँदैन।
    म चिया पिउँदिनँ।

    म takes -दिनँ, not -दैन.

How It Connects

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

-दिनँ / -दैन / -दैनन्Level 1Saying No in the Present

Learn This First

The negative present replaces -छ with -दैन.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.