-एको थियो

Earlier Completed Actions

Level 3Sounds Like ēkō thiyō

-एको थियो puts a finished action earlier than another past moment.

How It Works

The simple past names an event. The past perfect in -एको थियो places it before another past time and shows it was already complete then.

म पुग्दा बस गएको थियो. Two things happened: I arrived, and the bus left. -एको थियो shows the bus came first.

DoerForm
म (man)गएको थिएँ
म (woman)गएकी थिएँ
तिमीगएका थियौ
उनी (woman)गएकी थिइन्
उहाँजानुभएको थियो
हामी, उनीहरूगएका थियौँ, गएका थिए

A doer that acts on an object takes ले, and the verb agrees with the doer: मैले पहिले नै खाना खाएको थिएँ (I had already eaten).

The time frame often comes in a -दा clause, as in म पुग्दा. It can also be a plain time word such as हिजोसम्म or त्यसअघि.

Examples (5)

  1. म पुग्दा बस गएको थियो।

    The bus had left when I arrived.

    गएको थियो puts the leaving first.

  2. हामी पुग्दा फिल्म सुरु भएको थियो।

    The film had started when we got there.

    The helper थियो goes with a single thing.

  3. सरिता त्यसअघि पोखरा गएकी थिइन्।

    Sarita had been to Pokhara before that.

    -एकी and थिइन् agree with a woman.

  4. मैले पहिले नै खाना खाएको थिएँ।

    I had already eaten.

    मैले goes with a verb that acts on an object.

  5. उहाँले पैसा तिर्नुभएको थियो।

    He had paid the money.

    The polite form is -नुभएको थियो.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the present helper for the earlier moment.

    म पुग्दा बस गएको छ।
    म पुग्दा बस गएको थियो।

    The other moment is in the past, so the helper is थियो.

  • Leaving out ले with a verb that acts on an object.

    म पहिले नै खाना खाएको थिएँ।
    मैले पहिले नै खाना खाएको थिएँ।

    The past perfect of खानु needs मैले.

How It Connects

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

-एको थियोLevel 3Earlier Completed Actions

Learn This First

-एको थियो is the past of -एको छ.