-एको Describing a Noun

Describing with the -एको Form

Level 4Sounds Like ēkō (viśēṣaṇa)

The -एको form describes by what already happened.

How It Works

This -एको form is the finished-action twin of -ने. It describes a noun by something that has happened to it or been done.

  • बसेको मान्छे (the person sitting).
  • थाकेको बच्चा (the tired child).
  • आमाले बनाएको खाना (the food Mother made).

When the verb has an object, the doer takes ले, as it does in a full past sentence: मैले किनेको किताब, not म किनेको किताब.

This is not the same as the perfect -एको छ, which closes a sentence. Here -एको sits before a noun and acts as a describing word. The ending agrees with the noun: -एका for several or respected people (बसेका मान्छेहरू) and -एकी for a woman or girl (बसेकी महिला). Speech often keeps -एको.

Examples (5)

  1. मैले किनेको किताब राम्रो छ।

    The book I bought is good.

    मैले marks the doer of किन्नु.

  2. बसेको मान्छे मेरो मामा हुनुहुन्छ।

    The man sitting there is my maternal uncle.

    बसेको needs no ले.

  3. म उनले लेखेको चिट्ठी पढ्दै छु।

    I am reading the letter he wrote.

    उनले marks the writer.

  4. थाकेको बच्चा सुतिसक्यो।

    The tired child has gone to sleep.

    थाकेको describes बच्चा.

  5. आमाले बनाएको खाना मलाई मन पर्छ।

    I like the food Mother made.

    आमाले belongs to बनाएको.

Common Mistakes

  • A learner drops ले before a verb with an object.

    म किनेको किताब राम्रो छ।
    मैले किनेको किताब राम्रो छ।

    The doer of किन्नु still takes ले.

How It Connects

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-एको Describing a NounLevel 4Describing with the -एको Form

Learn This First

The -एको form describes.