Active and Passive Voice
Active: सरकारले नयाँ नीति ल्यायो. Passive: नयाँ नीति ल्याइयो. The passive usually drops the doer, and a past verb ends in -इयो.
How It Works
Nepali can describe one event in two ways. The active voice names the doer. The passive voice names the thing that was done.
| Voice | Example |
|---|---|
| Active | सरकारले नयाँ नीति ल्यायो। |
| Passive | नयाँ नीति ल्याइयो। |
| Active | आयोजकले कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरे। |
| Passive | कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरियो। |
To form the passive, add -इ- to the stem and then the tense ending: ल्याउनु gives ल्याइयो (past), ल्याइन्छ (present) and ल्याइनेछ (future). The doer is dropped, or it appears with द्वारा.
The passive keeps the focus on the result. It is common in news and notices: कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरियो tells what happened and leaves out who did it.
The passive also gives a general statement about people: यहाँ नेपाली र अंग्रेजी बोलिन्छ means Nepali and English are spoken here. Everyday speech prefers the active voice and uses the passive mostly in set phrases like भनिन्छ.
Examples (5)
- सरकारले नयाँ नीति ल्यायो।
The government brought a new policy.
The doer takes ले, and the verb is active.
- नयाँ नीति ल्याइयो।
A new policy was brought.
The passive -इयो leaves out the doer.
- आयोजकले कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरे।
The organizers postponed the event.
The doer takes ले.
- कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरियो।
The event was postponed.
गरियो is the passive of गर्नु.
- यहाँ नेपाली र अंग्रेजी बोलिन्छ।
Nepali and English are spoken here.
-इन्छ makes a general statement.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Active and passive voice are a grammar choice.
Related Patterns
Practice Active and Passive Voice in Bubblegum
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