How Verbs Agree

FoundationsSounds Like kriyākō mēla

The verb ending shows the person, number, respect level and sometimes the gender of the doer.

How It Works

Pick the doer, then pick the matching ending. The same verb has a different ending for each pronoun.

DoerEndingExample
म-छुम जान्छु
हामी-छौँहामी जान्छौँ
तिमी-छौतिमी जान्छौ
तिमी, a woman-छ्यौतिमी जान्छ्यौ
तपाईं, उहाँ-नुहुन्छतपाईं जानुहुन्छ

Mixing is an error: तपाईं जान्छौ mixes a polite doer with a friendly ending.

The verb follows the doer even when the doer takes ले: in मैले खाएँ the ending matches म.

Some feelings work the other way. In मलाई चिया मन पर्छ the person is marked with लाई, and the verb agrees with the thing liked: मलाई चिया मन पर्छ, but मलाई चियाहरू मन पर्छन्. In speech a plural thing may still take the singular verb.

Examples (5)

  1. तिमी बजार जान्छौ।

    You go to the market.

    तिमी takes the ending -छौ.

  2. तिमी बजार जान्छ्यौ।

    You (a woman) go to the market.

    The ending -छ्यौ shows that the person addressed is a woman.

  3. तपाईं बजार जानुहुन्छ।

    You go to the market.

    तपाईं takes the polite ending -नुहुन्छ.

  4. मैले भात खाएँ।

    I ate rice.

    The ending -एँ matches the doer म, even after ले.

  5. मलाई चिया मन पर्छ।

    I like tea.

    The verb agrees with चिया, not with the person marked by लाई.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing a polite pronoun with a friendly ending.

    तपाईं बजार जान्छौ।
    तपाईं बजार जानुहुन्छ।

    तपाईं is polite and needs the polite ending -नुहुन्छ.

How It Connects

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

How Verbs AgreeFoundations

Learn This First

Agreement makes the verb match the person and the respect level of the doer.