लाई

Marking a Person with लाई

Level 1Sounds Like lā'ī

लाई attaches to a person and tells you who receives something or who the action points at.

How It Works

लाई is a postposition: a small word that follows a noun and joins to it. It shows who is on the receiving end.

UseExample
Who gets somethingम रामलाई किताब दिन्छु।
Who is called or askedम साथीलाई फोन गर्छु।
Who likes or needsतपाईंलाई चिया मन पर्छ?

The person doing an action takes no लाई. In म चिया पिउँछु (I drink tea) both म and चिया stay plain. A plain thing such as चिया or किताब also takes no लाई when it is just the thing you drink or read.

With a pronoun, लाई joins and some pronouns change a little: म becomes मलाई and ऊ becomes उसलाई. The entry on pronouns with लाई lists them all.

Animals and respected people take लाई too: उहाँ बिरालोलाई दूध दिनुहुन्छ (she gives the cat milk).

Examples (5)

  1. म रामलाई किताब दिन्छु।

    I give Ram a book.

    रामलाई marks Ram as the one who receives the book.

  2. म साथीलाई फोन गर्छु।

    I call my friend.

    The person you call takes लाई: साथीलाई.

  3. तपाईंलाई चिया मन पर्छ?

    Do you like tea?

    The person who likes something takes लाई: तपाईंलाई.

  4. उहाँ बिरालोलाई दूध दिनुहुन्छ।

    She gives the cat milk.

    बिरालोलाई marks the animal that receives the milk.

  5. सरिता आमालाई भन्छिन्।

    Sarita tells her mother.

    आमालाई marks the person who is told.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting लाई on the doer.

    मलाई चिया पिउँछु।
    म चिया पिउँछु।

    The one who drinks is the doer and takes no लाई. मलाई means to me or me, so it fits मलाई चिया मन पर्छ (I like tea).

How It Connects

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लाईLevel 1Marking a Person with लाई

Learn This First

लाई marks a person who receives something.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.