-पन / -ता

Making Abstract Nouns

Level 5Sounds Like pana ra -tā

-पन and -ता make nouns from adjectives: एक्लोपन is loneliness, and सुन्दरता is beauty.

How It Works

Both endings make a noun that means the state of being something. The choice usually depends on where the word comes from.

WordEndingNoun
एक्लो (alone)-पनएक्लोपन (loneliness)
पागल (crazy)-पनपागलपन (craziness)
सुन्दर (beautiful)-तासुन्दरता (beauty)
स्वतन्त्र (free)-तास्वतन्त्रता (freedom)

-पन joins everyday Nepali words. -ता joins Sanskrit-based words, which sound more formal, so -ता nouns appear often in writing and news.

The new word is a plain noun. It takes postpositions like any other noun: एक्लोपनमा, सुन्दरताको.

Both endings join the word with no space. A word that ends in -ो keeps it: एक्लो becomes एक्लोपन.

Examples (5)

  1. एक्लोपन कहिलेकाहीँ गाह्रो लाग्छ।

    Loneliness is sometimes hard.

    एक्लो becomes एक्लोपन with -पन.

  2. यो ताल आफ्नो सुन्दरताका लागि प्रसिद्ध छ।

    This lake is famous for its beauty.

    सुन्दर becomes सुन्दरता with -ता.

  3. हाम्रो मित्रता धेरै पुरानो छ।

    Our friendship is very old.

    मित्र (friend) becomes मित्रता.

  4. उनको पागलपन देखेर सबै छक्क परे।

    Everyone was amazed at his craziness.

    पागल becomes पागलपन.

  5. सबैलाई स्वतन्त्रता चाहिन्छ।

    Everyone needs freedom.

    स्वतन्त्र becomes स्वतन्त्रता.

Common Mistakes

  • Learners add -ता to an everyday word.

    एक्लोता कहिलेकाहीँ गाह्रो लाग्छ।
    एक्लोपन कहिलेकाहीँ गाह्रो लाग्छ।

    एक्लो is an everyday word, so it takes -पन.

How It Connects

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-पन / -ताLevel 5Making Abstract Nouns

Learn This First

-पन and -ता make nouns.