Verbs With and Without Objects

FoundationsSounds Like sakarmaka ra akarmaka kriyā

A verb with an object is transitive, a verb without one is intransitive, and the past treats them differently.

How It Works

A transitive verb acts on something: eat rice, read a book, drink tea. An intransitive verb does not: go, come, sit, sleep. Many Nepali verbs belong to one group, so learn which group a new verb is in.

VerbGroupPast
खानुtransitiveमैले भात खाएँ
पिउनुtransitiveसरिताले चिया पिइन्
जानुintransitiveम गएँ
आउनुintransitiveरमेश आयो

The marker ले is the ending a doer takes with a transitive verb in the simple past, and also in the perfect. The plain present does not need it: म भात खान्छु.

The verb ending follows the doer even after ले. In मैले भात खाएँ, the ending -एँ matches म, not the rice. This differs from Hindi, so do not copy Hindi habits here.

Examples (5)

  1. मैले भात खाएँ।

    I ate rice.

    खानु takes an object, so the doer म becomes मैले.

  2. म गएँ।

    I went.

    जानु has no object, so म stays plain.

  3. सरिताले चिया पिइन्।

    Sarita drank tea.

    पिउनु is transitive, and पिइन् matches Sarita.

  4. रमेश आयो।

    Ramesh came.

    आउनु is intransitive, so there is no ले.

  5. हामीले फिल्म हेर्‍यौँ।

    We watched a film.

    हेर्नु takes an object, so हामी becomes हामीले.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out ले with a transitive past verb.

    म भात खाएँ।
    मैले भात खाएँ।

    खानु takes an object, so the doer म needs ले in the past.

How It Connects

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

Verbs With and Without ObjectsFoundations

Learn This First

Telling verbs with and without an object apart depends on how a sentence is put together.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.