थियो

Being in the Past

Level 2Sounds Like thiyō

थियो covers both was (at a place) and was (a person or thing).

How It Works

In the present Nepali uses two words, छ and हो. In the past it uses only one verb, थियो. It says where someone was, and who or what someone was.

Subject	Past
म	थिएँ
हामी	थियौँ
तिमी	थियौ
ऊ	थियो
उनी	थिए (woman: थिइन्)
तपाईं, उहाँ	हुनुहुन्थ्यो

For a woman who is ऊ, use थिई. The negative also follows the subject: म थिइनँ, तिमी थिएनौ, ऊ थिएन, उनीहरू थिएनन्, and तपाईं हुनुहुन्नथ्यो. ऊ घरमा थिएन means he was not at home.

थियो takes no ले, because it is a verb of being: उहाँ हिजो घरमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो. Use थियो for the past and भयो for became or happened.

Examples (5)

म हिजो घरमा थिएँ।
I was at home yesterday.
थिएँ goes with म.
ऊ डाक्टर थियो।
He was a doctor.
थियो also names who someone was.
तिमी कहाँ थियौ?
Where were you?
थियौ goes with तिमी.
सरिता विद्यार्थी थिइन्।
Sarita was a student.
-इन् shows that the subject is a woman spoken of at the उनी level.
बुबा हिजो घरमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो।
Father was at home yesterday.
A respected person takes हुनुहुन्थ्यो.

Common Mistakes

Using the plain form with a respected person.
बुबा घरमा थियो।
बुबा घरमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो।
A respected person needs हुनुहुन्थ्यो.

How It Connects

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

थियोLevel 2Being in the Past

Learn This First

थियो is the past of छ and says something was somewhere.

छSaying Where Something Is
Know छ, because थियो is the past of छ: घरमा छ becomes घरमा थियो.
Level 1

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Practice थियो in Bubblegum

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