GRAMMAR / 36
Copulas through identity and location
म लेखक हुँ।
ma lekhak hũ
I am an author.
Pattern and choice
Three sets with one subject
म लेखक हुँ (I am an author) / म घरमा छु (I am at home) / म बिहान घरमा हुन्छु (I am usually at home in the morning)
On this page
- ② Nepali grammar rules
- 1. Three sets with one subject
- 2. Three negative sets
- 3. Past state versus occurrence
- 4. Shared honorific forms, distinct functions
- 5. छ and थियो as auxiliaries
- हुनु: three sets and matching forms
- हो set: six basic person groups, positive and negative
- छ set: six basic person groups, positive and negative
- हुन्छ set: six basic person groups, positive and negative
- Identifying someone
- Present location
- Past location
- An object and its location
② Nepali grammar rules
1. Three sets with one subject
Compare म लेखक हुँ (I am an author) / म घरमा छु (I am at home) / म बिहान घरमा हुन्छु (I am usually at home in the morning): identity, current location and habitual setting.
All belong to हुनु, but the construction and intended perspective select the set.
2. Three negative sets
Compare हुँ→होइनँ / छु→छैनँ / हुन्छु→हुँदिनँ, and ordinary होइन/छैन/हुँदैन.
Respectful हुनुहुन्न can serve multiple functions; interpret the surrounding identity/location/habitual construction.
3. Past state versus occurrence
म घरमा थिएँ (I was at home) describes a past location; काम भयो (the work was done/accomplished) accomplishment/occurrence.
Distinguish थियो from भयो.
Respectful past states use हुनुहुन्थ्यो; respectful occurrences include हुनुभयो.
4. Shared honorific forms, distinct functions
उहाँ लेखक हुनुहुन्छ (he/she is an author, respectful) / उहाँ घरमा हुनुहुन्छ (he/she is at home, respectful) share an honorific verb, but differ in identity noun versus मा-marked location. उहाँलाई जाडो लाग्छ (he/she feels cold, respectful) is a dative-experiencer construction with लाग्नु, not an interchangeable हुनु clause.
5. छ and थियो as auxiliaries
In पढ्दै छु (I am reading) / पढेको छु (I have read it) / पढेको थिएँ (I had read it), छु/थिएँ act as auxiliaries for progression/completion.
Their preceding verb forms distinguish these from location घरमा छु (I am at home).
See topics 10, 15 and 16.
हुनु: three sets and matching forms
| Form and reading | Information supplied | Corresponding lesson |
|---|---|---|
| हो / ho | Identity/classification: name, occupation, category | Topic 1 |
| छ / cha | Existence/location or a quality/condition | Topic 2: existence/location; topic 3: qualities/conditions |
| हुन्छ / huncha | Regular/conditional states, occurrences and outcomes | Topic 4; also permission in 21 and prohibition in 19 |
| Compare with the same subject | Meaning | Why this set? |
|---|---|---|
| म विद्यार्थी हुँ। ma vidyārthī hũ | I am a student. | Identity, so the हो set: topic 1 |
| म घरमा छु। ma gharmā chu | I am at home. | Location, so the छ set: topic 2 |
| म बिहान घरमा हुन्छु। ma bihān gharmā hunchu | I am usually at home in the morning. | A regular time setting, so the हुन्छ set: topic 4 |
हो set: six basic person groups, positive and negative
| Person and reading | Positive and reading | Negative and reading |
|---|---|---|
| I म / ma | हुँ / hũ | होइनँ / hoinã |
| we हामी / hāmī | हौं / haũ | होइनौं / hoinaũ |
| you तपाईं / tapāĩ | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| you plural तपाईंहरू / tapāĩharū | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| he/she उहाँ / uhā̃ | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| they उहाँहरू / uhā̃harū | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
छ set: six basic person groups, positive and negative
| Person and reading | Positive and reading | Negative and reading |
|---|---|---|
| I म / ma | छु / chu | छैनँ / chainã |
| we हामी / hāmī | छौं / chaũ | छैनौं / chainaũ |
| you तपाईं / tapāĩ | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| you plural तपाईंहरू / tapāĩharū | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| he/she उहाँ / uhā̃ | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| they उहाँहरू / uhā̃harū | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
हुन्छ set: six basic person groups, positive and negative
| Person and reading | Positive and reading | Negative and reading |
|---|---|---|
| I म / ma | हुन्छु / hunchu | हुँदिनँ / hũdinã |
| we हामी / hāmī | हुन्छौं / hunchaũ | हुँदैनौं / hũdainaũ |
| you तपाईं / tapāĩ | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| you plural तपाईंहरू / tapāĩharū | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| he/she उहाँ / uhā̃ | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
| they उहाँहरू / uhā̃harū | हुनुहुन्छ / hunuhuncha | हुनुहुन्न / hunuhunna |
See topic 7 for respect/familiarity and topics 1–2 for हो/छ.
Choose a form of हुनु according to what you mean.
Identifying someone
| Nepali | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| म लेखक हुँ। | ma lekhak hũ | I am an author. |
| तँ लेखक होस्। | tã lekhak hos | You are an author. |
| तिमी लेखक हौ। | timī lekhak hau | You are an author. |
| तिमीहरू लेखक हौ। | timīharū lekhak hau | You are authors. |
| तपाईं लेखक हुनुहुन्छ। | tapāĩ lekhak hunuhuncha | You are an author. |
| उहाँ लेखक हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ lekhak hunuhuncha | He is an author. |
| उहाँ लेखिका हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ lekhikā hunuhuncha | She is an author. |
| उहाँ लेखक हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ lekhak hunuhuncha | He is an author. |
| हामी लेखक हौं। | hāmī lekhak haũ | We are authors. |
| उहाँहरू लेखक हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃harū lekhak hunuhuncha | They are authors. |
| म लेखक होइनँ। | ma lekhak hoinã | I am not an author. |
| तँ लेखक होइनस्। | tã lekhak hoinas | You are not an author. |
| तिमी लेखक होइनौ। | timī lekhak hoinau | You are not an author. |
| तिमीहरू लेखक होइनौ। | timīharū lekhak hoinau | You are not authors. |
| तपाईं लेखक हुनुहुन्न। | tapāĩ lekhak hunuhunna | You are not an author. |
| उहाँ लेखक हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃ lekhak hunuhunna | He is not an author. |
| उहाँ लेखिका हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃ lekhikā hunuhunna | She is not an author. |
| उहाँ लेखक हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃ lekhak hunuhunna | He is not an author. |
| हामी लेखक होइनौं। | hāmī lekhak hoinaũ | We are not authors. |
| उहाँहरू लेखक हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃harū lekhak hunuhunna | They are not authors. |
Present location
| Nepali | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| म पुस्तकालयमा छु। | ma pustakālayamā chu | I am at the library. |
| तँ पुस्तकालयमा छस्। | tã pustakālayamā chas | You are at the library. |
| तिमी पुस्तकालयमा छौ। | timī pustakālayamā chau | You are at the library. |
| तिमीहरू पुस्तकालयमा छौ। | timīharū pustakālayamā chau | You are at the library. |
| तपाईं पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्छ। | tapāĩ pustakālayamā hunuhuncha | You are at the library. |
| उहाँ पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ pustakālayamā hunuhuncha | He is at the library. |
| उहाँ पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ pustakālayamā hunuhuncha | She is at the library. |
| उहाँ पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ pustakālayamā hunuhuncha | He is at the library. |
| हामी पुस्तकालयमा छौं। | hāmī pustakālayamā chaũ | We are at the library. |
| उहाँहरू पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃harū pustakālayamā hunuhuncha | They are at the library. |
| म पुस्तकालयमा छैनँ। | ma pustakālayamā chainã | I am not at the library. |
| तँ पुस्तकालयमा छैनस्। | tã pustakālayamā chainas | You are not at the library. |
| तिमी पुस्तकालयमा छैनौ। | timī pustakālayamā chainau | You are not at the library. |
| तिमीहरू पुस्तकालयमा छैनौ। | timīharū pustakālayamā chainau | You are not at the library. |
| तपाईं पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्न। | tapāĩ pustakālayamā hunuhunna | You are not at the library. |
| उहाँ पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃ pustakālayamā hunuhunna | He is not at the library. |
| उहाँ पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃ pustakālayamā hunuhunna | She is not at the library. |
| उहाँ पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃ pustakālayamā hunuhunna | He is not at the library. |
| हामी पुस्तकालयमा छैनौं। | hāmī pustakālayamā chainaũ | We are not at the library. |
| उहाँहरू पुस्तकालयमा हुनुहुन्न। | uhā̃harū pustakālayamā hunuhunna | They are not at the library. |
Past location
| Nepali | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| म अस्ति बजारमा थिएँ। | ma asti bajārmā thiẽ | I was at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तँ अस्ति बजारमा थिइस्। | tã asti bajārmā thiis | You were at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तिमी अस्ति बजारमा थियौ। | timī asti bajārmā thiyau | You were at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तिमीहरू अस्ति बजारमा थियौ। | timīharū asti bajārmā thiyau | You were at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तपाईं अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो। | tapāĩ asti bajārmā hunuhunthyo | You were at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो। | uhā̃ asti bajārmā hunuhunthyo | He was at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो। | uhā̃ asti bajārmā hunuhunthyo | She was at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो। | uhā̃ asti bajārmā hunuhunthyo | He was at the market the day before yesterday. |
| हामी अस्ति बजारमा थियौं। | hāmī asti bajārmā thiyaũ | We were at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँहरू अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्थ्यो। | uhā̃harū asti bajārmā hunuhunthyo | They were at the market the day before yesterday. |
| म अस्ति बजारमा थिइनँ। | ma asti bajārmā thiinã | I was not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तँ अस्ति बजारमा थिइनस्। | tã asti bajārmā thiinas | You were not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तिमी अस्ति बजारमा थिएनौ। | timī asti bajārmā thienau | You were not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तिमीहरू अस्ति बजारमा थिएनौ। | timīharū asti bajārmā thienau | You were not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| तपाईं अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्नथ्यो। | tapāĩ asti bajārmā hunuhunnathyo | You were not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्नथ्यो। | uhā̃ asti bajārmā hunuhunnathyo | He was not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्नथ्यो। | uhā̃ asti bajārmā hunuhunnathyo | She was not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्नथ्यो। | uhā̃ asti bajārmā hunuhunnathyo | He was not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| हामी अस्ति बजारमा थिएनौं। | hāmī asti bajārmā thienaũ | We were not at the market the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँहरू अस्ति बजारमा हुनुहुन्नथ्यो। | uhā̃harū asti bajārmā hunuhunnathyo | They were not at the market the day before yesterday. |
An object and its location
| Nepali | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| यो नयाँ कापी हो। | yo nayā̃ kāpī ho | This is a new notebook. |
| त्यो मेरो कापी होइन। | tyo mero kāpī hoina | That is not my notebook. |
| मेरो कापी झोलामा छ। | mero kāpī jholāmā cha | My notebook is in the bag. |
| तिम्रो कापी झोलामा छैन। | timro kāpī jholāmā chaina | Your notebook is not in the bag. |
| यो पहिले पुस्तकालय थियो। | yo pahile pustakālaya thiyo | This used to be a library. |
| मेरो कापी अस्ति यहाँ थिएन। | mero kāpī asti yahā̃ thiena | My notebook was not here the day before yesterday. |
| उहाँ बाहिर हुनुहुन्छ। | uhā̃ bāhira hunuhuncha | That person is outside. |
Use the हो family for present identity and the छ family for present existence.
Past statements use the थियो family while retaining person, number and respect distinctions.