Nepali Demonstratives in Transliteration: This, There, and Complete Sentences
The examples show how to recognise Nepali demonstratives in transliteration without treating every example as a full sentence. Use the single-word examples for “This” and “There,” then notice the difference between “This house,” which names something, and “This is my home,” which makes a complete statement.
Start with these expressions
| English | Transliteration | Native script |
|---|---|---|
| This | yo | यो |
| There | tyaha | त्यहाँ |
| Please give this one. | yo wala dinuhos | यो वाला दिनुहोस् |
| This is tasty. | yo mitho chha | यो मिठो छ। |
| Okay, that house is far. | achha, tyo ghar tadha chha. | अच्छा, त्यो घर टाढा छ। |
| This house | yo ghar | यो घर |
| This is my home | yo mero ghar ho | यो मेरो घर हो |
Read the example by its English function
Start with the role the example plays, not just the first word. The single-word examples give the meanings “This” and “There.” The dictionary evidence also records the form meaning “this” as both a pronoun and a word placed before a noun, while the place word is documented as “there” or “over there” [1] [2].
That distinction helps when reading the longer examples. “This house” is a noun phrase: it identifies a house but does not make a complete statement by itself. By contrast, “This is my home” is a complete sentence because it gives an identification. The same practical check works elsewhere: an example such as “This is tasty” describes something, while “that house is far” adds information about distance. A request meaning “Please give this one” is also a complete utterance, not merely a vocabulary item.
Keep the lesson’s boundary clear. These approved examples let you recognise particular meanings and sentence translations; they do not, by themselves, establish every Nepali demonstrative, plural form, distance contrast, or politeness pattern. When practising transliteration, first ask: is this one word, a noun phrase, or a complete sentence?
[1] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
[2] Source: dsal.uchicago.edu.
Try it
You are showing a family member your home. Which example means “This is my home”?
Choose your answer before reading on.
Check your answer:
Use expression 7 in the table above.
Choose the example whose English gloss makes a complete identification about the speaker’s home. It is not the shorter noun phrase meaning “This house,” because that names an object without stating what it is.
Review the selected examples once more and label each one in your own notes as single word, noun phrase, request, or statement. Then cover the English glosses and see whether you can recall the function of each transliterated example.
Practise speaking with Bhol. Learn words and sentences written in English letters.
