Second Person: Medium Honorific (Timi)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'timi' for friends, peers, and younger people; it is the standard polite way to address someone in Nepali.
- Use 'timi' for friends: 'Timi kasto chau?' (How are you?)
- Always pair 'timi' with the '-chau' verb ending: 'Timi padhchau' (You study).
- Use it for people younger than you or close peers to show respect without being overly formal.
Timi Verb Conjugation (Present Tense)
| Verb | Meaning | Timi Form |
|---|---|---|
|
khānu
|
to eat
|
khānchau
|
|
padhnu
|
to study
|
padhchau
|
|
jānnu
|
to go
|
jānchau
|
|
āunu
|
to come
|
āunchau
|
|
garnu
|
to do
|
garchau
|
|
basnu
|
to sit/live
|
baschau
|
Meanings
The 'timi' form is the medium-honorific pronoun used to address friends, classmates, and younger acquaintances. It strikes a balance between intimacy and respect.
Peer/Friend Address
Addressing someone of equal social standing.
“Timi khānā khāyau?”
“Timi malāī man parchau.”
Younger Person
Addressing someone younger than the speaker.
“Timi padhchau?”
“Timi khelchau.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Timi + Verb-chau
|
Timi jānchau
|
|
Negative
|
Timi + Verb-dainau
|
Timi jāndainau
|
|
Interrogative
|
Timi + Verb-chau?
|
Timi jānchau?
|
|
Past
|
Timi + Verb-yau
|
Timi gayau
|
|
Future
|
Timi + Verb-ne chau
|
Timi jāne chau
|
طیف رسمیت
Tapāī khānuhuncha. (Eating dinner)
Timi khānchau. (Eating dinner)
Ta khānchas. (Eating dinner)
Khā. (Eating dinner)
Nepali Pronoun Hierarchy
Intimate
- ta very close
Medium
- timi friends
Formal
- tapāī elders
مثالها بر اساس سطح
Timi kasto chau?
How are you?
Timi padhchau.
You study.
Timi kahā jānchau?
Where are you going?
Timi khānā khāyau?
Did you eat food?
Timi malāī man parchau.
I like you.
Timi bholi āunchau?
Are you coming tomorrow?
Timi dherai ramro chau.
You are very good.
Timi ke gardai chau?
What are you doing?
Timi sanga kura garna ramailo lagcha.
It is fun to talk with you.
Timiile yo kām garyau?
Did you do this work?
Timi kahā baschau?
Where do you live?
Timi malāī madat garchau?
Will you help me?
Timiile bhane jastai ma garchu.
I will do as you said.
Timi āyau bhane hamī jānchau.
If you come, we will go.
Timiile kina bhanyau?
Why did you say that?
Timi bāhek aru ko cha?
Who else is there besides you?
Timiile gareko kām dherai ramro cha.
The work you did is very good.
Timi jasto manchhe dherai paidaina.
People like you are hard to find.
Timiile kehi bhannu cha?
Do you have something to say?
Timiile malāī samjhyau?
Did you remember me?
Timiile bhane ko kura maile bujhe.
I understood what you said.
Timiile gardā yo sambhav bhayo.
Because of you, this became possible.
Timiile kasto anubhav garyau?
How did you experience it?
Timiile malāī biswās garyau.
You trusted me.
بهراحتی اشتباه گرفته میشود
Both are used for people you know, but 'ta' is for intimate/rude contexts.
Both mean 'you', but 'tapāī' is formal.
Mixing endings.
اشتباهات رایج
Timi jānuhuncha
Timi jānchau
Timi jān
Timi jānchau
Timi jānchu
Timi jānchau
Timi jāne
Timi jānchau
Timi jānnu
Timi jānchau
Timi jāndaina
Timi jāndainau
Timi jānchhu
Timi jānchau
Timi jānnu bhayo
Timi gayau
Timi jānchha
Timi jānchau
Timi jānne
Timi jānchau
Timi jānnu hunchha
Timi jānchau
Timi jānchhau
Timi jānchau
Timi jānne chau
Timi jānchau
الگوهای جملهسازی
Timi ___ chau?
Timi ___ garchau?
Timiile ___ khāyau?
Timi ___ jānchau?
Real World Usage
Timi kahā chau?
Timi dherai ramro chau.
Timi padhchau?
Timi khānā khāu.
Timi jānchau?
Timiile order garyau?
Consistency
Age Gap
Start Formal
Friendship
Smart Tips
Default to tapāī. It is safer.
Use timi to show closeness.
Use -chau for timi questions.
Use -dainau for timi.
تلفظ
Timi
Pronounced 'tee-mee'.
Question
Timi jānchau? ↑
Rising intonation for yes/no questions.
حفظ کنید
روش یادسپاری
Timi rhymes with 'me'—use it for people you want to be close to, like me!
تداعی تصویری
Imagine a bridge between two friends. On one side is 'ta' (too close) and the other is 'tapāī' (too far). 'Timi' is the person standing right in the middle of the bridge.
Rhyme
Timi is the friend you see, use -chau to agree.
Story
Ram meets his friend Sita. He says 'Timi kasto chau?' (How are you?). Sita smiles and replies 'Ma thik chu.' They are both using the medium honorific because they are peers.
شبکه واژگان
چالش
Write 5 sentences about your day using 'timi' and the -chau ending.
نکات فرهنگی
Timi is widely used among youth in urban areas.
Timi is used for peers, but elders are always addressed with tapāī.
Timi is the default for friends regardless of age gaps.
Timi evolved from older honorific forms to bridge the gap between intimate and formal speech.
شروعکنندههای مکالمه
Timi kahā jānchau?
Timi ke khānchau?
Timi bholi ke garchau?
Timiile yo kura kina bhanyau?
موضوعات نگارش
اشتباهات رایج
Test Yourself
Timi kahā ___?
Which is correct for 'You study'?
Find and fix the mistake:
Timi jānuhuncha.
Timi jānchau -> ?
Timi is formal.
A: Timi kasto chau? B: ___
Timi / khānā / khānchau
Timi ___
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesTimi kahā ___?
Which is correct for 'You study'?
Find and fix the mistake:
Timi jānuhuncha.
Timi jānchau -> ?
Timi is formal.
A: Timi kasto chau? B: ___
Timi / khānā / khānchau
Timi ___
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
No, use tapāī for your boss to show proper respect.
Use tapāī until you know them better.
No, it is the standard polite form for peers.
Add -dainau to the verb stem.
No, timi is gender-neutral.
Only with very close family or friends.
Yes, in informal letters or social media.
Because it sits between ta and tapāī.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
tú
Nepali has a third, more formal tier (tapāī) that is more rigid than Spanish 'usted'.
tu
Nepali honorifics are more tied to age than French social distance.
du
German 'du' is more intimate than Nepali 'timi'.
kimi
Japanese has many more pronouns based on gender and status.
anta
Nepali has a strict three-tier honorific system.
nǐ
Nepali requires verb conjugation for every pronoun.
