Second Person: Low Honorific (Ta)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the 'Ta' form when speaking to close friends, children, or pets to show intimacy and informality.
- Use 'Ta' (तिमी/तँ) for close friends; 'Tँ' is the most intimate form.
- Verbs ending in 'chas' (छस्) or 'gas' (गइस्) indicate the 'Ta' register.
- Never use this with elders or strangers to avoid sounding rude.
Ta-Form Verb Conjugation (Present)
| Verb | Root | Ta-Form (Present) |
|---|---|---|
|
जानु
|
जा
|
जाँदै छस्
|
|
खानु
|
खा
|
खाँदै छस्
|
|
बस्नु
|
बस
|
बस्दै छस्
|
|
आउनु
|
आ
|
आउँदै छस्
|
|
सुत्नु
|
सुत
|
सुत्दै छस्
|
|
पढ्नु
|
पढ
|
पढ्दै छस्
|
Meanings
The 'Ta' (तँ) register is the lowest honorific level in Nepali, used for intimate relationships, children, or to show authority/contempt.
Intimate/Close
Used between best friends or siblings.
“तँ के गर्दै छस्?”
“तँलाई भोक लाग्यो?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Root + छस्
|
तँ जान्छस्
|
|
Negative
|
न + Root + छस्
|
तँ जाँदैनस्
|
|
Question
|
Root + छस्?
|
तँ जान्छस्?
|
|
Past
|
Root + इस्
|
तँ गइस्
|
|
Future
|
Root + ने छस्
|
तँ जाने छस्
|
|
Imperative
|
Root
|
तँ जा
|
Spectre de formalité
तपाईँ खाँदै हुनुहुन्छ? (Dining)
तिमी खाँदै छौ? (Dining)
तँ खाँदै छस्? (Dining)
खाँदै छस्? (Dining)
Nepali Honorific Hierarchy
Intimate
- तँ Ta
Neutral
- तिमी Timī
Formal
- तपाईँ Tapai
Exemples par niveau
तँ कहाँ छस्?
Where are you?
तँ खा
You eat
तँ सुत्
You sleep
तँ आइज
You come
तँ किन रुँदै छस्?
Why are you crying?
तँलाई के भयो?
What happened to you?
तँ नजा
Don't go
तँ के गर्दै छस्?
What are you doing?
तँलाई यो मन पर्छ?
Do you like this?
तँ हिजो किन आएनस्?
Why didn't you come yesterday?
तँ भोलि आउँछस्?
Will you come tomorrow?
तँ धेरै राम्रो छस्।
You are very good.
तँलाई थाहा छ, मलाई यो मन पर्दैन।
You know, I don't like this.
तँ किन यस्तो गर्छस्?
Why do you do this?
तँलाई मद्दत चाहिन्छ?
Do you need help?
तँ पक्कै आउँछस् होला।
You will surely come, right?
तँ नआएसम्म म पर्खन्छु।
I will wait until you come.
तँ जतिसुकै रिसाए पनि मलाई फरक पर्दैन।
No matter how much you get angry, it doesn't matter to me.
तँलाई के लाग्छ, हामीले के गर्नुपर्छ?
What do you think, what should we do?
तँ बिना म केही गर्न सक्दिनँ।
I cannot do anything without you.
तँलाई थाहा छ कि छैन, तर मलाई यो मन पर्छ।
Whether you know it or not, I like this.
तँ जस्तो मान्छे मैले कहिल्यै देखेको छैन।
I have never seen a person like you.
तँलाई केही भन्नु छ भने भन।
If you have something to say, say it.
तँलाई म सधैँ माया गर्छु।
I will always love you.
Facile à confondre
Learners often use them interchangeably.
Using Ta in formal settings.
Mixing endings.
Erreurs courantes
तपाईँ खा
तँ खा
तँ जानुहुन्छ
तँ जान्छस्
तँलाई नमस्ते
तँलाई के छ?
तँ आउनुहोस्
तँ आइज
तँ काम गर्नुहुन्छ
तँ काम गर्छस्
तँलाई भोक लाग्यो?
तँलाई भोक लाग्यो?
तँ जान्छौ
तँ जान्छस्
तँ जानु भयो
तँ गइस्
तँलाई के चाहियो?
तँलाई के चाहिन्छ?
तँ आउनु पर्छ
तँ आउनुपर्छ
तँ आउनु भएको थियो
तँ आएको थिइस्
Structures de phrases
तँ ___ गर्दै छस्?
तँलाई ___ मन पर्छ?
तँ ___ आउँछस्?
तँ ___ नजा।
Real World Usage
तँ कहाँ छस्?
तँ कस्तो छस्?
तँ खा।
तँ यता आइज।
तँलाई के चाहिन्छ?
N/A
Start with Timī
Avoid Ta with Elders
Listen to Natives
Intimacy takes time
Smart Tips
Use Ta to show you are close.
Use Ta for natural flow.
Use Ta to express intensity.
Use Ta for genuine warmth.
Prononciation
Intonation
Ta-form questions often have a rising pitch at the end.
Rising
तँ आउँछस्↗
Question
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Ta is for 'Tiny' or 'Tight' friends.
Association visuelle
Imagine a small circle of two best friends whispering secrets. That circle is the 'Ta' zone.
Rhyme
Use 'Ta' with a friend, never with a trend.
Story
Ram and Hari are best friends since childhood. They always use 'Ta' when they talk. One day, they meet a teacher and switch to 'Tapai'.
Word Web
Défi
Write 3 sentences using 'Ta' to a imaginary best friend.
Notes culturelles
Used between close friends and family members.
Commonly used for children and animals.
Used on social media among peers.
Derived from ancient Indo-Aryan roots for intimate address.
Amorces de conversation
तँ के गर्दै छस्?
तँलाई के मन पर्छ?
तँ भोलि के गर्छस्?
तँलाई यो ठाउँ कस्तो लाग्छ?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
तँ कहाँ ___ छस्?
तँ ___ छस्।
Find and fix the mistake:
तँ जानुहुन्छ।
तँ / के / गर्दै / छस्
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Where are you?
Answer starts with: तँ ...
तँ (Informal) -> ?
तँ ___ खा।
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesतँ कहाँ ___ छस्?
तँ ___ छस्।
Find and fix the mistake:
तँ जानुहुन्छ।
तँ / के / गर्दै / छस्
तँ + ?
Where are you?
तँ (Informal) -> ?
तँ ___ खा।
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Absolutely not. It is highly disrespectful.
No, Ta is more intimate.
Use the -छस् suffix.
Apologize immediately and switch to Tapai.
Yes, in literature and casual texts.
No, never.
Yes, it is standard across Nepal.
Add 'न' before the verb.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Tú
Nepali has three levels, Spanish has two.
Tu
French is less hierarchical.
Du
German has a clear binary system.
Omae
Japanese is more context-dependent.
Anta
Arabic has gendered pronouns.
Ni
Chinese lacks honorific conjugation.
