Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In the past tense, if the verb is transitive, add '-le' to the subject to show they performed the action.
- Add '-le' to the subject when the verb is transitive in the past tense: 'Ram-le khayo' (Ram ate).
- Do not use '-le' with intransitive verbs like 'go' or 'come': 'Ram gayo' (Ram went).
- The verb must agree with the object in gender and number, not the subject: 'Ram-le bhat khayo' (Ram ate rice).
Ergative Subject Formation
| Pronoun | Ergative Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ma
|
Maile
|
Maile khaye
|
I ate
|
|
Timi
|
Timile
|
Timile garyau
|
You did
|
|
U
|
Usle
|
Usle lekhyo
|
He/She wrote
|
|
Haami
|
Haamile
|
Haamile kinyau
|
We bought
|
|
Tapai
|
Tapai-le
|
Tapai-le padhnu-bhayo
|
You (formal) read
|
|
Uha
|
Uha-le
|
Uha-le bhannu-bhayo
|
He/She (honorific) said
|
Meanings
The '-le' marker identifies the agent (doer) of a transitive action in the perfective past tense.
Agentive Marker
Marks the subject of a transitive verb in the past tense.
“रामले भात खायो”
“सीताले चिठी लेखिन्”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj-le + Obj + Verb
|
Ram-le bhat khayo
|
|
Negative
|
Subj-le + Obj + na + Verb
|
Ram-le bhat khayena
|
|
Question
|
Ke + Subj-le + Obj + Verb?
|
Ke Ram-le bhat khayo?
|
|
Honorific
|
Subj-le + Obj + Verb (Hon)
|
Tapai-le kam garnu-bhayo
|
|
Plural
|
Subj(pl)-le + Obj + Verb
|
Haamile kam garyau
|
|
Past Continuous
|
Subj-le + Obj + Verb-dai thiye
|
Ram-le kam gardai thiyo
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
मैले खाना खाएँ। (Daily life)
मैले खाना खाएँ। (Daily life)
मैले खाना खाएँ। (Daily life)
मैले खाएँ। (Daily life)
The Ergative Flow
Subject
- Ma-le I (ergative)
Object
- Bhat Rice
Verb
- Khayo Ate
수준별 예문
मैले भात खाएँ
I ate rice
रामले पानी पियो
Ram drank water
सीताले किताब पढिन्
Sita read the book
हामीले चलचित्र हेर्यौँ
We watched a movie
तपाईंले के किन्नुभयो?
What did you buy?
उसले मलाई फोन गर्यो
He called me
शिक्षकले पाठ पढाउनुभयो
The teacher taught the lesson
मैले काम सकेँ
I finished the work
केटाले बल फाल्यो
The boy threw the ball
आमाले मिठो खाना बनाउनुभयो
Mother cooked delicious food
प्रहरीले चोरलाई समात्यो
The police caught the thief
हामीले धेरै कुरा सिक्यौँ
We learned many things
सरकारले नयाँ नियम लागू गर्यो
The government implemented a new rule
लेखकले एउटा सुन्दर कविता लेखे
The writer wrote a beautiful poem
डाक्टरले बिरामीको जाँच गर्नुभयो
The doctor examined the patient
हामीले यो समस्या समाधान गर्यौँ
We solved this problem
वैज्ञानिकले नयाँ तथ्य पत्ता लगाए
The scientist discovered a new fact
कलाकारले आफ्नो भावना चित्रमा पोखे
The artist expressed his feelings in the painting
समितिले निर्णय सर्वसम्मतले गर्यो
The committee made the decision unanimously
इतिहासकारले पुरानो दस्तावेज अध्ययन गरे
The historian studied the old document
दार्शनिकले जीवनको अर्थबारे व्याख्या गरे
The philosopher explained the meaning of life
न्यायाधीशले फैसला सुनाउनुभयो
The judge delivered the verdict
कविले आफ्ना शब्दहरूमा गहिरो भाव भरे
The poet imbued his words with deep emotion
वास्तुकारले भवनको नक्सा तयार पारे
The architect prepared the building plan
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners use '-le' for all past tense subjects.
Learners make the verb agree with the subject.
Both use '-le'.
자주 하는 실수
Ma gaye
Ma gaye
Ram-le gayo
Ram gayo
Ma-le khayo
Maile khaye
Ram khayo
Ram-le khayo
Ram-le bhat khaye
Ram-le bhat khayo
Sita-le bhat khayo
Sita-le bhat khayi
Ma-le bhat khayo
Maile bhat khaye
Uha-le bhat khayo
Uha-le bhat khanu-bhayo
Haami-le bhat khayo
Haamile bhat khayau
Ram-le bhat khayeko
Ram-le bhat khayo
Samiti-le nirnaya garyo
Samiti-le nirnaya garyo
Kavi-le kavita lekhyo
Kavi-le kavita lekhe
Vaidya-le aushadhi diyo
Vaidya-le aushadhi dinu-bhayo
문장 패턴
___-le ___ khayo.
___-le ___ padhyo.
___-le ___ garyo.
___-le ___ lekhyo.
Real World Usage
Maile khaye!
Maile yo kam gare.
Maile momo order gare.
Maile photo here.
Maile ticket kine.
Samiti-le nirnaya garyo.
Check the verb
Don't agree with the subject
Pronoun changes
Honorifics
Smart Tips
Ask: 'Did I do something to something?'
Use the special ergative pronoun forms.
Look at the object, not the subject.
Ensure the verb matches the honorific level.
발음
The '-le' suffix
Pronounced as 'lay'.
Statement
Ram-le bhat khayo ↓
Falling intonation for statements.
암기하기
기억법
In the past, if you did it, you get a '-le' on your name.
시각적 연상
Imagine a person wearing a badge that says '-le' only when they are holding an object in the past.
Rhyme
Past tense action, transitive verb, add '-le' to the subject, that's the word!
Story
Ram was hungry. He ate rice. Because he ate (transitive) in the past, he became 'Ram-le'. Now he is full and happy.
Word Web
챌린지
Write 5 sentences about what you did yesterday using '-le'.
문화 노트
Used consistently in formal and informal speech.
Similar usage, but watch for dialectal verb variations.
Ergative marker is standard across all Nepali dialects.
The ergative '-le' evolved from an instrumental case marker in Old Indo-Aryan.
대화 시작하기
तपाईंले हिजो के खानुभयो?
तपाईंले कुन फिल्म हेर्नुभयो?
तपाईंले आज के काम गर्नुभयो?
तपाईंले कहिले नेपाली सिक्न सुरु गर्नुभयो?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
Ram-le bhat ____.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ram-le bhat khaye.
Ma / kitab / padhe
U / bhat / khayo
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Do we use '-le' for all past tense verbs?
A: Timile ke garyau? B: ____.
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercisesRam-le bhat ____.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ram-le bhat khaye.
Ma / kitab / padhe
U / bhat / khayo
Ma -> ?
Do we use '-le' for all past tense verbs?
A: Timile ke garyau? B: ____.
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
It marks the agent of a transitive verb in the past.
No, only in the past.
Do not use '-le'.
No, it agrees with the object.
Use honorific verb forms.
Yes, very similar.
Yes, it is mandatory.
Write sentences about your day.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
ne (ergative marker)
Nepali has more complex honorific agreement.
None
Spanish verbs always agree with the subject.
None
German does not use ergative markers.
ga (subject marker)
Japanese is not an ergative language.
None
Arabic lacks ergative case marking.
None
Chinese has no ergative system.
