A1 Postpositions 1 min read Fácil

The Dative Marker '-lai'

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Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The suffix '-lai' acts like 'to' or 'for' in English, marking the recipient of an action or a feeling.

  • Use '-lai' for indirect objects: 'Ram-lai kitab deu' (Give the book to Ram).
  • Use '-lai' for direct objects that are specific people: 'Ma-lai hernu-hos' (Look at me).
  • Use '-lai' for feelings/needs: 'Ma-lai bhok lagyo' (I feel hungry/Hunger has happened to me).
Recipient + lai + Verb/Feeling

Meanings

The '-lai' marker is a postposition used to indicate the recipient of an action, a specific direct object, or the experiencer of a state or feeling.

1

Indirect Object

Indicates the person receiving something.

“Hari-lai paisa deu.”

“Sita-lai chithi pathaunu.”

2

Experiencer

Used with verbs of feeling, hunger, or cold.

“Ma-lai chiso lagyo.”

“Ma-lai bhok lagyo.”

3

Specific Direct Object

Marks a specific person as the target of an action.

“Ma-lai nabolaunu.”

“Timilai ma chinchhu.”

Pronoun + Lai

Pronoun English With -lai Meaning
Ma I Ma-lai To me
Timi You (inf) Timi-lai To you
Tapai You (form) Tapai-lai To you
U He/She U-lai To him/her
Hami We Hami-lai To us
Uharu They Uharu-lai To them

Reference Table

Reference table for The Dative Marker '-lai'
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Noun + lai + Verb Ram-lai deu
Negative Noun + lai + na + Verb Ram-lai nadeu
Question Noun + lai + Verb + ? Ram-lai deu?
Feeling Noun + lai + Feeling Ma-lai bhok lagyo
Preference Noun + lai + man parchha Ma-lai momo man parchha
Request Noun + lai + bolau Sita-lai bolau

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
U-lai dinuhos.

U-lai dinuhos. (Giving)

Neutro
U-lai deu.

U-lai deu. (Giving)

Informal
U-lai de.

U-lai de. (Giving)

Gíria
U-lai de na.

U-lai de na. (Giving)

The -lai Universe

Recipient

Giving

  • Paisa Money

Feeling

  • Bhok Hunger

Targeting

  • Sita Sita
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Exemplos por nível

1

Ram-lai pani deu.

Give water to Ram.

2

Ma-lai bhok lagyo.

I am hungry.

3

Sita-lai bolau.

Call Sita.

4

Timi-lai kasto chha?

How are you?

1

Ma-lai yo man parchha.

I like this.

2

Hari-lai chithi pathaunu.

Send a letter to Hari.

3

Ma-lai chiso lagyo.

I feel cold.

4

U-lai nabolaunu.

Don't call him.

1

Ma-lai timro kura thaha chha.

I know your story.

2

Ram-lai kaam garna deu.

Let Ram do the work.

3

Timi-lai ke bhayo?

What happened to you?

4

Ma-lai garmi bhayo.

I feel hot.

1

Ram-lai chai ma chinchhu.

As for Ram, I know him.

2

Ma-lai galti garna man chaina.

I don't want to make a mistake.

3

Sita-lai ghar jana man lagyo.

Sita felt like going home.

4

Ma-lai yo kaam garne man chha.

I have a mind to do this work.

1

Ma-lai dherai kura sikna baki chha.

I have many things left to learn.

2

Ram-lai malai bhetna bhannu.

Tell Ram to meet me.

3

Ma-lai yo kura sunna man chaina.

I don't want to hear this.

4

Sita-lai yo kitab padhna deu.

Let Sita read this book.

1

Ma-lai ta kehi thaha chhaina.

I, for one, know nothing.

2

Ram-lai yo kura thaha huna jaruri chha.

It is necessary for Ram to know this.

3

Ma-lai yo kura garna garo bhayo.

It became difficult for me to do this.

4

Sita-lai yo kaam garna lagayo.

He made Sita do this work.

Fácil de confundir

The Dative Marker '-lai' vs Genitive -ko

Learners mix up 'of' and 'to'.

The Dative Marker '-lai' vs Locative -ma

Learners mix up 'in/at' and 'to'.

The Dative Marker '-lai' vs Direct Object (No marker)

Learners add -lai to everything.

Erros comuns

✗

Ma bhok lagyo

✓

Ma-lai bhok lagyo

The experiencer of a feeling must take the dative marker.
✗

Kitab-lai deu

✓

Kitab deu

Do not use -lai for inanimate objects.
✗

Ram deu

✓

Ram-lai deu

Missing the recipient marker.
✗

Ma-lai bhat khanchhu

✓

Ma bhat khanchhu

Using -lai for direct objects that are not people.
✗

U-lai man parchha

✓

U-lai man parchha

Actually correct, but learners often forget the verb agreement.
✗

Sita-lai ghar janchha

✓

Sita ghar janchha

Using -lai for destination instead of locative.
✗

Ma-lai bolau

✓

Ma-lai bolau

Correct, but learners often use 'Ma bolau'.
✗

Ram-lai kaam garna

✓

Ram-lai kaam garna deu

Missing the main verb.
✗

Ma-lai thaha chaina

✓

Ma-lai thaha chaina

Correct, but often confused with 'Ma jandina'.
✗

U-lai bhetna

✓

U-lai bhetna

Missing the context.
✗

Ram-lai garne

✓

Ram-lai garna lagayo

Missing the causative verb.
✗

Ma-lai garo

✓

Ma-lai garo bhayo

Missing the verb 'to be'.
✗

Sita-lai sunne

✓

Sita-lai sunna deu

Missing the permission verb.

Padrões de frases

Ma-lai ___ man parchha.

___-lai pani deu.

Ma-lai ___ lagyo.

___-lai bolau.

Real World Usage

Ordering food very common

Ma-lai momo deu.

Texting friends constant

Timi-lai kasto chha?

Job interview common

Ma-lai yo kaam man parchha.

Travel common

Ma-lai pani deu.

Social media very common

Ma-lai yo photo man paryo.

Classroom common

Sir-lai sodhnu-hos.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

Don't overthink

If you are talking about a person, just add -lai.
⚠️

No inanimate objects

Don't add -lai to things like tables or chairs.
🎯

Feeling verbs

Always use -lai for feelings like hunger or cold.
💬

Politeness

Use -lai with honorific pronouns like 'Tapai' to be polite.

Smart Tips

Always start with [Person]-lai.

Ma bhok chhu. → Ma-lai bhok lagyo.

Attach -lai to the receiver.

Ram deu. → Ram-lai deu.

Attach -lai to the person.

Sita bolau. → Sita-lai bolau.

Use [Person]-lai [Object] man parchha.

Ma momo man parchha. → Ma-lai momo man parchha.

Pronúncia

Ram-lai [RAM-lai]

Stress

The '-lai' suffix is unstressed; the stress falls on the preceding noun.

Question

Ram-lai deu? ↑

Rising intonation indicates a question.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Think of 'lai' as 'lay'—you are laying the action onto someone.

Associação visual

Imagine a gift box with a ribbon. You are handing it to a friend. The ribbon is the '-lai' marker connecting the gift to the friend.

Rhyme

When you give or feel a way, just add the suffix -lai.

Story

Ram is hungry. He says 'Ma-lai bhok lagyo'. He sees Sita. He says 'Sita-lai momo deu'. He is happy because he used '-lai' correctly.

Word Web

Ma-laiTimi-laiRam-laiSita-laiBhokChisoMan parchha

Desafio

Write 5 sentences using '-lai' about how you feel today.

Notas culturais

In the capital, '-lai' is used very frequently in daily commerce.

Usage is consistent, but sometimes dropped in very fast, casual speech.

Always use the full '-lai' with honorific pronouns.

The marker '-lai' evolved from an older locative postposition meaning 'at' or 'near'.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Timi-lai ke man parchha?

“

Timi-lai bhok lagyo?

“

Tapai-lai yo thau kasto lagyo?

“

Ram-lai bolau?

Temas para diário

Write about 3 things you like.
Describe how you feel today.
Write about a gift you gave someone.
Describe a time you had to call someone.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Ram ___ pani deu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lai
Ram is the recipient.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma-lai bhok lagyo
Experiencer takes -lai.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Kitab-lai deu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kitab deu
No -lai for inanimate objects.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

deu / Ram-lai / pani

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ram-lai pani deu
Standard SOV order.
Match the phrase. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: To me
Ma = I, -lai = to.
Choose the correct feeling. Múltipla escolha

Ma-lai ___ lagyo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: bhok
Bhok is a feeling.
Fill in the blank.

Sita ___ bolau.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lai
Sita is the person being called.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

man / parchha / Ma-lai / momo

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma-lai momo man parchha
Standard preference structure.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Ram ___ pani deu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lai
Ram is the recipient.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma-lai bhok lagyo
Experiencer takes -lai.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Kitab-lai deu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kitab deu
No -lai for inanimate objects.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

deu / Ram-lai / pani

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ram-lai pani deu
Standard SOV order.
Match the phrase. Match Pairs

Ma-lai

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: To me
Ma = I, -lai = to.
Choose the correct feeling. Múltipla escolha

Ma-lai ___ lagyo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: bhok
Bhok is a feeling.
Fill in the blank.

Sita ___ bolau.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lai
Sita is the person being called.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

man / parchha / Ma-lai / momo

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ma-lai momo man parchha
Standard preference structure.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

No, only for people or personified objects.

No, it stays the same.

It is a postposition, meaning it comes after the noun.

Because hunger is happening to you.

Yes, it is standard in all registers.

Rarely, they have different functions.

The sentence might be misunderstood or sound unnatural.

Use it with verbs of giving and feeling.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

a

Spanish 'a' is a separate word, while Nepali '-lai' is a suffix.

French high

à

French 'à' is a preposition, Nepali '-lai' is a postposition.

German moderate

Dative case

German changes the article; Nepali adds a suffix to the noun.

Japanese high

ni

Japanese 'ni' is a separate particle; Nepali '-lai' attaches to the noun.

Arabic high

li-

Arabic is a prefix; Nepali is a suffix.

Chinese moderate

gei

Chinese 'gei' is a separate word and can function as a verb.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
The Locative Marker '-ma'

Related Grammar Rules

A1

The Locative Marker '-ma'
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