म
ma[mʌ]
The English phrase "I" is translated into Nepali as म (ma).
म is a personal pronoun used by a speaker to refer to themselves.
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the pronoun changes depending on its grammatical role in a sentence. Use मेरो for the possessive "my". Use मलाई when the pronoun is an indirect object or is used to indicate the possession of feelings or states. When the pronoun is the agent of a transitive verb in the perfective aspect, it changes to मैले.
How do you pronounce it?
ma
Did you know?
- In casual Nepali speech, the pronoun म is frequently dropped entirely if the context makes it clear who is speaking, a feature known as 'pro-drop'.
- In Nepali, using म to refer to oneself can sometimes sound overly assertive or even aggressive in very formal or highly respectful social settings where humble-sounding alternatives might be preferred.
- The word म shares a direct ancestral root with the Sanskrit word aham, but it evolved into a much shorter single-syllable form in Nepali.
Examples in context
- म ओठ पढ्छु ।I read lips.This sentence shows how to use म as a subject.Tatoeba #11763825 by taro, translation #2246047 by CK
- म चुप लागे ।I went silent.This sentence demonstrates the use of म in a simple statement.Tatoeba #11763885 by taro, translation #11386544 by Agestur
- म पैदल गएँ ।I went on foot.This sentence illustrates the use of म when describing an action.Tatoeba #11763899 by taro, translation #1556514 by brymck
- 1045 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anita and Roshan are talking about their lunch plans.
- अनीता Anitaम भात खान्छु ।ma bhāt khānchu.I eat rice.
- रोशन Roshanके म पनि खान सक्छु?ke ma pani khāna sakchu?Can I eat too?
- अनीता Anitaहुन्छ, म तिमीलाई पनि दिन्छु ।huncha, ma timīlāī pani dinchu.Okay, I will give you some too.
- रोशन Roshanधन्यवाद, म धेरै भोको छु ।dhanyabād, ma dherai bhoko chu.Thank you, I am very hungry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries म, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
