म
ma[mʌ]
The English phrase "me" is translated into Nepali as म (ma).
Depending on the grammatical role in a sentence, different forms may be required to express possession or indirect objects.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many Nepali sentence structures, म can function as both the subject ("I") and the object ("me"), which differs from English. However, specific grammatical roles require different forms: use मेरो for the possessive "my" or "mine" and use मलाई when "me" is an indirect object or when expressing feelings and needs, such as in "give me" or "it pleases me".
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as [ma].
Did you know?
- In some highly formal or poetic Nepali, the way you refer to 'me' can shift to reflect a humble or exalted status, unlike the relatively static English 'me'.
- The word म is a cognate with the Sanskrit word aham. Over centuries, it evolved from a complex phonetic sound into the simple, single-syllable sound used in modern Nepali.
- The form मलाई is used not just for 'give me' but also to describe physical sensations. To say 'I am cold' or 'I am hungry', a Nepali speaker literally says 'To me, it is cold' or 'To me, it is hunger'.
Examples in context
- म संग कुरा गर।Speak with me.The example shows the use of म in a command to speak with the speaker.Tatoeba #11901202 by taro, translation #3289383 by shekitten
- ऊ र म साथी हौँ।Me and him are friends.The example shows म used when grouping oneself with another person as a subject.Tatoeba #12054731 by taro, translation #1283963 by Trailsend
- यो मेरो लागि धेरै छ।It's too much for me.The example shows म used to indicate something is for the speaker.Tatoeba #11861826 by taro, translation #9066310 by LanguageExpert
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anita and Sumit are deciding who will carry a heavy bag.
- अनीता Anitaयो झोला म बोक्छु।Yo jhola ma bokchu.I will carry this bag.
- सुमित Sumitनाइँ, मलाई देउ।Nai, malai deu.No, give it to me.
- अनीता Anitaतर मलाई यसको बानी छ।Tara malai yesko bani cha.But I am used to this.
- सुमित Sumitम मद्दत गर्छु, अनीता।Ma maddat garchu, Anita.I will help, Anita.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry म, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
