तपाईं कहाँ जाँदै हुनुहुन्छ?
tapāī̃ kahā̃ jā̃dai hunuhunchha?
The English phrase "where are you going?" is translated into Nepali as तपाईं कहाँ जाँदै हुनुहुन्छ? (tapāī̃ kahā̃ jā̃dai hunuhunchha?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their current destination.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tapāī̃ (you), kahā̃ (where), jā̃dai (going) and hunuhunchha (are). The word kahā̃ specifically means 'where'.
Which one should you use?
There are different ways to ask this depending on the social relationship. Use timī kahā̃ jā̃daichhau? when speaking to friends, peers of equal status or younger people. The form tã kahā̃ jā̃daichhas? is a low honorific version used for very close friends or children.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word jā̃dai is the continuous participle form of the verb jānu (to go) and is used to express the present continuous tense. The default form uses the honorific pronoun tapāī̃ to maintain politeness.
How do you pronounce it?
tapāī̃ kahā̃ jā̃dai hunuhunchha?
Did you know?
- In Nepali culture, asking तपाईं कहाँ जाँदै हुनुहुन्छ? is often used as a casual greeting rather than a literal inquiry into one's destination. It functions similarly to saying 'how are you' or 'what's up' in certain social contexts.
- The word कहाँ (kahā̃) is closely related to the Hindi word कहाँ, reflecting the shared ancestral roots of these Indo-Aryan languages.
- Using the low honorific तँ (tã) with a stranger or a social superior can be perceived as a serious insult or an act of aggression.
Example conversation
Anita meets Sumit on the street.
- अनीता Anitaसुमित, तपाईं कहाँ जाँदै हुनुहुन्छ?Sumit, tapāī̃ kahā̃ jāndai hunuhuncha?Sumit, where are you going?
- सुमित Sumitम बजार जाँदैछु।Ma bajār jāndai-chu.I am going to the market.
- अनीता Anitaके तपाईंलाई केही सामान चाहिएको छ?Ke tapāī̃lāī kehi sāmān chāhieko cha?Do you need any items?
- सुमित Sumitहो, म केही तरकारी किन्छु।Ho, ma kehi tarkārī kinchu.Yes, I will buy some vegetables.
