If you’re planning a trip to Nepal, one of the first things you’ll need to navigate is booking a hotel. While many places in Nepal offer services in English, knowing a few essential phrases in Nepali can make your experience smoother and more enjoyable.
In this article, we’ll guide you through some common phrases and vocabulary for booking a hotel in Nepali, helping you to better interact with hotel staff, understand the services offered, and ensure a pleasant stay during your visit to Nepal. Let’s dive into some key conversations that will make your hotel booking experience hassle-free!
Booking a hotel in Nepali
Tourist: Do you have rooms available?
Ke khali kotha upalabda cha?
Ke kha-li ko-tha upa-lab-da cha?
के खाली कोठा उपलब्ध छ?
Let’s break it down:
- Ke (के): This word means “Do” or “Is” in the context of a question.
- Khali (खाली): This means “vacant” or “empty”. It refers to something that is unoccupied or available.
- Kotha (कोठा): This word means “room” as in a space or a place where one stays, such as in a hotel or a house.
- Upalabda (उपलब्ध): This means “available” or “accessible”. It indicates whether something is present or ready for use.
- Cha (छ): This is a form of the verb “to be” or “available” in Nepali, which works like the English verb “is”
Hotel receptionist: Yes, we have rooms available. What type of room would you like?
Hamisanga khali kotha upalabda cha. Tapailai kasto prakarko kotha chahincha?
Ha-mi-san-ga kha-li ko-tha upa-lab-da cha. Ta-pai-lai kas-to pra-kar-ko ko-tha cha-hin-cha?
हामीसँग खाली कोठा उपलब्ध छ। तपाईंलाई कस्तो प्रकारको कोठा चाहिन्छ?
Let’s break it down:
- Tapailai (तपाईंलाई): Tapai (तपाईं) means “you” (formal, respectful form). Lai (लाई) is a postposition that can mean “to”, so tapailai means “to you”. It is used for polite address in formal situations.
- Kasto (कस्तो): Kasto means “what kind of” in Nepali. It’s used to inquire about the quality or type of something.
- Prakarko (प्रकारको): Prakarko means “type” or “kind.” It’s used to ask about the specific kind or category of something.
- Chahincha (चाहिन्छ): Chahincha means “would you like” or “do you need”. It’s used to express a request or preference.
This conversation would commonly occur at the front desk of a hotel when a guest arrives and inquires about room availability.
Tourist: I would like to book a double room.
Ma double kotha book garna chahanchu.
Ma double ko-tha book gar-na cha-han-chu.
म डबल कोठा बुक गर्न चाहन्छु।
Let’s break it down:
- Ma (म): This means “I”. It is the subject of the sentence, indicating that the speaker is the one making the request.
- Garna (गर्न): “garne” (to do), used here to indicate the action of booking or reserving.
- Chahanchu (चाहन्छु): This means “I would like” or “I want”. It expresses the speaker’s desire or intention to do something. Chahanchu is a polite and formal way of saying “I want” or “I would like” in Nepali.
This conversation might occur when a guest arrives at a hotel and informs the receptionist of their intention to book a specific type of room.
Hotel receptionist: For how many nights would you like to stay?
Tapai kati raat basna chahanuhuncha?
Ta-pai ka-ti raat bas-na cha-ha-nu-hun-cha?
तपाईं कति रात बस्न चाहनुहुन्छ?
Let’s break it down:
- Kati (कति): This means “how many”. It is used to ask about quantity or numbers, in this case, the number of nights.
- Raat (रात): This means “night”. It refers to the night period, and in this context, it’s asking about the number of nights the person plans to stay.
- Basna (बस्न): This is the infinitive form of the verb “basne” (to stay). It refers to staying at a place, like a hotel or residence.
- Chahanuhuncha (चाहनुहुन्छ): It translates to “would you like” or “do you want” in this context. It’s used to express a polite request or inquiry.
This conversation might occur when a guest is checking in and the receptionist needs to know the number of nights the guest plans to stay.
Tourist: I will stay for three nights.
Ma tin raat basnechu.
Ma tin raat bas-ne-chu.
म तीन रात बस्नेछु।
Let’s break it down:
- Tin (तीन): This means “three”. It is used to specify the number of nights in this case. It is a common way to count in Nepali.
- Basnechu (बस्नेछु): “to stay” or “to reside.” This is used to express an intention or future action. So, basnechu translates to “will stay”.
This conversation might take place during the check-in process, where the receptionist asks how long the guest will stay, and the guest responds with their intended stay period.
How much is a room per night?
Ek raatko kothako kati parcha?
Ek raatko ko-tha-ko ka-ti par-cha?
एक रातको कोठाको कति पर्छ?
Let’s break it down:
- Ek (एक): This means “one” in Nepali. It specifies the number of nights in this case.
- Raatko (रातको): This means “of the night” or “for the night”. Raat (रात) means “night” and ko (को) is a possessive marker, which here means “of” or “for”.
- Kothako (कोठाको): This means “of the room” or “for the room”. Kotha (कोठा) means “room,” and ko (को) is a possessive marker, indicating that the room is the subject of the inquiry.
- Kati (कति): This means “how much”. It is used to inquire about the price, amount, or quantity.
This sentence might occur when a guest is looking to book a room at a hotel, and they want to know the price for one night.
Hotel receptionist: The total cost for three nights will be 15,000 rupees.
Tin raatko kul lagat 15,000 hunecha.
Tin raat-ko kul la-gat 15,000 hu-ne-cha.
तीन रातको कुल लागत १५,००० हुनेछ।
Let’s break it down:
- Kul (कुल): This means “total” or “entire”. It refers to the total cost or total amount for the given duration (three nights).
- Lagat (लागत): This means “cost” or “price”. It refers to the price of staying in a room or for a service, in this case, the cost for staying three nights.
- 15,000 (१५,०००): This is the specific amount of money being mentioned, which in this case is 15,000 rupees. This is the cost for three nights.
- Hunecha (हुनेछ): Hunecha is a future tense verb that means “will be”. It indicates that the total cost for three nights will be 15,000 rupees.
The receptionist informs them about the total cost in a polite and clear manner.
Tourist: I would like to book a room.
Ma kotha reserve garna chahanchu.
Ma ko-tha re-ser-ve gar-na cha-han-chu.
म कोठा रिजर्भ गर्न चाहन्छु।
Let’s break it down:
- Garna (गर्न): This is the infinitive form of the verb “garne” (गर्ने), meaning “to do”. In this context, it means “to do” the action of reserving or booking.
- Chahanchu (चाहन्छु): Chahanchu is a verb form meaning “I would like” or “I want”.
This conversation usually happens when a guest arrives at the hotel or calls ahead to make a reservation. They might use this phrase to request a room.
Can I pay by credit card?
Ke ma credit card bata bhuktani garna sakchhu?
Ke ma credit card ba-ta bhuk-ta-ni gar-na sak-chu?
के म क्रेडिट कार्डबाट भुक्तानी गर्न सक्छु?
Let’s break it down:
- Ke (के): This is a question marker in Nepali, similar to the English “Can” or “What”. It is used to form yes/no questions.
- Bata (बाट): This means “by” or “from” in Nepali. It indicates the means or method of the action (in this case, using a credit card).
- Bhuktani (भुक्तानी): This means “payment” in Nepali. It refers to the act of paying for goods or services.
- Garna (गर्न): In this case, it means “to make” or “to do” the action of paying.
- Sakchhu? (सक्छु?): This means “Can I”.
This phrase is typically used when someone is making a purchase and wants to confirm if credit cards are accepted as a mode of payment.
Hotel receptionist: Yes, you can pay by credit card.
Tapai credit card bata bhuktani garna saknuhuncha.
Ta-pai credit card ba-ta bhuk-ta-ni gar-na sak-nu-hun-cha.
तपाई क्रेडिट कार्डबाट भुक्तानी गर्न सक्नुहुन्छ।
Or you can simple say saknuhuncha (सक्नुहुन्छ) only.
- saknuhuncha (सक्नुहुन्छ): It means “is possible”.
Tourist: Great! I’ll pay by card.
Ma card bata bhuktani garnechu.
Ma card ba-ta bhuk-ta-ni gar-ne-chu.
म कार्डबाट भुक्तानी गर्नेछु।
- Garnechu (गर्नेछु): “garnechu” means “I will do” or “I will make”. In this case, it means “I will make the payment”.
Do you have any discounts?
Ke tapaiko hotelma chut cha?
Ke ta-pai-ko hotelma chut cha?
के तपाइको होटलमा छुट छ?
- Chut (छुट): Chut means “discount” or “reduction” in Nepali.
It refers to a price reduction, special offer, or any kind of financial discount given on goods or services.
Hotel receptionist: Thank you. Your room will be ready soon.
Dhanyabad. Tapai ko kotha chadai tayar hunecha.
Dhanyabad. Ta-pai-ko ko-tha cha-dai ta-yar hu-ne-cha.
धन्यवाद। तपाईको कोठा चाँडै तयार हुनेछ।
Let’s break it down:
- Dhanyabad (धन्यवाद): “Dhanyabad” means “Thank you” in Nepali. It is the most common and formal way to express gratitude.
- Tapai ko (तपाईंको): “Tapai” (तपाईं) is the respectful or formal way to say “you” in Nepali. “Ko” (को) is a possessive marker in Nepali, which in this case, indicates “your”. “Tapai ko” means “your” (in a polite, formal sense).
- Chadai (चाँडै): “Chadai” means “soon” or “quickly”. It indicates that something will happen in the near future.
- Tayar (तयार): “Tayar” means “ready” in Nepali. It indicates that the room is being prepared and will be available soon.
- Hunecha (हुनेछ): meaning “will be” or “will happen”. “Hunecha” here indicates that the room will be ready (future tense).
This is a polite way of expressing gratitude and informing the guest that their room will be prepared shortly.
Tourist: Thank you very much.
Dherai dherai dhanyabad.
Dhe-rai dhe-rai dhanyabad.
धेरै धेरै धन्यवाद।
- Dherai (धेरै): “Dherai” means “much” or “a lot” in Nepali. It indicates a large quantity or intensity. In this case, it’s used to emphasize the gratitude. The repetition of “dherai” makes the gratitude sound even more sincere.
This expression is commonly used in Nepali culture to show genuine appreciation.
Conclusion
Understanding how to engage in a hotel booking conversation in Nepali is essential for travelers visiting Nepal or Nepali-speaking regions. By learning key phrases like asking about room availability, types of rooms, and payment methods, travelers can communicate effectively and confidently with hotel staff. Additionally, understanding cultural nuances and polite expressions in Nepali helps in creating a positive interaction, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable stay.
In some places, you may not find internet access, and there may also be locals who do not understand English. So, learning these phrases may be helpful for you.