A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or a noun phrase in a sentence.
Types of Pronouns
- Personal Pronouns
| English | Nepali | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | म, मैले | Me | मलाई |
| You | तिमी / तपाईं तिमीले / तपाईंले | You | तिमीलाई / तपाईंलाई |
| He | ऊ / उहाँ (respectful) उसले/उहाँले | Him | उसलाई / उहाँलाई |
| She | ऊ / उहाँ (respectful) ऊ / उहाँ (respectful) उसले/उहाँले | Her | उसलाई / उहाँलाई |
| It | यो / त्यो | It | यसलाई / त्यसलाई |
| We | हामी , हामीले | Us | हामीलाई |
| They | उनीहरू / तिनीहरू, उनीहरूले / तिनीहरूले | Them | उनीहरूलाई / तिनीहरूलाई |
Example:
He gave me the book.
उहाँले मलाई किताब दिनुभयो। / उसले मलाई किताब दियो।
Ram is a boy. He is a student.
राम केटा हो। ऊ विद्यार्थी हो।
2. Possessive Pronouns
Show ownership.
| English | Nepali |
|---|---|
| Mine | मेरो |
| Yours | तिम्रो / तपाईंको |
| His | उसको / उहाँको |
| Hers | उसको / उहाँको |
| Its | यसको / त्यसको |
| Ours | हाम्रो |
| Theirs | उनीहरूको / तिनीहरूको |
Example:
That book is hers.
त्यो किताब उसको हो।
3. Relative pronouns
| English | Nepali Equivalent | Usage / Meaning |
|---|
| who | जो / जसले | Refers to people (subject) – “the person who…” |
| whom | जसलाई / जसको | Refers to people (object) – “the person whom…” |
| whose | जसको / जसका | Shows possession – “the person whose…” |
| which | जुन / जसले | Refers to things or animals |
| that | जो / जुन / त्यो | Can refer to people or things (informal/common) |
The girl who is playing is my sister.
खेल्दै गरेकी केटी जो मेरी दिदी/बहिनी हो
The pen which I lost was new.
मैले हराएको जुन कलम नयाँ थियो।
4. Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun is a word that shows the subject is doing something to itself. Reflexive pronouns are words ending in -self or -selves . It is used when the action of the verb goes back to the same person or thing.
reflexive pronoun भनेको कर्ताले आफैंमा केहि गर्न थाल्छ। जब क्रियाको क्रियावाचक क्रिया त्यहि व्यक्तिमा वा वस्तुमा फर्कन्छ। Reflexive pronouns भनेका शब्दहरू हुन् जसको अन्त्य -self या -selves मा हुन्छ।
| English | Nepali (Roman) |
|---|---|
| Myself | मैले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Yourself | तिमीले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Himself | उसले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Herself | उसले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Itself | त्यसले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Ourselves | हामीले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Yourselves | तिमीहरूले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
| Themselves | उनीहरूले आफूलाई / आफैँ |
He introduced himself to the group.
उसले समूहसामु आफ्नो परिचय गरायो।
She looked at herself in the mirror before leaving.
उसले जानु अघि ऐनामा आफैंलाई हेरी।
5. Demonstrative Pronouns
| English | Singular | Plural |
|---|
| Near the speaker | this (for one thing/person) | these (for more than one thing/person) |
| Far from the speaker | that (for one thing/person) | those (for more than one thing/person) |
We use “this” (singular) and “these” (plural) as pronouns when referring to people or things that are nearby to the speaker.
This is my book.
यो मेरो किताब हो।
These are flowers.
यी फूलहरू हुन्।
We use “that” (singular) and “those” (plural) as pronouns to refer to things that are far from the speaker..
That is his car.
त्यो उसको गाडी हो।
Those are their friends.
ति उनीहरूका साथीहरू हुन्।
6. Indefinite Pronouns
| anybody | everybody | nobody | somebody |
| anyone | everyone | no one | someone |
| anything | everything | nothing | something |
| Pronoun | Meaning | English Example | Nepali Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anybody | Refers to any person (not specific) | Anyone can apply for the job. | जो कसैले पनि जागिरको लागि आवेदन दिन सक्छ। |
| Everyone | Refers to all people in a group | Everyone was shocked | सबै अचम्मित भए। |
| Nobody | Refers to no person (negation of anybody) | Nobody was at home. | कोही पनि घरमा थिएन। |
| Somebody | Refers to a specific person (but unspecified) | Somebody left a message for you. | कसैले तपाईंको लागि सन्देश छोडिदिए। |
| Anyone | Refers to any person (not specific) | I can’t find anyone to help | मैले मद्दत गर्नको लागि कसैलाई पनि भेट्न सक्दिन। |
| No one | Refers to no person | No one answered the phone. | कसैले पनि फोन उठाएन। |
| Someone | Refers to a specific person (but unspecified) | Someone is waiting for you. | कसैले तपाईलाई पर्खिरहेको छ। |
| Anything | Refers to any thing (not specific) | I don’t have anything to cook. | मसँग पकाउनको लागी केहि पनि छैन |
| Everything | Refers to all things | Everything is ready for the event. | सबै कुरा कार्यक्रमको लागि तयार छन्। |
| Nothing | Refers to no thing | I have nothing to say. | मसँग भन्नको लागि केहि पनि छैन |
| Something | Refers to a specific thing (but unspecified) | I need something to eat. | मलाई केहि खानाको आवश्यकता छ। |
7. Reciprocal pronouns
| Feature | Each Other | One Another |
|---|
| Meaning (English) | Used when two people do the same action to the other | Used when more than two people do the same action to others |
| Number of People | Two (२ जना) | More than two (२ भन्दा धेरै जना) |
| Example (English) | They help each other. | The team members trust one another. |
| Example (Nepali) | उनीहरूले एक अर्कालाई सहयोग गर्छन्। | टोलीका सदस्यहरूले एक अर्कामाथि विश्वास गर्छन्। |