In Nepali grammar, an infinitive is the base form of a verb, typically preceded by the word ‘to’ in English. Infinitives in Nepali, however, do not have a direct “to” equivalent. These are often identified by the suffix “-नु” (nu). They can serve several functions within a sentence – acting as the subject of the sentence, as an object following the verb, or following adjectives. Understanding the usage of Infinitives is a key element in learning Nepali grammar.
Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the correct infinitive verb form
*मलाई जानु *पर्छ (must).
म *बोल्नु* चाहन्छु (want).
उनलाई *आउनु* राम्रो हुन्छ (good).
*सम्झनु* गाह्रो हुन सक्छ (hard).
*खानु* पर्छ (must).
उनलाई *जानु* राम्रो लाग्छ (nice).
म हाँस्नु *भयो* (happened).
*नचनु* राम्रो लाग्छ (nice).
Exercise 2: Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in infinitive form.
उहाँलाई *खेल्नु* मन पर्छ (likes).
*बस्नु* मेरो आदत हो (habit).
त्यो गलती *दोहोर्याउनु* मैले चाहन सकिन । (repeat).
मलाई *उडनु* मन पर्छ (likes).
मलाई *सोच्नु* पर्छ (need).
*खोज्नु* गाह्रो हुन सक्छ (difficult).
म *रन्नु* चाहन्छु (want).
