Convenience Store

1. एक लिटरको चिसो पानीको बोतल छ?

   Ek liṭarko chiso pāniko botal chha?

   Do you have a chilled one-litre bottle of water?

   Usage

   The basic way to buy water at a Nepali pasal (पसल, small neighbourhood shop). Room-temperature bottles sit on the shelf and only the fridge has cold ones, so say "chiso" (cold) explicitly

   Grammar Note

   "-ko" is the genitive postposition ("of"). Tap water is not drinkable in Nepal, so bottled water is essential; on trekking routes the price rises with altitude

2. चिसो फ्रिजमा छ, आफैं झिक्नुहोस्।

   Chiso frijmā chha, āphai jhiknuhos.

   The cold ones are in the fridge — help yourself

   Usage

   Said by staff. In a Nepali pasal the owner stays behind the counter and the fridge stands on the customer's side — you open it, take what you want, and bring it to the counter

   Grammar Note

   "Āphai" is the reflexive emphatic "by oneself". The "-nuhos" ending is the high-honorific (tapai-level) polite imperative — the standard register a shopkeeper uses with a customer

3. आधा किलो दाल दिनुहोस्।

   Ādhā kilo dāl dinuhos.

   Half a kilo of lentils, please

   Usage

   In a Nepali shop rice, lentils, sugar and spices are scooped from sacks and weighed out rather than pre-packed. State the weight you want and the shopkeeper measures it into a paper bag

   Grammar Note

   Quantity expressions precede the noun. Swap "dāl" for "chāmal" (rice), "chini" (sugar) or "masalā" (spices) to reuse the pattern

4. कति चाहियो?

   Kati chāhiyo?

   How much do you need?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Whenever you point at a loose-weighed item you will be asked the amount. Reply "ādhā kilo" (500 g), "ek kilo" (1 kg) or "dui say grām" (200 g)

   Grammar Note

   "Chāhiyo" is formally the past of "chāhinu" (to be needed), but Nepali uses this form to ask about a present want — it means "do you want", not "did you want"

5. अलिकति थप्नुहोस् न।

   Alikati thapnuhos na.

   Could you add a little more?

   Usage

   Use it when the scale falls just short. Nepali shopkeepers commonly round up with a small extra scoop, and this phrase usually gets you that top-up cheerfully

   Grammar Note

   The sentence-final "na" softens an imperative and removes any pushiness; without it the sentence sounds like an order rather than a request

6. QR स्क्यान गरेर तिर्न मिल्छ?

   QR skyān garera tirna milchha?

   Can I pay by scanning the QR code?

   Usage

   QR payment via eSewa, Khalti and Fonepay has reached even tiny Nepali shops — look for the printed QR taped to the counter. Foreign-issued apps will not work; you need a Nepali bank account or local SIM

   Grammar Note

   The "-era" ending is a conjunctive participle linking actions ("having done X"). "Infinitive + milchha" is the most natural way to ask whether something is allowed or possible

7. QR स्क्यान गर्नुहोस्, कार्ड चल्दैन।

   QR skyān garnuhos, kārḍ chaldaina.

   Scan the QR code — we don't take cards

   Usage

   Said by staff. Small shops almost never have a card terminal — payment is cash or QR only, so travellers should carry cash

   Grammar Note

   "Chalnu" literally means "to move" but extends to "to be accepted / to work". The negative "chaldaina" is the standard verb for saying a currency, card or language is not usable

8. पाँच सयको नोट छ, खुद्रा छ?

   Pā̃ch sayko noṭ chha, khudrā chha?

   I only have a 500-rupee note — do you have change?

   Usage

   ATMs dispense only large notes while small shops rarely hold change. Asking before you buy saves you from being turned away at the counter

   Grammar Note

   "Khudrā" derives from Sanskrit kṣudra ("small"), the same source as Hindi khudrā. In Nepal the practical small change is 10-, 20- and 50-rupee notes rather than coins

9. खुद्रा छैन, मिलाएर दिनुहोस्।

   Khudrā chhaina, milāera dinuhos.

   I have no change — please give me the exact amount

   Usage

   Said by staff. Running out of change is routine in Nepali shops; if they cannot make it up you may be handed sweets or chewing gum worth the difference, so hoard small notes deliberately

   Grammar Note

   "Milāunu" means "to match / adjust". "Milāera dinuhos" is the set phrase for "hand it over made up to the exact amount"

10. झोला चाहिँदैन, मसँग छ।

    Jholā chāhi̐daina, masa̐ga chha.

    I don't need a bag — I have my own

    Usage

    Plastic-bag restrictions apply in the Kathmandu Valley, so shops either charge for a bag or assume you brought a cloth one. Say this while holding out your own bag

    Grammar Note

    "Masa̐ga chha" literally means "it is with me" — the standard Nepali possessive construction. Nepali has no verb "to have"; possession is expressed as "with X there is"

11. झोलाको पाँच रुपैयाँ छुट्टै लाग्छ।

    Jholāko pā̃ch rupaiyā̃ chhuṭṭai lāgchha.

    The bag costs five rupees extra

    Usage

    Said by staff. Bag charges run five to ten rupees depending on the shop. Decline with "pardaina" (not needed) or accept with "hunchha" (fine)

    Grammar Note

    "Lāgnu" expresses cost or time being incurred and appears alongside "parnu" in price talk. "Chhuṭṭai" is an adverb derived from "chhuṭṭinu" (to be separated)

12. पुरानो अखबारमा बेरिदिनुहोस् न।

    Purāno akhabārmā beridinuhos na.

    Could you wrap it in newspaper?

    Usage

    Wrapping oily, wet or fragile goods in newspaper is the long-standing practice in Nepali shops. Asking for it is a welcome way to avoid a plastic bag

    Grammar Note

    "Bernu" (to wrap) plus the auxiliary "dinu" (to give) forms the benefactive "do it for someone". The "-idinuhos" ending politely asks the listener to do it for your benefit

13. सानो प्याकेट छ?

    Sāno pyākeṭ chha?

    Do you have a small sachet?

    Usage

    Shampoo, detergent, hair oil and tea are sold in single-use sachets costing a few rupees — far less wasteful than a full bottle for a short trip

    Grammar Note

    Nepali questions keep the same word order and are marked by rising intonation alone: "chha" means "there is" flat, "is there?" when raised

14. प्याकेटमा लेखेको मूल्य कति हो?

    Pyākeṭmā lekheko mulya kati ho?

    What is the price printed on the packet?

    Usage

    Packaged goods in Nepal carry a printed maximum price and charging above it is illegal. Tourist areas sometimes add a markup, so point at the print and check

    Grammar Note

    "Lekheko" is the past participle of "lekhnu" (to write) used adjectivally. "Ho" is the identifying copula, distinct from "chha", which marks existence or state

15. म्याद सकिने मिति हेरिदिनुहोस्।

    Myād sakine miti heridinuhos.

    Could you check the expiry date?

    Usage

    Stock turns over slowly in small shops, and dates may be printed in both the Gregorian and Bikram Sambat calendars. Worth asking about dairy products and snacks

    Grammar Note

    The "-ne" ending forms a future or habitual participle modifying the following noun. Nepal officially uses the Bikram Sambat calendar, roughly 57 years ahead of the Gregorian one

16. उधारोमा दिन मिल्छ? म यहीँ बस्दैछु।

    Udhāromā dina milchha? Ma yahī̃ basdaichhu.

    Can I buy on credit? I'm staying right here

    Usage

    Neighbourhood shops keep a credit ledger ("udhāro") for regulars and settle it at month's end. A traveller staying long enough to become a familiar face can sometimes ask for it too

    Grammar Note

    "Yahī̃" is "yahā̃" (here) plus the emphatic "-i", meaning "right here and nowhere else". The "-daichhu" ending is the first-person present continuous

17. सकियो, भोलि बिहान आउँछ।

    Sakiyo, bholi bihāna āunchha.

    We're out of it — it will come in tomorrow morning

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small shops hold little stock and eggs, bread and milk often sell out by midday. Follow up with "kahile āunchha?" (when will it arrive?)

    Grammar Note

    "Sakiyo" is the past of "sakinu" (to run out) and is the ordinary way to say sold out. "Āunchha" is present tense but also expresses a settled near future

Browse all TravelPhrases languages