Communication

hello all, I will be moving to Kathmandu in a few weeks and will be staying for around 5 months.  I have been trying to teach myself rudimentary Nepali but my first language is English.  Is English widely used in Kathmandu? I also speak some Arabic, would this be useful at all?  I'd appreciate any input or advice
thanks!

Arabic will do you no good in Nepal, but with English you can manage very well. Around Kathmandu valley most people who deal with tourists speak English very well, but if you go outside Kathmandu valley or you want to meet Nepali people who are not used to meeting tourists, then you'd better speak some Nepali.
(A little bit is often enough - many people will try there very best at their limited English if you try to speak their language, no matter how poorly you perform).

You will find traveling Nepal is rather easy and very enjoyable.


All the best,

Jorge.

We want to learn the Nepali language before we move to Kathmandu. There are so many resources available to learn Hindi though. I keep reading that everyone in Nepal understands Hindi even though they view it as an Indian language. It would be easier for us to learn Hindi, but is it recommended? Would we be understood? Is it an easy leap to learn Nepali after you know Hindi?