It's quite easy to get by with English in Nepal; most of the visitors will have to deal with in the Kathmandu valley and in Pokhara will speak good English. Along the main trekking trails, particularly the Annapurna Circuit, English is widely understood. However, it's interesting to learn at least a little Nepali and it's quite an easy language to pick up. Nepali is closely related to Hindi and, like Hindi, is a member of the Indo-European group of languages. Although Nepali is the national language of Nepal and is the linking language between all the country's ethnic groups there are many other languages spoken. The Newars of the Kathmandu Valley, for example, speak Newari and there are other languages spoken by the Tamangs, Sherpas, Rais, Limbus, Magars, Gurungs and other groups. In the Terai, bordering India, Hindi and Maithali, another Indian language of their region, are often spoken. Even if you can learn no other Nepali, there is one word every visitor soon picks up - Namaste. Strictly translated it means I salute the god in you, but it is used as an everyday greeting encompassing everything from Hello to How are you? and even 'see you again soon'. Properly used it should be accompanied with the hands held in a prayer like position, the Nepali gesture which is the equivalent of westerners shaking hands.