The copula རེད་བཞག་ functions like an essential stative verb, implying that the speaker has just discovered or become aware of whatever he or she is asserting. It may often be translated by the verb “to be” preceded by some exclamation such as “Why!” or “Hey!”

• ཐུབ་བསྟན་རེད་བཞག “Hey! It’s Tupten.”
• འབྲོག་པ་རེད་མི་འདུག “No, he isn’t a nomad.”
• སྨྱོན་པ་རེད་བཞག “Why, he’s mad! (I’ve just realized it.)”