A2 · Postpositions
तक: until, as far as, even
the postposition तक
तक marks where something stops: until a time, as far as a place — and, as an extra, “even”.
At a glance
- Remember
- Se is where it starts, tak is where it stops — in time and in space.
- Form
- पाँच बजे तकuntil five o’clock
- Signal words
- तक
- अब तक
- से … तक
- Trap
- Wrong:मैं जब तक पाँच बजे यहाँ हूँ।Right:मैं पाँच बजे तक यहाँ हूँ।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| until five o’clock | पाँच बजे तक |
| by Friday | शुक्रवार तक |
| as far as the station | स्टेशन तक |
| from Monday to Friday | सोमवार से शुक्रवार तक |
| so far, until then | अब तक, तब तक |
| even a child | बच्चे तक |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
तक after a time means “until” or “by”.
मैं शाम तक दफ़्तर में हूँ।I am at the office until the evening.
तक after a place means “as far as”.
यह बस स्टेशन तक जाती है।This bus goes as far as the station.
से … तक gives the start and the end.
दुकान नौ से छह बजे तक खुली है।The shop is open from nine to six.
The noun before तक takes its oblique form.
वह दरवाज़े तक आया।He came as far as the door.
तक can also mean “even”, stronger than भी.
उसे अपना नाम तक याद नहीं था।He couldn’t even remember his own name.
Example sentences
मैं कल तक यहाँ हूँ।I am here until tomorrow.
रिपोर्ट शुक्रवार तक भेजिए।Please send the report by Friday.
हम नदी तक पैदल गए।We walked as far as the river.
बैंक दस से चार बजे तक खुला है।The bank is open from ten to four.
अब तक बारिश नहीं हुई।It hasn’t rained so far.
इस गाने को बच्चे तक जानते हैं।Even children know this song.
6 more example sentences
मेट्रो आधी रात तक चलती है।The metro runs until midnight.
मैं आपको गेट तक छोड़ दूँगा।I’ll walk you to the gate.
आप कब तक लौटेंगे?By when will you be back?
यहाँ से एयरपोर्ट तक एक घंटा लगता है।It takes an hour from here to the airport.
मैंने अब तक खाना नहीं खाया।I haven’t eaten yet.
उसने एक बार तक फ़ोन नहीं किया।He didn’t phone even once.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Learners who have met जब तक (“as long as”, “until”) use it for every “until”. Before a time or a noun, plain तक after it is enough: पाँच बजे तक. जब तक introduces a whole clause with its own verb.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
तक marks an end point. After a time it means “until” or “by”: मैं पाँच बजे तक यहाँ हूँ(I am here until five)शुक्रवार तक भेजिए(send it by Friday) English distinguishes “until” and “by”; Hindi does not, and the context makes the meaning clear.
After a place it means “as far as” or “up to”: यह बस स्टेशन तक जाती है, “this bus goes as far as the station”; पानी घुटनों तक था, “the water was up to our knees”. The noun before it takes the oblique, like before any postposition: दरवाज़े तक.
Together with से it gives a span: नौ से पाँच तक(from nine to five)दिल्ली से आगरा तक(from Delhi to Agra) Many time words have a fixed form with it: अब तक (so far), तब तक (until then), कब तक (until when, by when).
After a noun or phrase that is not a time or a place, तक means “even”, stronger than भी, mostly in negative sentences: उसे अपना नाम तक याद नहीं था, “he couldn’t even remember his own name”.
A closer look
Until and by in one word
“I’ll be here until five” and “I’ll be done by five” are both पाँच बजे तक. The verb tells you which: a state that lasts (यहाँ हूँ) gives “until”, an action that is completed (ख़त्म कर दूँगा) gives “by”.
तक and भी
Both can mean “even”, but तक is stronger and points to the extreme end of a scale: बच्चे भी जानते हैंis “children know it too”बच्चे तक जानते हैं“even children know it” — the people least expected to
Worth knowing (2)
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अब तक, तब तक, कब तक
The time words अब, तब and कब combine with तक into fixed phrases: so far, until then, until when.
तब तक आप यहीं बैठिए।Until then, please sit here.
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Up to a part of the body
With a body part, तक gives a height or a depth.
पानी घुटनों तक था।The water was up to our knees.
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