A2 · Joining clauses
When: जब … तब
clauses of time with when
जब opens a clause of time, and तब or तो can pick it up in the main clause; कब is only for questions.
At a glance
- Remember
- Kab asks, jab tells — and tab or to can pick it up in the main clause.
- Form
- कब?when? (a question)
- Signal words
- जब
- तब
- तो
- जब भी
- जब से
- Trap
- Wrong:कब मैं घर पहुँचा, सब सो रहे थे।Right:जब मैं घर पहुँचा, सब सो रहे थे।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
| when? (a question) | कब? |
| when (a clause) | जब …, (तब) … |
| when, about the future | जब आप आएँगे, … |
| whenever | जब भी … |
| since | जब से … |
| then, picking it up | तब, तो |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
जब opens a clause of time; कब only asks.
जब मैं छोटा था, तब मैं गाँव में रहता था।When I was small, I lived in a village.
The main clause can pick it up with तब or तो, or with nothing.
जब वह आया, हम खाना खा रहे थे।When he came, we were having dinner.
About the future, Hindi uses the future or the subjunctive after जब.
जब आप दिल्ली आएँ, तो मुझे बताइए।When you come to Delhi, let me know.
जब भी is “whenever”.
जब भी मैं उसे फ़ोन करता हूँ, वह व्यस्त होता है।Whenever I phone him, he is busy.
Example sentences
जब बारिश होती है, तो सड़कों पर पानी भर जाता है।When it rains, the streets fill with water.
जब माँ घर आईं, तब बच्चे सो रहे थे।When mother came home, the children were asleep.
जब मैं घर पहुँचूँगा, आपको फ़ोन करूँगा।I will call you when I get home.
जब आपके पास समय हो, तब आइए।Come when you have time.
जब हम भारत गए थे, बहुत गर्मी थी।When we went to India, it was very hot.
जब भी मुझे डर लगता है, मैं गाना गाता हूँ।Whenever I am scared, I sing.
6 more example sentences
जब वह आया, मैं सो रहा था।When he came, I was asleep.
जब से वह मुंबई गया है, उसका फ़ोन नहीं आया।He hasn’t called since he went to Mumbai.
जब खाना तैयार हो जाए, तो मुझे बुलाइए।Call me when the food is ready.
जब मैं स्कूल में था, तब मुझे गणित पसंद नहीं था।When I was at school, I didn’t like maths.
जहाँ हम रहते हैं, वहाँ बहुत पेड़ हैं।There are a lot of trees where we live.
जब भी आप आएँ, आपका स्वागत है।You are welcome whenever you come.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
कब is a question word and only asks. A clause that tells the time of something else begins with जब. English uses one word for both; Hindi uses two.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Hindi has two words for “when”. कब asks: आप कब आएँगे? जब does not ask; it opens a clause that says at what time something happens: जब मैं छोटा था, …, “when I was small, …”.
The जब clause normally comes first, and the main clause can begin with तब, “then”, or the lighter तो: जब मैं छोटा था, तब मैं गाँव में रहता था. This pair — a word in ज answered by a word in त — is a pattern Hindi uses a lot. The तब may also be left out.
English uses the present after “when” even for the future: “when you come”. Hindi says what it means: the future, or the subjunctive for a vaguer “whenever that may be”: जब आप दिल्ली आएँगे, मुझे बताइए or जब आप दिल्ली आएँ, तो मुझे बताइए.
जब भी means “whenever”: जब भी मैं फ़ोन करता हूँ, वह व्यस्त होता है. जब से means “since” a moment: जब से वह गया है, …. And जब तक, “until” or “as long as”, has a topic of its own.
A closer look
The ज-word and its partner
Hindi builds its clauses of time, place and manner in pairs: जब … तब(when … then)जहाँ … वहाँ(where … there)जैसे … वैसे(as … so)जितना … उतना(as much … as) The first word opens the clause, the second picks it up in the main clause.
जहाँ works exactly like जब: जहाँ हम रहते हैं, वहाँ बहुत पेड़ हैं, “there are a lot of trees where we live”.
जब से: since
जब से counts from a moment: जब से वह मुंबई गया है, उसका फ़ोन नहीं आया, “he hasn’t called since he went to Mumbai”. The main clause often has तब से, “since then”.
Worth knowing (2)
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The जब clause second
A जब clause can also follow the main clause, especially when it brings a surprise: मैं सो रहा था जब फ़ोन बजा, “I was asleep when the phone rang”. Then there is no तब.
हम खाना खा रहे थे जब बिजली चली गई।We were eating when the power went off.
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जब or अगर
तो also picks up अगर, “if”. With जब the event is certain to happen; with अगर it may not.
अगर बारिश हुई तो हम घर पर रहेंगे।If it rains, we will stay at home.
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