Use a description to identify the referent
If several people are present, a description can identify the one you mean. A clause beginning with जो supplies that description, while a matching reference such as वह introduces what you say about the identified person. Both parts refer to the same person or thing.
This is not simply a word for English who. The same relative word can identify a book, a room, or an activity’s participant. Start by constructing two clear sentences with a repeated noun, then decide which sentence will become the identifying description. Keep the relationship between the two clauses explicit.
A relative description narrows or characterizes a referent, but the listener still needs enough context to identify it. If two girls are reading, “the girl who is reading” may remain ambiguous. Add another relevant detail, such as location, or point to the intended person. Grammar alone cannot repair missing shared information. The examples use simple scenes with one suitable referent so the language relation is easy to see. In your own sentences, ask whether someone who cannot see your private notes would know which person or thing you mean before checking the endings.
जो लड़की पढ़ रही है, वह मेरी बहन है।
The girl who is reading is my sister.
जो किताब मेज़ पर है, वह मेरी है।
The book that is on the table is mine.
Keep agreement inside each clause
The relative word जो does not itself display masculine or feminine agreement, an ending that matches a noun, in its basic direct form, the form used without a postposition. The noun and the clause still determine the forms of adjectives and verbs. A girl who is reading has feminine agreement in the progressive, the verb form for an action in progress; boys who are reading have masculine plural agreement.
The main clause has its own verb and agreement. Do not let the nearest noun in the other clause automatically control it. Trace the shared referent, then read each clause independently. This is especially useful when one clause contains another noun, such as a book being held by the person described.
जो लड़के बाहर हैं, वे मेरे दोस्त हैं।
The boys who are outside are my friends.
जो कमरा खाली है, वह छोटा है।
The room that is empty is small.
References for this explanation
Use जिस or जिन before a postposition
When the relative noun phrase has a following postposition, the relative form changes. Use जिस for the singular oblique form, the form used before a postposition, and जिन for the plural one. The following noun also takes an oblique form where Hindi marks it visibly.
Compare “the room that is empty” with “the room in which you live.” In the second description, the postposition में “in” belongs to the relative noun phrase, so the phrase becomes जिस कमरे में. This change is caused by the postposition, not by the room’s gender or by the fact that the sentence is long.
The number distinction between जिस and जिन belongs to the relative phrase, not to the number of nouns in the entire sentence. A sentence may mention several books while its relative referent is one person. Conversely, one singular speaker can describe several people with जिन. Isolate the phrase governed by the postposition and determine its number there. This local analysis is more reliable than choosing the nearest plural word. The same principle applies to the matching reference in the main clause: it takes the form required by the referent and its own grammatical role.
जिस कमरे में मैं रहती हूँ, वह छोटा है।
The room in which I live is small, with feminine speaker agreement.
जिन लड़कों से मैं मिली, वे मेरे दोस्त हैं।
The boys whom I met are my friends, with feminine speaker agreement.
Build a description with a postposition
A woman says that the room she lives in is small.
- She lives in the room, so the relative noun phrase needs the postposition में.
- Use singular oblique जिस कमरे में.
- The woman is the speaker, so the living clause takes feminine agreement: मैं रहती हूँ. Then describe the room.
जिस कमरे में मैं रहती हूँ, वह छोटा है।
Let the two references take their own roles
The relative clause and the main clause can use the same referent in different grammatical roles. A person may be a subject in one clause and the object of a postposition in the other. Each occurrence takes the form required by its own clause.
For example, the girl who is reading can be the person to whom you give a book. The relative part has direct जो लड़की; the main clause can use उसे. Do not require the two forms to look identical. They match in reference, while their grammar reflects their local jobs.
जो लड़की पढ़ रही है, उसे यह किताब दीजिए।
Give this book to the girl who is reading.
जिस लड़के को मैं जानती हूँ, वह यहाँ है।
The boy whom I know is here, with feminine speaker agreement.
Let each clause assign its own role
Give a book to the girl who is reading.
- The girl is the subject of reading, so use direct जो लड़की.
- She is the recipient in the main clause, so use उसे.
- Finish with the respectful instruction to give the book.
Compare your reasoning
जो लड़की पढ़ रही है, उसे किताब दीजिए।
Identify a place with जहाँ and वहाँ
The pair जहाँ and वहाँ links a place description with a statement about that place. It can translate where in contexts where English embeds a clause after a location word. A useful first pattern states the relative place first and then points back to it.
Do not add a separate location postposition automatically after जहाँ just because English uses in which. The word जहाँ itself already expresses the location. Compare this with जिस कमरे में, where the noun for “room” needs a postposition. These are two different structures, so do not combine their words.
जहाँ मैं रहती हूँ, वहाँ एक पार्क है।
Where I live, there is a park, with feminine speaker agreement.
जहाँ आप बैठेंगे, वहाँ रोशनी है।
There is light where you will sit, with respectful masculine agreement.
Connect a time with जब and तब
The pair जब and तब links a time clause with what happens at that time. In a repeated routine, both clauses can describe a habitual relation. With a particular past event, choose forms that fit the event and its background.
A temporal relation does not automatically mean causation. “When someone arrived, I was reading” states a time relationship; it does not claim that their arrival caused the reading. Similarly, a future time clause needs its own suitable future form. Avoid copying English present tense into Hindi merely because English says when you come.
जब मैं घर आती हूँ, तब चाय पीती हूँ।
When I come home, I drink tea, with feminine speaker agreement.
जब आप आएँगे, तब हम बात करेंगे।
When you come, we will talk, addressing a man with आप.
References for this explanation
- University of Minnesota Hindi Urdu: Grammar Notes 9.2, Relative correlative construction
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.8 The Present and Past Progressive Tense
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.7 Grammar, The present and past habitual tense
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.9 Grammar, Simple Future Tense
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.6 Grammar, Tense and Aspect
Keep the reference recoverable
Hindi allows several relative clause arrangements, including descriptions after a noun. The paired pattern is a clear starting point because it makes the relationship visible. It is not the only grammatical order, and the matching reference is not equally obligatory in every real utterance.
For the challenge, expand each sentence into two simple statements to check who or what is shared. Then reconstruct it with the appropriate relative form. If two people in the scene could match the description, add a useful detail. A formally correct relative clause can still fail to identify the intended person.
Punctuation can help a beginning reader see the two clauses, but it is not the grammatical source of their relationship. A comma in the examples marks a convenient reading break; the relative word and the matching reference carry the connection. In speech, intonation and context help organize the same information. Do not assume that adding a comma can turn an unrelated question into a relative clause. Build the shared reference first, then use punctuation to make the written sentence readable. This keeps the exercise focused on clause meaning rather than treating the visible comma as an answer cue.
वह किताब अच्छी है जो आप पढ़ रहे हैं।
The book that you are reading is good, with respectful masculine agreement.
जो किताब आपने पढ़ी, वह अच्छी है।
The book that you read is good.
Notice the difference
Common mistakes
Use the oblique relative before a postposition
Instead ofजो कमरे में मैं रहता हूँ, वह छोटा है।
For this meaningजिस कमरे में मैं रहता हूँ, वह छोटा है।
The postposition requires the oblique relative form.
Keep plural relative agreement
Instead ofजिस लड़कों से मैं मिली, वे यहाँ हैं।
For this meaningजिन लड़कों से मैं मिली, वे यहाँ हैं।
The explicitly plural relative phrase uses जिन.
Distinguish place and time
Instead ofजहाँ मैं आती हूँ, तब हम बात करते हैं।
For this meaningजब मैं आती हूँ, तब हम बात करते हैं।
For the intended time relationship, use जब with तब.
Follow the referenced noun’s gender
Instead ofजो किताब मेज़ पर है, वह अच्छा है।
For this meaningजो किताब मेज़ पर है, वह अच्छी है।
The main clause describes a feminine book.
From understanding to using
Make your own example.
Try these without answer choices. Say your answer aloud or write it below, then compare your reasoning with the model.
Your turn 1
Identify the book on the table as yours. Then identify the room you live in as small, speaking as a woman.
Compare with a model
जो किताब मेज़ पर है, वह मेरी है। जिस कमरे में मैं रहती हूँ, वह छोटा है।
The book on the table is mine. The room I live in is small.
The second relative phrase uses जिस because it includes the postposition में.
- Did both clauses in each sentence refer to the same thing?
- Did the noun before में take its oblique form?
Your turn 2
Tell a man respectfully that you will talk when he comes. Use “we” for the group that will talk.
Compare with a model
जब आप आएँगे, तब हम बात करेंगे।
When you come, we will talk.
The time clause and main clause each have their own future subject agreement.
- Did जब pair with a time reference?
- Did you keep the two subjects distinct?
Put it into practice
Make the next choice.
Choose a response and learn why it works. Your score reflects your first answer to each question. You can revisit anything you miss.
Choose an answer, then open the explanation to check your reasoning.
Question 1
Identify the girl who is reading.
___ लड़की पढ़ रही है, वह मेरी बहन है।
- जो
- कब
Check the answer
Answer: जो
जो: The direct relative form introduces the description.
कब: This asks or refers to time rather than the girl.
Question 2
Identify a thing rather than a person.
___ किताब मेज़ पर है, वह मेरी है।
- कौन
- जो
Check the answer
Answer: जो
कौन: This would ask who rather than build the stated relative clause.
जो: The relative form can refer to things as well as people.
Question 3
Describe several boys.
जो लड़के बाहर हैं, ___ मेरे दोस्त हैं।
- वे
- वह
Check the answer
Answer: वे
वे: The plural reference matches the boys.
वह: The singular reference does not fit this explicit plural group.
Question 4
Say that the girl who is reading is your sister.
जो लड़की पढ़ ___ है, वह मेरी बहन है।
- रहा
- रही
Check the answer
Answer: रही
रहा: This is masculine singular, but लड़की “girl” is feminine.
रही: The girl controls feminine agreement.
Question 5
A man says that the room he lives in is small.
___ कमरे में मैं रहता हूँ, वह छोटा है।
- जिस
- जो
Check the answer
Answer: जिस
जिस: The singular relative phrase is oblique before में.
जो: The direct relative form does not fit this postpositional phrase.
Question 6
A woman says that the boys she met are here.
___ लड़कों से मैं मिली, वे यहाँ हैं।
- जिस
- जिन
Check the answer
Answer: जिन
जिस: This is the singular oblique form, but लड़कों is plural.
जिन: The plural phrase before से requires जिन.
Question 7
Choose the noun form before में.
जिस ___ में मैं रहती हूँ, वह छोटा है।
- कमरे
- कमरा
Check the answer
Answer: कमरे
कमरे: The masculine singular noun is oblique before the postposition.
कमरा: This is the direct form.
Question 8
Give a book to the girl described.
जो लड़की पढ़ रही है, ___ किताब दीजिए।
- वह
- उसे
Check the answer
Answer: उसे
वह: A direct subject form does not express the recipient here.
उसे: The main clause marks the recipient with a को form.
Question 9
Link a place description to that same place.
जहाँ मैं रहती हूँ, ___ एक पार्क है।
- वहाँ
- तब
Check the answer
Answer: वहाँ
वहाँ: This points back to the described place.
तब: This refers to time instead.
Question 10
Say that there is light where the listener will sit.
___ आप बैठेंगे, वहाँ रोशनी है।
- जब
- जहाँ
Check the answer
Answer: जहाँ
जब: This would identify a time, not a place.
जहाँ: This identifies where the sitting will occur.
Question 11
Connect a recurring time relation.
___ मैं घर आती हूँ, तब चाय पीती हूँ।
- जब
- जहाँ
Check the answer
Answer: जब
जब: This identifies the time of the main event.
जहाँ: This would identify a place.
Question 12
A man you address with आप will come in the future.
जब आप ___, तब हम बात करेंगे।
- आता हूँ
- आएँगे
Check the answer
Answer: आएँगे
आता हूँ: This is a masculine speaker habitual form.
आएँगे: This is the appropriate future form for the stated listener.
Question 13
Say that the book the listener read is good.
जो किताब आपने पढ़ी, वह ___ है।
- अच्छी
- अच्छा
Check the answer
Answer: अच्छी
अच्छी: The main clause describes the feminine book.
अच्छा: This is masculine singular, but किताब is feminine.
Question 14
What is shared between the clauses?
जिस लड़के को मैं जानती हूँ, वह यहाँ है।
- Two unrelated boys must be involved.
- The boy known to the speaker is the one who is here.
Check the answer
Answer: The boy known to the speaker is the one who is here.
Two unrelated boys must be involved.: Different pronoun forms do not imply different referents.
The boy known to the speaker is the one who is here.: The forms differ because their clause roles differ, but the referent matches.
Keep the conversation going
What to practice next
Choose two objects in a room and identify each with a relative clause. Later replace one location phrase with a time clause and explain which linking words must change.
Keep it going in the app
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Sources
- University of Minnesota Hindi Urdu: Grammar Notes 9.2, Relative correlative construction
- MSU Basic Hindi: 2.7 Personal Pronouns with Verb “To be”
- University of Texas: Hindi Skeleton Grammar
- MSU Basic Hindi: 2.6 Grammar, Gender and Number
- MSU Basic Hindi: 3.5 Grammar of Adjectives
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.8 The Present and Past Progressive Tense
- MSU Basic Hindi: 4.7 Oblique Case
- MSU Basic Hindi: 4.6 Post positions
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.7 Grammar, The present and past habitual tense
- MSU Basic Hindi: 8.6 Grammar, Perfective Aspect
- MSU Basic Hindi: 6.7 Imperative Construction
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.9 Grammar, Simple Future Tense
- MSU Basic Hindi: 7.6 Grammar, Tense and Aspect
- MSU Basic Hindi: 3.8 Wh Question/Interrogative Sentence
- University of Texas: Hindi Grammar
Learning research behind the practice
Worked examples, retrieval practice, and later review inform the activities. These studies do not establish the effectiveness of this specific lesson.