वाला

The One Who: वाला

Level 3Sounds Like vālā

वाला after a word means the one who does it, sells it or comes from there.

How It Works

वाला turns a word into "the one connected with it".

WordMeaning
चाय वालाthe tea seller
लखनऊ वाली मौसीthe aunt from Lucknow
लाल वाला कुरताthe red kurta
स्टेशन वाले रस्ताthe road by the station

It agrees with the noun it describes. वाला goes with a masculine noun, वाली with a feminine one, and वाले with several or in the form before a postposition: स्टेशन वाले रस्ता से जाव.

It often replaces a long description. Instead of "the aunt who lives in Lucknow", one can say लखनऊ वाली मौसी.

Many speakers also use वाला with the -ै form of a verb, as in आवै वाला (to mean "about to" or "the one who does"). Learn the noun use first, because it is the most common.

Examples (4)

  1. चाय वाला इहाँ आवत अहै।

    The tea seller comes here.

    वाला names the man by his trade.

  2. लखनऊ वाली मौसी काल्हि अइहैं।

    The aunt from Lucknow will come tomorrow.

    वाली agrees with मौसी.

  3. हमका लाल वाला कुरता चाही।

    I want the red kurta.

    वाला picks out one among several.

  4. स्टेशन वाले रस्ता से जाव।

    Go by the road near the station.

    वाले appears before the postposition से.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

वालाLevel 3The One Who: वाला

Learn This First

वाला changes for a woman the way नवा does.

Words in This Pattern

वाला