जनतीं त

If Only: -तीं and -त

Level 4Sounds Like janatīṁ ta

A verb ending in -तीं or -त says what would have happened.

How It Works

For a wish or regret about the past, both halves of the sentence use the same kind of ending. The first half gives the "if". The second half gives what would have happened. त sits between them.

WhoEndingExample
हम, रउआ-तींजनतीं, देतीं
ऊ (plain)-इतरहित, लागित

Vowel stems add -इ-: जइतीं, खइतीं. Verbs like रहल give रहित (if there had been). The sentence tells the listener that it did not happen: हम जनतीं त बता देतीं means I did not know.

The forms for तू and respected people are less settled. Learn the हम, रउआ and plain ऊ forms first.

Examples (5)

  1. हम जनतीं त बता देतीं।

    If I had known, I would have told you.

    Both verbs end in -तीं.

  2. हमरा लगे पइसा रहित त हम गाड़ी कीनतीं।

    If I had had money, I would have bought a car.

    रहित is the plain ऊ form; हम गाड़ी कीनतीं uses -तीं.

  3. बरखा ना होखित त मेला लागित।

    If it had not rained, the fair would have been held.

    -इत on both verbs: होखित and लागित.

  4. हम समय पर पहुँचतीं त गाड़ी मिल जाइत।

    If I had arrived on time, I would have got the train.

    पहुँचतीं and जाइत mark the "if" and the result.

  5. रउआ बोलवतीं त हमनी जरूर अइतीं जा।

    If you had called us, we would surely have come.

    रउआ takes -तीं too.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the future for a thing that did not happen.

    हम जानब त बताइब।
    हम जनतीं त बता देतीं।

    The future sentence means "if I know, I will tell". For something that did not happen, give each verb the ending of its own subject: -तीं with हम or रउआ, -इत with a plain ऊ.

How It Connects

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

जनतीं तLevel 4If Only: -तीं and -त

Learn This First

जनतीं त uses the if-then pattern for something that did not happen, and बता देतीं has the helper देल.