-ता जाना / -ती जाना / -ते जाना

Developing Step by Step

Level 4Sounds Like tā, -tī aura -tē jānā

The -ता form plus जाना shows something growing or going on step by step.

How It Works

This pattern pictures an action or change moving forward over time, often building up as it goes. English uses keep, more and more, or getting with an -er word.

  • शहर बड़ा होता जा रहा है. The city keeps getting bigger.
  • वह आगे बढ़ता गया. He kept moving forward.

Build it from the -ता form and a form of जाना. The -ता form agrees with the subject: होता, होती, होते. जाना carries the tense: जा रहा है (now), गया (in the past), जाएगा (in the future).

With होना and an adjective, it describes gradual change: ठंडा होता जा रहा है, महँगी होती जा रही है. With other verbs, it means carrying on: वह कहानी सुनाता गया (He went on telling the story). As a command, it urges someone to keep going: बोलते जाओ (Keep talking).

Don't drop the -ता: सो गया (bare stem) means fell asleep. -ते रहना is close in meaning, but it stresses that the same action continues, without the sense of moving forward or building up.

Examples (5)

  1. मौसम ठंडा होता जा रहा है।

    The weather is getting colder and colder.

    होता agrees with masculine मौसम; जा रहा है shows the change is still going on.

  2. क़ीमतें बढ़ती जा रही हैं।

    Prices keep going up.

    बढ़ती जा रही हैं agrees with feminine plural क़ीमतें.

  3. दिन छोटे होते जा रहे हैं।

    The days are getting shorter.

    होते जा रहे हैं agrees with masculine plural दिन.

  4. वह कहानी सुनाता गया।

    He went on telling the story.

    With an activity, the pattern means carrying on.

  5. जैसे-जैसे हम ऊपर चढ़ते गए, हवा ठंडी होती गई।

    The higher we climbed, the colder the air got.

    Two step-by-step changes moving together.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a bare stem before जाना for gradual change.

    मौसम ठंडा हो जा रहा है।
    मौसम ठंडा होता जा रहा है।

    For gradual change, use the -ता form before जाना.

How It Connects

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

-ता जाना / -ती जाना / -ते जानाLevel 4Developing Step by Step

Learn This First

Step-by-step change pairs the -ता form with जाना, unlike keeping on and unlike stem compounds.

Words in This Pattern

-ताजाना