तथा / एवं / अथवा

Formal and and or

Level 6Sounds Like tathā, ēvaṁ aura athavā

तथा and एवं mean and; अथवा means or. They are the formal partners of और and या.

How It Works

EverydayFormalMeaning
औरतथा, एवं, वand
याअथवाor

These words appear in official names, forms, signs, news and textbooks. In conversation they sound stiff, so use और and या there.

तथा is the most general formal and. It joins nouns, phrases and whole clauses, and often adds the last item of a list: नाम, पता तथा फ़ोन नंबर.

एवं is common in fixed pairs and titles: विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्रालय (Ministry of Science and Technology), शिक्षा एवं संस्कृति. The short word व (and) is used the same way in headlines and lists.

अथवा offers a choice. On exam papers it separates alternative questions: answer this one or that one.

Agreement works as with और and या. Two subjects joined by तथा or एवं take a plural verb: अध्यक्ष तथा सदस्य उपस्थित थे. With अथवा, the verb agrees with the nearer item: एक फ़ोटो अथवा पहचान पत्र काफ़ी है.

Examples (5)

  1. आवेदन के साथ फ़ोटो तथा पहचान पत्र की प्रति लगाएँ।

    Attach a photo and a copy of your ID card to the application.

    तथा joins two items on a form.

  2. विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्रालय ने एक नई योजना शुरू की है।

    The Ministry of Science and Technology has launched a new scheme.

    एवं is typical in official names.

  3. फ़ॉर्म ऑनलाइन अथवा डाक द्वारा भेजा जा सकता है।

    The form can be sent online or by mail.

    अथवा offers a choice between two ways.

  4. बैठक में अध्यक्ष तथा सभी सदस्य उपस्थित थे।

    The chair and all the members were present at the meeting.

    Subjects joined by तथा take a plural verb.

  5. पाँचवें अथवा छठे प्रश्न का उत्तर दीजिए।

    Answer question five or question six.

    Exam papers use अथवा between alternative questions.

How It Connects

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

तथा / एवं / अथवाLevel 6Formal and and or

Learn This First

Formal and and or replace और and या.

Words in This Pattern

तथाएवंअथवा