тоа што / оној што
What and the One Who
Тоа што = what, the thing that: Тоа што го кажа е точно. (What you said is true.) Оној што = the one who: Оној што доцни ќе плати. (The one who is late will pay.)
How It Works
Тоа што: the thing that. English often says just "what": Тоа што го кажа е точно. (What you said is true.) Не ми се допаѓа тоа што го гледам. (I do not like what I see.) Она што means the same and is also very common: Она што ти треба е добар одмор. (What you need is a good rest.)
The short pronoun. When the thing is the object of the verb inside the clause, го repeats it: тоа што го кажа, она што го купив. When it is the subject, nothing is added: Тоа што се случи беше страшно. (What happened was terrible.) This is the same rule as in relative clauses with што.
Оној што: the one who. Choose the form for the person or people meant:
- Оној што доцни ќе плати. (The one who is late will pay.)
- Таа е онаа што ми помогна. (She is the one who helped me.)
- Оние што сакаат можат да останат. (Those who want to can stay.)
The verb inside the clause agrees too: оној што доцни, оние што доцнат. Тој што, таа што and тие што are also used. Sayings and definitions with оној што are covered in definitions with оној што.
Everything that. After сѐ, use што as well: Сѐ што е тука е твое. (Everything that is here is yours.)
Not "the fact that". In Тоа што доцни ме нервира (The fact that he is late annoys me), што does not stand for a thing inside the clause, so no pronoun is added. That use is taught in тоа што and тоа дека.
Examples (6)
- Тоа што го кажа е точно.
What you said is true.
Word by Word: That what it you-said is true.
- Оној што доцни ќе плати.
The one who is late will pay.
Word by Word: That-one what is-late will pay.
- Таа е онаа што ми помогна.
She is the one who helped me.
Word by Word: She is that-one what to-me helped.
- Она што ти треба е добар одмор.
What you need is a good rest.
Word by Word: That what to-you needs is good rest.
- Оние што сакаат можат да останат.
Those who want to can stay.
Word by Word: Those what want can to stay.
- Не ми се допаѓа тоа што го гледам.
I do not like what I see.
Word by Word: Not to-me itself pleases that what it I-see.
Common Mistakes
Using оној for a woman.
Таа е оној што ми помогна.Таа е онаа што ми помогна.Оној agrees with the person meant. For a woman, use онаа; for several people, оние.
Keeping a singular verb after оние што.
Оние што доцни ќе платат.Оние што доцнат ќе платат.The verb inside the clause agrees with оние, so it must be plural: доцнат.
How It Connects
Learn This First
What and the one who combine relatives and demonstratives.
Related Patterns
- тоа што / тоа декаFacts as Subjects and Objects
Тоа што can also mean "the fact that", where што is not the subject or object.
Level 5 - оној што in DefinitionsDefinitions with Оној Што
Оној што in sayings and definitions of a kind of person.
Level 6 - кој и да / што и да / каде и даWhoever and Whatever
Што и да means "whatever", a looser way to talk about unknown things.
Level 4 - Doubling a Definite Object
Explains why го repeats the object in тоа што го кажа.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice тоа што / оној што in Bubblegum
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