-ताच

As Soon as

Level 4Sounds Like tāca

The first verb has no tense of its own; the main clause gives it: घरी येताच पाऊस सुरू झाला.

How It Works

-ताच is -ता plus the emphatic -च. It joins the verb as one word and does not change for gender or number.

VerbWith -ताच
पोहोचणेपोहोचताच
येणेयेताच
पाहणेपाहताच
मिळणेमिळताच
उगवणेउगवताच

Both clauses can share one person: in आईला पाहताच बाळ हसू लागले, the baby sees and the baby smiles. The two clauses can also have different doers: in दार उघडताच तो आत आला, the door opens and he comes in.

The main clause can be a request (फोन कर), a past event (पाऊस सुरू झाला) or a future promise (मी तुला देईन). That clause sets the tense for the whole sentence.

-ताच has a written feel. In casual speech people often say -ल्यावर लगेच: घरी पोहोचल्यावर लगेच फोन कर.

Write -ताच as one word. Do not use -ते with -च, because -ते changes for gender and belongs to a different pattern.

Two short clauses make a lively sentence: दार उघडताच तो आत आला. (He came in as soon as the door opened.)

Examples (5)

  1. घरी पोहोचताच फोन कर.

    Call as soon as you get home.

    पोहोचताच sets the moment for the call.

  2. मी घरी येताच पाऊस सुरू झाला.

    The rain started as soon as I came home.

    येताच and सुरू झाला follow each other at once.

  3. आईला पाहताच बाळ हसू लागले.

    The baby began to smile as soon as it saw Mom.

    पाहताच has आईला as its object.

  4. सूर्य उगवताच पक्षी गाऊ लागले.

    The birds started singing as soon as the sun rose.

    उगवताच joins to the verb stem.

  5. पैसे मिळताच मी तुला देईन.

    I'll give it to you as soon as I get the money.

    मिळताच looks ahead to the future promise.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the -ते form with -च.

    घरी पोहोचतेच फोन कर.
    घरी पोहोचताच फोन कर.

    The form is -ताच, built on the -ता stem.

  • Writing -च apart.

    घरी पोहोचता च फोन कर.
    घरी पोहोचताच फोन कर.

    -च joins the verb.

How It Connects

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

-ताचLevel 4As Soon as

Learn This First

As soon as uses -ताच.