तो / ती / ते / त्या

He, She, It and They

Level 1Sounds Like tō / tī / tē / tyā

The same word ते means it, they (masculine nouns or mixed groups), and one respected man.

How It Works

These words stand for a person or thing you are not speaking to.

SingularPlural
masculineतोते
feminineतीत्या
neuterतेती

The verb matches the plural: ते आहेत, त्या आहेत. For one person you respect, Marathi uses the plural word and the plural verb, so त्या शिक्षिका आहेत can mean She is a teacher.

Translate a respectful plural as he or she, never as they.

Use these words as the doer of a sentence: तो जातो (he goes), ती जाते (she goes). The verb ending matches the word, so look at the word first and then choose the verb.

Examples (5)

  1. तो माझा भाऊ आहे.

    He is my brother.

    तो means he.

  2. ती माझी बहीण आहे.

    She is my sister.

    ती means she.

  3. ते माझे घर आहे.

    That is my house.

    ते stands for a neuter noun.

  4. ती मुले घरी आहेत.

    Those children are at home.

    ती is the plural of ते.

  5. त्या शिक्षिका आहेत.

    She is a teacher. The plural shows respect.

    त्या and आहेत show respect to one woman.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the singular verb for a respected person.

    त्या शिक्षिका आहे.
    त्या शिक्षिका आहेत.

    त्या takes the plural verb आहेत.

  • Using ते for neuter plural nouns.

    ते मुले घरी आहेत.
    ती मुले घरी आहेत.

    The plural of ते is ती.

How It Connects

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

तो / ती / ते / त्याLevel 1He, She, It and They

Learn This First

He, she, it and they change with gender, so the three genders come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

तोतीते