जब ... तब

When ... Then

Level 4Sounds Like jaba ... taba

जब ... तब means when ... then.

How It Works

जब means when and तब means then. They work as a pair, like जहाँ ... त्यहाँ and जो ... त्यो.

The verbs can be in any tense, and the tense of the two clauses usually matches. जब is the relative word; the question word कहिले asks when.

जब ... तब is about a time that repeats or a time you point to. For the plain -दा, you can say म सानो हुँदा, with no जब and no तब.

जब मलाई भोक लाग्छ, तब म खान्छु।
When I feel hungry, then I eat.
जब opens the time and तब opens the result.
जब पानी पर्छ, तब बाटो चिप्लो हुन्छ।
When it rains, the road gets slippery.
Both clauses are in the present.
जब म सानो थिएँ, तब हामी गाउँमा बस्थ्यौँ।
When I was small, we used to live in the village.
The pair works for the past.
जब तिमी आउँछौ, तब म चिया बनाउँछु।
When you come, I will make tea.
The two clauses have different doers.
जब तपाईं तयार हुनुहुन्छ, तब हामी निस्कौँ।
When you are ready, let us set out.
The result clause can be a suggestion.

A learner uses the question word कहिले.
कहिले मलाई भोक लाग्छ, तब म खान्छु।
जब मलाई भोक लाग्छ, तब म खान्छु।
जब is the relative word, not कहिले.

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जब ... तबLevel 4When ... Then

जब ... तब means when then.

Patterns that build on this one.

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