-تے ہی

As Soon as an Action Occurs

Level 3

Treat the first event as the trigger for the next.

How It Works

In a simple sentence with one participant, the understood doer of the opening phrase is the participant in the main clause. وہ خبر سنتے ہی رو پڑی links her hearing the news to her crying.

The -تے form remains unchanged in the illustrated feminine and masculine sentences. The main verb supplies the sentence’s tense and agreement.

This construction can also have an explicitly marked participant of its own, but do not simply place a second unmarked subject before it. A جب clause is a clear alternative when you need to name separate participants.

Examples (4)

  1. مریم گھر پہنچتے ہی سو گئی۔

    Maryam fell asleep as soon as she reached home.

    The moment of arrival leads directly to sleep.

  2. میں نے خط پڑھتے ہی جواب لکھا۔

    I wrote a reply as soon as I read the letter.

    The main transitive perfective has نے; پڑھتے ہی does not become a past finite verb.

  3. وہ خبر سنتے ہی رو پڑی۔

    She burst into tears as soon as she heard the news.

    The main verb is feminine, while the opening form remains سنتے ہی.

  4. دروازہ کھولتے ہی مجھے آواز دیجیے۔

    Please call me as soon as you open the door.

    The main clause is a respectful request about a future action.

How It Connects

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

-تے ہیLevel 3As Soon as an Action Occurs

Learn This First

Recognize a participial event related to the main action. Recognize the focusing contribution of ہی to the immediate sequence.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ہی