ہی

Emphasizing the Exact Item or Time

Level 3

Identify the phrase before ہی that receives emphasis.

How It Works

Compare میں نے ہی جواب دیا and میں نے آج ہی جواب دیا. The first singles out who replied; the second emphasizes when the reply happened.

یہ plus ہی commonly appears as یہی, and وہ plus ہی as وہی. Place forms include یہیں and وہیں. These forms keep the emphasis without writing a separate ہی.

Do not translate every use with “only.” “This very,” “right here,” or stress on the English word may better convey the focus.

Examples (4)

  1. میں نے ہی جواب دیا۔

    I was the one who replied.

    ہی focuses the ne-marked speaker.

  2. میں نے آج ہی جواب دیا۔

    I replied today.

    آج ہی emphasizes today as the exact day.

  3. یہی راستہ درست ہے۔

    This is exactly the right route.

    یہی singles out this route.

  4. ہم یہیں رکیں گے۔

    We will stop right here.

    یہیں emphasizes the exact place.

How It Connects

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

ہیLevel 3Emphasizing the Exact Item or Time

Learn This First

Distinguish the focus contribution of ہی from the additional restriction supplied by صرف.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ہی