What are common mistakes with जो ... वह?

Dropping the correlative and leaving the jo clause hanging. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian normally attaches kotoryy directly after the noun and omits the correlative, so learners produce jo clauses with no vah to answer them and put them in the English position.

जो ... वह: rules, examples & exercises | Hindi Grammar A2

जो ... वह

A2 — वाक्य रचना

Hindi marks both halves: jo opens the relative clause and vah answers it

I can build a sentence with a relative clause and its correlative

Hindi marks both halves: jo opens the relative clause and vah answers it

Examples

— The man who came yesterday is a doctor.
— We'll set off when it rains.
— Take as much as you need.

वाक्य रचनाA2

Relative and Correlative Clauses

jo opens the relative clause and vah answers it

Learning Goal

I can build a relative clause with its correlative

Exam Skills:पढ़नाबोलना

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

The man who came yesterday is a doctor.

We'll set off when it rains.

Take as much as you need.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

The pair

Hindi relative clauses come in pairs. जो opens, and a word from the वह family answers it in the main clause:

जो लड़का वहाँ खड़ा है, वह मेरा भाई है। - The boy standing there is my brother.
जो किताब आपने दी, वह बहुत अच्छी है। - The book you gave is very good.
जहाँ तुम रहते हो, वहाँ मैं भी रहता था। - I used to live where you live.

Relative	Correlative
जो - who, which	वह / वे
जहाँ - where	वहाँ
जब - when	तब
जैसा - as, like	वैसा
जितना - as much as	उतना

The relative clause usually comes first

Unlike English, the जो clause normally opens the sentence and the main clause follows it. Putting it after the noun is possible but far less common.

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Dropping the correlative and leaving the jo clause hanging.

Common Error Patterns

jo clause with no correlative in the main clause

Answer every jo with vah, jahan with vahan, jab with tab.

Placing the jo clause after the noun as in Russian

The relative clause normally opens the sentence in Hindi.

The man who came yesterday is a doctor.

The jo clause opens; vah answers it.

We'll set off when it rains.

jab pairs with tab exactly as agar pairs with to.

Take as much as you need.

jitna / utna is the quantity pair, and Russian skolko / stolko matches it word for word.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

A2 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is जो ... वह used?: Hindi relative clauses come in pairs. जो opens, and a word from the वह family answers it in the main clause:
How is जो ... वह formed?: Unlike English, the जो clause normally opens the sentence and the main clause follows it. Putting it after the noun is possible but far less common.
What are common mistakes with जो ... वह?: Dropping the correlative and leaving the jo clause hanging. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian normally attaches kotoryy directly after the noun and omits the correlative, so learners produce jo clauses with no vah to answer them and put them in the English position.

Sources

हिन्दी व्याकरण — काशी नागरी प्रचारिणी सभा, 1920
Kamta Prasad Guru's grammar, still the standard prescriptive reference for Hindi verb morphology.
Hindi (London Oriental and African Language Library 12) — John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2006
Yamuna Kachru's reference grammar; the descriptive account of aspect, compound verbs and the ergative used here.