The Instrumental 'Thi' (From/By)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The particle 'thi' (થી) acts as a bridge to show origin (from) or the tool used (by/with).
- Use 'thi' for origin: 'Ahmedabad thi' (from Ahmedabad).
- Use 'thi' for instruments: 'pen thi' (with a pen).
- Use 'thi' for comparison: 'mara thi motu' (bigger than me).
Formation Pattern
| Noun | Postposition | Result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bus
|
thi
|
Bus-thi
|
By bus
|
|
Surat
|
thi
|
Surat-thi
|
From Surat
|
|
Pen
|
thi
|
Pen-thi
|
With a pen
|
|
Hu (I)
|
thi
|
Mara-thi
|
Than me
|
|
Te (He)
|
thi
|
Tena-thi
|
Than him
|
|
Shu (What)
|
thi
|
Sha-thi
|
Why/By what
|
Meanings
The postposition 'thi' is used to indicate the source of an action, the instrument used to perform it, or a point of comparison.
Origin/Source
Indicates where something comes from.
“તે સુરતથી આવે છે”
“હું ઘરેથી નીકળ્યો”
Instrument/Means
Indicates the tool or method used.
“મેં પેનથી લખ્યું”
“તેણે ચપ્પુથી કાપ્યું”
Comparison
Used to compare two things.
“આ તેનાથી સારું છે”
“તે મારાથી મોટો છે”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Noun + thi
|
Bus-thi
|
|
Negative
|
Noun + thi + nathi
|
Bus-thi nathi
|
|
Question
|
Noun + thi + che?
|
Bus-thi che?
|
|
Comparison
|
Noun + thi + adjective
|
Mara-thi motu
|
Spectre de formalité
હું ગૃહથી આવું છું (Daily life)
હું ઘરેથી આવું છું (Daily life)
ઘરેથી આવું છું (Daily life)
ઘરેથી (Daily life)
Uses of Thi
Origin
- Surat-thi From Surat
Instrument
- Pen-thi With a pen
Comparison
- Mara-thi Than me
Exemples par niveau
હું બસથી જાઉં છું
I go by bus
તે સુરતથી આવે છે
He comes from Surat
મેં પેનથી લખ્યું
I wrote with a pen
આ મારાથી મોટું છે
This is bigger than me
તમે કયા શહેરથી આવો છો?
Which city do you come from?
તેણે ચપ્પુથી સફરજન કાપ્યું
He cut the apple with a knife
આ રસ્તો અમદાવાદથી જાય છે
This road goes from Ahmedabad
તે તેના મિત્રથી હોશિયાર છે
He is smarter than his friend
મેં ફોનથી ટિકિટ બુક કરી
I booked the ticket via phone
આ કામ મારાથી નહીં થાય
This work cannot be done by me
તેઓ ટ્રેનથી મુંબઈ પહોંચ્યા
They reached Mumbai by train
આ દવા લેવાથી સારું લાગશે
Taking this medicine will make you feel better
તેણે ગુસ્સાથી જવાબ આપ્યો
He answered with anger
આ નિર્ણય સમિતિથી લેવાયો છે
This decision was taken by the committee
તેનાથી ભૂલ થઈ ગઈ
A mistake was made by him
આ કિંમત બજારથી ઓછી છે
This price is lower than the market
તેનાથી વધુ સારું શું હોઈ શકે?
What could be better than that?
આ લેખ અનુભવથી લખાયેલો છે
This article is written from experience
તેણે આત્મવિશ્વાસથી વાત કરી
He spoke with confidence
આ નિયમથી બધાને ફાયદો થશે
Everyone will benefit from this rule
તેનાથી વિપરીત, પરિણામ અલગ આવ્યું
Contrary to that, the result was different
આ પરંપરા વર્ષોથી ચાલી આવે છે
This tradition has been going on for years
તેણે દયાથી ગરીબને મદદ કરી
He helped the poor with compassion
આ પ્રશ્નથી ચર્ચા શરૂ થઈ
The discussion started from this question
Facile à confondre
Learners mix up 'in' and 'from'.
Possessive vs Ablative.
Hindi speakers use 'se' for everything.
Erreurs courantes
thi bus
bus-thi
bus-ma
bus-thi
mara-thi-nu
mara-thi
pen-thi-ma
pen-thi
te mara-thi mota che
te mara-thi mota che
surat-ma-thi
surat-thi
kya-thi
kya-thi
a kaam mara-thi nathi
a kaam mara-thi nahi thay
te gussa-ma-thi
te gussa-thi
train-thi-j
train-thi
anubhav-thi-ne
anubhav-thi
niyam-thi-ma
niyam-thi
vadhare-thi
vadhare
Structures de phrases
હું ___ થી જાઉં છું
આ ___ થી મોટું છે
મેં ___ થી લખ્યું
તે ___ થી આવે છે
Real World Usage
હું ટ્રેનથી જાઉં છું
ક્યાંથી?
મેં અનુભવથી શીખ્યું
ચમચીથી ખાવું
ડાબેથી વળો
ફોનથી પોસ્ટ કર્યું
Attach it!
Don't confuse with 'ma'
Comparison
Natural speech
Smart Tips
Use 'thi' after the object being compared against.
Always use 'thi' for the vehicle.
Use 'thi' for the instrument.
Attach 'thi' to the city or place.
Prononciation
Thi
The 'th' is aspirated (like 'th' in 'thin').
Statement
Bus-thi ↘
Neutral statement
Question
Bus-thi? ↗
Asking for confirmation
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Think of 'Thi' as 'The' bridge connecting your noun to the action.
Association visuelle
Imagine a bus with the word 'THI' painted on the side. Every time you see a bus, you remember 'Bus-thi'.
Rhyme
From the city, with a pen, add 'thi' and say it again.
Story
Ramesh left his house (Ghar-thi). He took a pen (Pen-thi) to write a letter. He felt he was smarter (Mara-thi) than his brother.
Word Web
Défi
Write 3 sentences about how you travel, what you use to write, and who you are taller than, using 'thi'.
Notes culturelles
Used heavily in business and travel contexts.
Often used in fast-paced speech.
May sound more emphatic.
Derived from Sanskrit ablative case markers.
Amorces de conversation
તમે ક્યાંથી આવો છો?
તમે ઓફિસ કેવી રીતે જાઓ છો?
આ પેનથી લખી શકાય?
તમે તમારા મિત્રથી મોટા છો?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
હું બસ ___ જાઉં છું.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
તે સુરત-મા આવે છે.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I write with a pen.
Answer starts with: હું...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Train
A: ક્યાંથી આવો છો? B: ___.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesહું બસ ___ જાઉં છું.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
તે સુરત-મા આવે છે.
છે / મોટું / મારાથી / આ
I write with a pen.
Match: Bus-thi, Ghar-thi, Pen-thi
Train
A: ક્યાંથી આવો છો? B: ___.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, 'thi' is invariant.
Yes, 'mara-thi' (than me).
Yes, it is a postposition.
Still just add 'thi'.
It is neutral and used everywhere.
Sometimes, e.g., 'varsho-thi' (for years).
Check if you put it after the noun.
Yes, almost identical.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
de
Spanish 'de' also marks possession, whereas Gujarati uses 'ni'.
de
French 'de' is highly versatile for partitive meanings.
von
German uses cases for nouns; Gujarati uses postpositions.
kara
Japanese uses particles after nouns, similar to Gujarati.
min
Arabic prepositions precede the noun.
cong
Chinese grammar is SVO with prepositions.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Related Grammar Rules
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The Surface 'Par' (On)
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