The Correlative Pronoun 'To'
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Marathi, you connect ideas using 'Jo' (who/which) and 'To' (that/he/she) as a pair to define nouns.
- Use 'Jo' (who/which) to start the relative clause.
- Use 'To' (that/he/she) to start the main clause.
- The 'Jo' clause must precede the 'To' clause.
Jo-To Gender/Number Agreement
| Gender | Relative (Jo) | Correlative (To) |
|---|---|---|
|
Masculine Singular
|
Jo
|
To
|
|
Feminine Singular
|
Ji
|
Ti
|
|
Neuter Singular
|
Je
|
Te
|
|
Masculine Plural
|
Je
|
Te
|
|
Feminine Plural
|
Jya
|
Tya
|
|
Neuter Plural
|
Ji
|
Ti
|
Meanings
The 'Jo-To' construction is used to create relative clauses where the subject or object of the first clause is referenced by a pronoun in the second.
Defining Relative Clause
Identifying a specific person or object within a group.
“जो माणूस बोलत आहे, तो शिक्षक आहे.”
“जी मुलगी गात आहे, ती माझी बहीण आहे.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Jo... To...
|
Jo abhyas karto, to pass hoto.
|
|
Negative
|
Jo... To... (neg verb)
|
Jo abhyas karat nahi, to fail hoto.
|
|
Question
|
Jo... To... ka?
|
Jo mulga yeto, to tujha mitra ahe ka?
|
|
Plural
|
Je... Te...
|
Je lok yetat, te amche mitra ahet.
|
|
Oblique
|
Jya... Tya...
|
Jya mulala tu dile, tya mulala ghe.
|
|
Past
|
Jya... Tya...
|
Jya-ne kaam kele, tya-la paise dile.
|
Espectro de formalidade
जो व्यक्ती तिथे बसली आहे, ते माझे वरिष्ठ आहेत. (Workplace)
जो माणूस तिथे बसला आहे, तो माझा बॉस आहे. (Workplace)
जो तिथे बसलाय, तो माझा बॉस आहे. (Workplace)
तो जो बसलाय ना, तो माझा बॉस. (Workplace)
The Jo-To Connection
Masculine
- Jo Who (m)
- To That (m)
Feminine
- Ji Who (f)
- Ti That (f)
Exemplos por nível
जो मुलगा आहे, तो माझा मित्र आहे.
The boy who is there, he is my friend.
जी मुलगी गाते, ती माझी बहीण आहे.
The girl who is singing, she is my sister.
जे पुस्तक तू वाचले आहेस, ते खूप छान आहे.
The book that you have read, it is very good.
ज्या माणसाने मला मदत केली, तो आजारी आहे.
The man who helped me, he is sick.
ज्यांनी हे काम पूर्ण केले, त्यांना बक्षीस मिळेल.
Those who completed this work, they will get a prize.
ज्या ज्या वेळी मी तिथे गेलो, त्या त्या वेळी पाऊस पडला.
Whenever I went there, it rained.
Fácil de confundir
Both use a two-part structure.
Erros comuns
Jo mulga yeto, mulga maza mitra ahe.
Jo mulga yeto, to maza mitra ahe.
Ji mulga yeto...
Jo mulga yeto...
Jya mulala me dile, to mulga...
Jya mulala me dile, tya mulala...
Jo lok yetat...
Je lok yetat...
Padrões de frases
Jo ___ , to ___ .
Real World Usage
ज्यांनी गुन्हा केला, त्यांना पकडले.
Check Gender
Smart Tips
Use Jo-To.
Pronúncia
Jo/To
The 'J' is like 'joy', 'T' is a soft dental sound.
Pause at comma
Jo... [pause] ...To...
Separates the relative clause from the main clause.
Memorize
Mnemônico
Jo is the 'Who', To is the 'That' — they always dance in a pair, like a hat and a cat.
Associação visual
Imagine a person pointing (To) at someone else who is doing something (Jo). The pointing finger is the comma.
Rhyme
Jo starts the show, To makes it go.
Story
Jo the boy was running. To the boy was waiting. Jo ran to To. Now they are a pair.
Word Web
Desafio
Write 3 sentences describing people in your room using Jo-To.
Notas culturais
This structure is very common in Marathi literature and formal speeches.
Derived from Sanskrit relative-correlative pronouns (ya-tad).
Iniciadores de conversa
जो माणूस तिथे उभा आहे, तो कोण आहे?
Temas para diário
Erros comuns
Test Yourself
___ मुलगा तिथे आहे, तो माझा भाऊ आहे.
Score: /1
Exercicios praticos
1 exercises___ मुलगा तिथे आहे, तो माझा भाऊ आहे.
Score: /1
Perguntas frequentes (1)
No, it will sound incomplete.
Scaffolded Practice
1
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
El que...
Marathi requires the pair for almost all relative clauses.
Celui qui...
Marathi's Jo-To is more versatile.
Derjenige, der...
German is more complex with cases.
Relative clause + noun
Marathi uses pronouns, Japanese does not.
Alladhi
Marathi requires the 'To' correlative.
De structure
Marathi uses pronouns, Chinese uses particles.
