For autodidact students of Hindi, तब (tab) is the everyday word for "then": that time, that moment, that point in the story, as opposed to the speaker's present. It is an adverb of time (a कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण, kālavācak kriyāviśeṣaṇ), and it is invariable: it takes no gender, number or case, and it needs no postposition to do its work. The dictionaries give Sanskrit तदा (tadā), "at that time", as its source. It is the same word in Urdu (تب), so a learner who knows it once knows it in both.
English "then" is a busy word, and Hindi shares its jobs among several words. तब takes the job of pointing at a time that is not now: "I was small then", "what happened then?", "we will go then". It also takes the job of "in that case": तब तो मैं ज़रूर जाऊँगा, "in that case I will certainly go". The job of "next, afterwards" is shared with फिर (phir) and उसके बाद (usake bād, "after that"), which the learner will meet in Section D. The test is simple. तब looks at a time or a situation that has already been named and points back to it. फिर moves on to the next step.
तब belongs to the small family of time words that Lesson 51 introduced. They all end in -ब: - अब (ab): now (near, the speaker's present) - तब (tab): then (far, that time) - जब (jab): when (relative, joins two clauses) - कब (kab): when? (interrogative)
तब is the second half of the pair जब ... तब ... ("when ... then ..."), which is the commonest way for a Hindi sentence to hang a time on a time. You will see it in examples 52.9, 52.10 and 52.22, and in the first line of the doha in Section F, which has जब मैं था and तब हरि नहीं facing each other across the comma.
FAQ: What does तब (tab) mean in Hindi? तब means "then", "at that time". It is an invariable adverb: तब मैं छोटा था = "I was small then." With postpositions and particles it builds the common phrases तब से (since then), तब तक (until then, by then), तब का (of that time), तब भी (even then, all the same), तब तो (in that case) and तब कहीं जाकर (only then, after all that). It does not change for gender or number, and it does not touch the verb.
In the following 15 examples you will meet तब across its main uses: the plain "at that time", तब से and तब तक, तब का, the correlation जब ... तब ..., "in that case", तब भी, and a proverb. The duplex interlinear format gives direct Devanagari-to-meaning access on line (a) and phonetic guidance on line (b).
Educational Note: Designed for English speakers learning Hindi through the Latinum Institute's proven interlinear method.
Key Takeaways: - तब = then, at that time; invariable, a time adverb - It points back to a time already named or understood; it often answers जब ("when ... then ...") - तब से = since then; तब तक = until then / by then; तब भी = even then; तब तो = in that case - "Next, afterwards" is usually फिर or उसके बाद; "then" as a time or a situation is तब - The family: अब (now), तब (then), जब (when), कब (when?)
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तब is written with two letters: त (ta), a consonant carrying the inherent vowel, and ब (ba), another consonant carrying the inherent vowel. On paper it looks like two syllables, त-ब. In speech it is one: [t̪əb]. The inherent -a at the end of a Hindi word is not pronounced (final schwa deletion), so ब is read as a bare b. The word has exactly the shape of अब, with त where अब has the vowel letter अ.
Key phonetic notes: - त (t): voiceless, unaspirated dental stop [t̪]. The tongue touches the back of the upper teeth, not the ridge behind them as in English "t". Keep it apart from ट (ṭ), the retroflex stop, and from थ (th), the aspirated dental. Hindi uses ट for the English "t" in loanwords: English "tub" is टब (ṭab), a different word from तब (tab) - ब (b): voiced, unaspirated bilabial stop [b]. Keep it apart from भ (bh), the aspirated form, and from व (v) - The word is one syllable: say "tub" with a short vowel and a dental t, never "taba"
Common learner mistakes: - Pronouncing the final inherent vowel: *तबा (taba), instead of tab - Swapping त for ट: तब (then) is not टब (a tub) - Swapping ब for व or भ: तब is not तव or तभ; तभी (tabhī, "just then") is a different word from तब (Section D)
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52.1a तब then मैं I छोटा small-MASC था was-MASC
52.1b (tab) then (maim̐) I (choṭā) small-MASC (thā) was-MASC
52.2a तब then बारिश rain-FEM हो be रही PROG-FEM थी was-FEM
52.2b (tab) then (bāriś) rain-FEM (ho) be (rahī) PROG-FEM (thī) was-FEM
52.3a तब then क्या what हुआ happened-MASC
52.3b (tab) then (kyā) what (huā) happened-MASC
52.4a तब then से from मैं I यहीं here-EMPH रहता lives-MASC हूँ am
52.4b (tab) then (se) from (maim̐) I (yahīm̐) here-EMPH (rahtā) lives-MASC (hūm̐) am
52.5a तब then मैंने I-ERG उसे her-ACC पहली first-FEM बार time-FEM देखा saw-MASC था was-MASC
52.5b (tab) then (maimne) I-ERG (use) her-ACC (pahlī) first-FEM (bār) time-FEM (dekhā) saw-MASC (thā) was-MASC
52.6a तब then मेरे my-OBL पास near फ़ोन phone-MASC नहीं not था was-MASC
52.6b (tab) then (mere) my-OBL (pās) near (fon) phone-MASC (nahīm̐) not (thā) was-MASC
52.7a तब then तुम you कहाँ where थे were-MASC-PL
52.7b (tab) then (tum) you (kahām̐) where (the) were-MASC-PL
52.8a तब then की GEN-FEM बात matter-FEM अलग different थी was-FEM
52.8b (tab) then (kī) GEN-FEM (bāt) matter-FEM (alag) different (thī) was-FEM
52.9a जब when बारिश rain-FEM रुकेगी will-stop-FEM तब then हम we चलेंगे will-go-MASC-PL
52.9b (jab) when (bāriś) rain-FEM (rukegī) will-stop-FEM (tab) then (ham) we (calem̐ge) will-go-MASC-PL
52.10a जब when वह he आया came-MASC तब then मैं I सो sleep रहा PROG-MASC था was-MASC
52.10b (jab) when (vah) he (āyā) came-MASC (tab) then (maim̐) I (so) sleep (rahā) PROG-MASC (thā) was-MASC
52.11a अगर if तुम you साथ along चलोगे will-go-2PL-MASC तब then मैं I भी also चलूँगा will-go-1SG-MASC
52.11b (agar) if (tum) you (sāth) along (caloge) will-go-2PL-MASC (tab) then (maim̐) I (bhī) also (calūm̐gā) will-go-1SG-MASC
52.12a तब then तो TOP मैं I ज़रूर certainly जाऊँगा will-go-1SG-MASC
52.12b (tab) then (to) TOP (maim̐) I (zarūr) certainly (jāūm̐gā) will-go-1SG-MASC
52.13a तब then से from अब now तक until बहुत much कुछ something बदल change गया went-MASC है is
52.13b (tab) then (se) from (ab) now (tak) until (bahut) much (kuch) something (badal) change (gayā) went-MASC (hai) is
52.14a उसे him-DAT चोट injury-FEM लगी struck-FEM थी was-FEM तब then भी also वह he दौड़ता running-MASC रहा stayed-MASC
52.14b (use) him-DAT (coṭ) injury-FEM (lagī) struck-FEM (thī) was-FEM (tab) then (bhī) also (vah) he (dauṛtā) running-MASC (rahā) stayed-MASC
52.15a जब when तक until साँस breath-FEM तब then तक until आस hope-FEM
52.15b (jab) when (tak) until (sām̐s) breath-FEM (tab) then (tak) until (ās) hope-FEM
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52.1 तब मैं छोटा था। "I was small then."
52.2 तब बारिश हो रही थी। "It was raining then."
52.3 तब क्या हुआ? "What happened then?"
52.4 तब से मैं यहीं रहता हूँ। "I have lived right here since then."
52.5 तब मैंने उसे पहली बार देखा था। "I had seen her for the first time then."
52.6 तब मेरे पास फ़ोन नहीं था। "I had no phone then."
52.7 तब तुम कहाँ थे? "Where were you then?"
52.8 तब की बात अलग थी। "Things were different back then."
52.9 जब बारिश रुकेगी, तब हम चलेंगे। "When the rain stops, then we will go."
52.10 जब वह आया, तब मैं सो रहा था। "When he came, I was asleep."
52.11 अगर तुम साथ चलोगे, तब मैं भी चलूँगा। "If you come along, then I will come too."
52.12 तब तो मैं ज़रूर जाऊँगा। "In that case I will certainly go."
52.13 तब से अब तक बहुत कुछ बदल गया है। "A great deal has changed from then until now."
52.14 उसे चोट लगी थी, तब भी वह दौड़ता रहा। "He had been hurt; even then he kept running."
52.15 जब तक साँस, तब तक आस। "As long as there is breath, there is hope." (a saying)
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52.1 तब मैं छोटा था।
52.2 तब बारिश हो रही थी।
52.3 तब क्या हुआ?
52.4 तब से मैं यहीं रहता हूँ।
52.5 तब मैंने उसे पहली बार देखा था।
52.6 तब मेरे पास फ़ोन नहीं था।
52.7 तब तुम कहाँ थे?
52.8 तब की बात अलग थी।
52.9 जब बारिश रुकेगी, तब हम चलेंगे।
52.10 जब वह आया, तब मैं सो रहा था।
52.11 अगर तुम साथ चलोगे, तब मैं भी चलूँगा।
52.12 तब तो मैं ज़रूर जाऊँगा।
52.13 तब से अब तक बहुत कुछ बदल गया है।
52.14 उसे चोट लगी थी, तब भी वह दौड़ता रहा।
52.15 जब तक साँस, तब तक आस।
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These are the grammar rules for तब (tab) — "then":
Form. तब is a simple adverb of time and does not inflect. There is no feminine, plural or oblique form. The verb in the sentence agrees with the subject as usual, and तब plays no part in the agreement: तब वह छोटा था / तब वह छोटी थी (he was small then / she was small then).
Position. The neutral place is the front of the clause, or just after the subject, before the verb phrase: - तब मैं छोटा था — I was small then - मैं तब छोटा था — the same, with "then" placed after the subject At the front, तब sets the sentence in a time that the listener already has in mind. It is the usual way to open the next step in a story: तब क्या हुआ? ("what happened then?").
Tenses. तब points at a time that is not now, and so it goes with: - The past: तब बारिश हो रही थी (it was raining then), तब मेरे पास फ़ोन नहीं था (I had no phone then) - The pluperfect, for a past before a past: तब मैंने उसे पहली बार देखा था - The future, for a time that has been named: जब बारिश रुकेगी, तब हम चलेंगे (when the rain stops, then we will go) - The present, only in the generalised phrases below: तब से मैं यहीं रहता हूँ
Phrases built on तब: - तब से (tab se): since then. Because the state continues up to now, Hindi uses the present: तब से मैं यहीं रहता हूँ (I have lived here since then) - तब तक (tab tak): until then, by then. With a clause before it, it is "by that time": आधी रात को जब बिजली आई, तब तक दोनों गहरी नींद में थे (Genre example 52.29) - तब का / की / के (tab kā / kī / ke): of that time. The postposition agrees with the noun that follows: तब की बात (feminine), तब का ज़माना (masculine), तब के दिन (oblique plural) - तब भी (tab bhī): even then, all the same. फिर भी (phir bhī) is the commoner way to say "nevertheless"; तब भी keeps a note of the time, or of the situation just named: "even at that time, even in that case" - तब तो (tab to): in that case, then surely; the तो adds a note of "if that is so" - तब कहीं जाकर (tab kahīm̐ jākar): only then, after all that effort: बहुत मेहनत की, तब कहीं जाकर काम हुआ (I worked very hard, and only then did it get done)
The pairing with जब. जब (when) opens the clause and तब (then) answers it, according to whether the speaker is looking at the past or the future: जब वह आया, तब मैं सो रहा था (52.10); जब बारिश रुकेगी, तब हम चलेंगे (52.9). Where the second half is a statement of what happens, तब is often dropped and the sentence still stands. Where it is kept, it makes the link between the two times stronger. The same pairing works with तक: जब तक मैं लौटूँ, तब तक तुम यहीं रुको (until I return, wait here).
"If ... then". After अगर or यदि (if), the answering word is usually तो, as in अगर बारिश हुई तो हम नहीं जाएँगे (if it rains, we won't go). तब is also possible, and it is a little heavier: अगर तुम साथ चलोगे, तब मैं भी चलूँगा (52.11) puts the weight on the condition. "In that case" can be said as तब तो, as तो alone, or as उस हालत में (us hālat mem̐).
तब and तभी. तभी is तब + ही, and it narrows "then" to the exact moment: "just then", "only then". Example: हम निकल ही रहे थे, तभी फ़ोन बजा (we were just leaving, and just then the phone rang). It is also the word of the saying जब जागो तभी सवेरा (Section E). Compare अब and अभी in Lesson 51: the pair is the same.
तब and फिर. English "then" in the sense of "next" is usually फिर or उसके बाद: - फिर क्या हुआ? — and then what happened? (the next step in the story) - तब क्या हुआ? — what happened at that point? (the moment already named) In a narrative, Hindi uses तब as "then, at that point", as in the Genre Section, where it follows a stated time or a stated event. For a plain list of steps, फिर or उसके बाद is the safer choice: पहले चाय बनाओ, फिर दूध डालो (first make the tea, then add the milk).
तब with a negative. तब नहीं / तब कोई ... नहीं say "then ... not": तब मेरे पास फ़ोन नहीं था (I had no phone then). It differs from अब नहीं (no longer) by looking away from the present.
Common Mistakes: - Pronouncing the final vowel: तब is [t̪əb], one syllable - Using तब for "next" in a list of steps: use फिर or उसके बाद - Using तब for the present: for "now" say अब; तब belongs to a time that is not the speaker's present, or to a situation just named - Writing टब (a tub) for तब (then) - Writing तब का with the wrong agreement: the postposition follows the noun, not the word तब: तब की बात, not *तब का बात
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तब is among the most frequent words in Hindi, and it is the word of memory. It turns up wherever the speaker looks back: तब की बात और थी ("that was another matter then"), तब और अब ("then and now", a common frame for comparing a place or a custom across the years), and the opening of a grandparent's story, तब हम... ("in those days we..."). The word carries a quiet comparison with अब: whoever says तब is already setting the past beside the present.
Idioms and sayings are full of it: तब कहीं जाकर ("only then, and after much effort"); जब तक साँस तब तक आस ("while there is breath there is hope", the saying of example 52.15); and जब जागो तभी सवेरा ("it is morning whenever you wake"), which is said to encourage someone who has started late. In the saying, तभी is the tab + hī of Section D: "just then, and only then".
In storytelling, तब is a connective that moves a tale from one event to the next, and it alternates with फिर. It is the better choice at a turning point, where the new event is tied to the one before, as in the Genre Section.
The word is the same in Urdu (تب), and Urdu has the same family: اب, تب, جب, کب.
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कबीर (Kabīr) — दोहा (Dohā)
Kabir is the weaver-poet and saint of fifteenth-century northern India whose short rhymed couplets (दोहे, dohe) are among the best known and most quoted verses in Hindi. His dates are traditionally given as 1398–1518 but are uncertain, and his verses were handed down orally and in several collections, so the spelling and small details of a given doha vary between printings. This is a different doha from the one in Lesson 51. It is printed under his name in the common anthologies and on the sites that carry them, and it is chosen here because its first line is built on the pair जब ... तब and then turns to अब: the whole argument sits on the three words of the family.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a जब when मैं I था was-MASC तब then हरि Hari नहीं not अब now हरि Hari हैं are मैं I नाहिं not
F.1b (jab) when (maim̐) I (thā) was-MASC (tab) then (hari) Hari (nahīm̐) not (ab) now (hari) Hari (haim̐) are (maim̐) I (nāhim̐) not
F.2a प्रेम love गली lane-FEM अति very साँकरी narrow-FEM तामें in-it दो two न not समाहिं fit-3PL
F.2b (prem) love (galī) lane-FEM (ati) very (sām̐karī) narrow-FEM (tāmem̐) in-it (do) two (na) not (samāhim̐) fit-3PL
F-B: Authentic Text with Translation
जब मैं था तब हरि नहीं, अब हरि हैं मैं नाहिं। प्रेम गली अति साँकरी, तामें दो न समाहिं॥
"When I was, then Hari was not; now Hari is, and I am not. The lane of love is very narrow: two cannot fit in it."
F-C: Authentic Text Only
जब मैं था तब हरि नहीं, अब हरि हैं मैं नाहिं। प्रेम गली अति साँकरी, तामें दो न समाहिं॥
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
जब मैं था तब हरि नहीं (jab maim̐ thā tab hari nahīm̐): the correlative pair जब ... तब. जब मैं था is "when I was", and the answer begins with तब: "then Hari was not". There is no verb in the second half; the थे of "Hari was not" is left out, as Hindi often allows. मैं here is the self, the ego, not simply the pronoun.
अब हरि हैं मैं नाहिं (ab hari haim̐ maim̐ nāhim̐): the second half of the line turns on अब. The verb moves from the past (था) to the present (हैं), and the order of presence is reversed: now Hari is, and "I" is not. हैं is plural and honorific, as it is for God. नाहिं is an older form of नहीं.
हरि (hari): a name of Vishnu, and in the sant poets' language, God.
प्रेम गली अति साँकरी (prem galī ati sām̐karī): "the lane of love is very narrow". साँकरी is the old, popular form of modern संकरी (sankarī), "narrow", in the feminine to agree with गली.
तामें (tāmem̐): "in it", the older form of उसमें. ता- is the old oblique of the pronoun "that".
दो न समाहिं (do na samāhim̐): "two do not fit". समाहिं is the old third-person plural present of समाना, "to be contained, to fit".
Other printings: the first line is also joined to a different second line in some collections, सब अँधियारा मिटि गया, जब दीपक देख्या माँहिं ("all the darkness is gone, when I saw the lamp within"). The first line is the same in both; the spelling of small words varies (नाहिं / नाँहिं / नाहीं). The couplet above is the one given in the common anthologies and on the websites of the sant verse.
F-E: Literary Commentary
The doha is a before and an after, and it uses two words from one small family to show them. तब belongs to the before: the time of "I", when God was absent. अब belongs to the after: the time when God is present and "I" has gone. The poem does not say how the change came. It says only that the two cannot be in the same place, and the second line explains why.
The learner of Hindi should notice what the tense does. था is in the first half and हैं in the second; between them stand तब and अब, which are the pointers that tell the listener which time is meant. In the Genre Section the same pointer sets each event in its place.
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Neha and her grandfather are alone at home when the power goes out in a storm. The adverb तब runs through the scene like a hand turning from one moment to the next: each sentence points to the time just named and moves the story one step on, and the last line sets the night against the morning.
52.16a तब then तक until रात night-FEM के GEN-OBL नौ nine बज strike चुके already-MASC-PL थे were और and बाहर outside तेज़ strong हवा wind-FEM चल blow रही PROG-FEM थी was-FEM
52.16b (tab) then (tak) until (rāt) night-FEM (ke) GEN-OBL (nau) nine (baj) strike (cuke) already-MASC-PL (the) were (aur) and (bāhar) outside (tez) strong (havā) wind-FEM (cal) blow (rahī) PROG-FEM (thī) was-FEM
52.17a तब then अचानक suddenly बिजली electricity-FEM चली left-FEM गई went-FEM और and पूरा whole-MASC घर house-MASC अँधेरे darkness-OBL में in डूब sink गया went-MASC
52.17b (tab) then (acānak) suddenly (bijlī) electricity-FEM (calī) left-FEM (gaī) went-FEM (aur) and (pūrā) whole-MASC (ghar) house-MASC (am̐dhere) darkness-OBL (mem̐) in (ḍūb) sink (gayā) went-MASC
52.18a तब then नेहा Neha ने ERG डरकर fearing [CONV] दादाजी grandfather-HON को ACC पुकारा called-MASC
52.18b (tab) then (Nehā) Neha (ne) ERG (ḍarkar) fearing [CONV] (dādājī) grandfather-HON (ko) ACC (pukārā) called-MASC
52.19a दादाजी grandfather-HON बोले said-MASC-PL घबराओ panic-IMP मत don't मैं I मोमबत्ती candle-FEM ढूँढ search लाता bring-HAB-MASC हूँ am तब then तक until तुम you यहीं here-EMPH बैठी seated-FEM रहो stay-IMP
52.19b (dādājī) grandfather-HON (bole) said-MASC-PL (ghabrāo) panic-IMP (mat) don't (maim̐) I (mombattī) candle-FEM (ḍhūm̐ḍh) search (lātā) bring-HAB-MASC (hūm̐) am (tab) then (tak) until (tum) you (yahīm̐) here-EMPH (baiṭhī) seated-FEM (raho) stay-IMP
52.20a कुछ some देर delay-FEM बाद after उन्होंने he-HON-ERG मोमबत्ती candle-FEM जलाई lit-FEM तब then कमरे room-OBL में in हल्की soft-FEM रोशनी light-FEM फैल spread गई went-FEM
52.20b (kuch) some (der) delay-FEM (bād) after (unhomne) he-HON-ERG (mombattī) candle-FEM (jalāī) lit-FEM (tab) then (kamre) room-OBL (mem̐) in (halkī) soft-FEM (rośnī) light-FEM (phail) spread (gaī) went-FEM
52.21a तब then नेहा Neha ने ERG देखा saw-MASC कि that दादाजी grandfather-HON के GEN-OBL हाथ hand-MASC में in पुरानी old-FEM लालटेन lantern-FEM भी also है is
52.21b (tab) then (Nehā) Neha (ne) ERG (dekhā) saw-MASC (ki) that (dādājī) grandfather-HON (ke) GEN-OBL (hāth) hand-MASC (mem̐) in (purānī) old-FEM (lālṭen) lantern-FEM (bhī) also (hai) is
52.22a नेहा Neha ने ERG पूछा asked-MASC दादाजी grandfather-HON जब when गाँव village-MASC में in बिजली electricity-FEM नहीं not थी was-FEM तब then आप you-HON क्या what करते do-HAB-MASC-PL थे were
52.22b (Nehā) Neha (ne) ERG (pūchā) asked-MASC (dādājī) grandfather-HON (jab) when (gām̐v) village-MASC (mem̐) in (bijlī) electricity-FEM (nahīm̐) not (thī) was-FEM (tab) then (āp) you-HON (kyā) what (karte) do-HAB-MASC-PL (the) were
52.23a दादाजी grandfather-HON ने ERG हँसकर laughing [CONV] कहा said-MASC तब then हम we लालटेन lantern-FEM के GEN-OBL पास near बैठकर sitting [CONV] कहानियाँ stories-FEM-PL सुनते listen-HAB-MASC-PL थे were
52.23b (dādājī) grandfather-HON (ne) ERG (ham̐skar) laughing [CONV] (kahā) said-MASC (tab) then (ham) we (lālṭen) lantern-FEM (ke) GEN-OBL (pās) near (baiṭhkar) sitting [CONV] (kahāniyām̐) stories-FEM-PL (sunte) listen-HAB-MASC-PL (the) were
52.24a नेहा Neha बोली said-FEM तब then तो TOP आज today की GEN-FEM रात night-FEM मुझे me-DAT भी also अच्छी good-FEM लगेगी will-seem-FEM
52.24b (Nehā) Neha (bolī) said-FEM (tab) then (to) TOP (āj) today (kī) GEN-FEM (rāt) night-FEM (mujhe) me-DAT (bhī) also (acchī) good-FEM (lagegī) will-seem-FEM
52.25a दादाजी grandfather-HON ने ERG एक one पुरानी old-FEM कहानी story-FEM शुरू start की did-FEM और and तब then बाहर outside की GEN-FEM आँधी storm-FEM भी even धीमी faint-FEM लगने to-seem-OBL लगी began-FEM
52.25b (dādājī) grandfather-HON (ne) ERG (ek) one (purānī) old-FEM (kahānī) story-FEM (śurū) start (kī) did-FEM (aur) and (tab) then (bāhar) outside (kī) GEN-FEM (ām̐dhī) storm-FEM (bhī) even (dhīmī) faint-FEM (lagne) to-seem-OBL (lagī) began-FEM
52.26a जब when कहानी story-FEM ख़त्म finished हुई became-FEM तब then भी also बिजली electricity-FEM नहीं not आई came-FEM थी was-FEM
52.26b (jab) when (kahānī) story-FEM (khatm) finished (huī) became-FEM (tab) then (bhī) also (bijlī) electricity-FEM (nahīm̐) not (āī) came-FEM (thī) was-FEM
52.27a तब then दादाजी grandfather-HON ने ERG नेहा Neha को DAT कंबल blanket-MASC ओढ़ाया covered-MASC
52.27b (tab) then (dādājī) grandfather-HON (ne) ERG (Nehā) Neha (ko) DAT (kambal) blanket-MASC (oṛhāyā) covered-MASC
52.28a नेहा Neha सो sleep गई went-FEM तब then दादाजी grandfather-HON ने ERG मोमबत्ती candle-FEM बुझा extinguish दी gave-FEM
52.28b (Nehā) Neha (so) sleep (gaī) went-FEM (tab) then (dādājī) grandfather-HON (ne) ERG (mombattī) candle-FEM (bujhā) extinguish (dī) gave-FEM
52.29a आधी half-FEM रात night-FEM को at जब when बिजली electricity-FEM आई came-FEM तब then तक until दोनों both गहरी deep-FEM नींद sleep-FEM में in थे were
52.29b (ādhī) half-FEM (rāt) night-FEM (ko) at (jab) when (bijlī) electricity-FEM (āī) came-FEM (tab) then (tak) until (donom̐) both (gahrī) deep-FEM (nīm̐d) sleep-FEM (mem̐) in (the) were
52.30a सुबह morning नेहा Neha ने ERG हँसकर laughing [CONV] कहा said-MASC दादाजी grandfather-HON तब then मुझे me-DAT डर fear-MASC लग attach रहा PROG-MASC था was-MASC पर but अब now नहीं not
52.30b (subah) morning (Nehā) Neha (ne) ERG (ham̐skar) laughing [CONV] (kahā) said-MASC (dādājī) grandfather-HON (tab) then (mujhe) me-DAT (ḍar) fear-MASC (lag) attach (rahā) PROG-MASC (thā) was-MASC (par) but (ab) now (nahīm̐) not
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52.16 तब तक रात के नौ बज चुके थे और बाहर तेज़ हवा चल रही थी। "By then it was already nine at night, and outside a strong wind was blowing."
52.17 तब अचानक बिजली चली गई और पूरा घर अँधेरे में डूब गया। "Then, suddenly, the power went out and the whole house sank into darkness."
52.18 तब नेहा ने डरकर दादाजी को पुकारा। "Then Neha, frightened, called out to her grandfather."
52.19 दादाजी बोले — घबराओ मत, मैं मोमबत्ती ढूँढ लाता हूँ, तब तक तुम यहीं बैठी रहो। "Her grandfather said: Don't panic, I will go and find a candle; until then, you stay sitting right here."
52.20 कुछ देर बाद उन्होंने मोमबत्ती जलाई, तब कमरे में हल्की रोशनी फैल गई। "A little later he lit the candle, and then a soft light spread through the room."
52.21 तब नेहा ने देखा कि दादाजी के हाथ में पुरानी लालटेन भी है। "Then Neha saw that her grandfather had an old lantern in his hand as well."
52.22 नेहा ने पूछा — दादाजी, जब गाँव में बिजली नहीं थी, तब आप क्या करते थे? "Neha asked: Grandfather, when there was no electricity in the village, what did you do then?"
52.23 दादाजी ने हँसकर कहा — तब हम लालटेन के पास बैठकर कहानियाँ सुनते थे। "Her grandfather said, laughing: In those days we used to sit by a lantern and listen to stories."
52.24 नेहा बोली — तब तो आज की रात मुझे भी अच्छी लगेगी। "Neha said: In that case, tonight will seem good to me too."
52.25 दादाजी ने एक पुरानी कहानी शुरू की, और तब बाहर की आँधी भी धीमी लगने लगी। "Her grandfather began an old story, and then even the storm outside began to seem faint."
52.26 जब कहानी ख़त्म हुई, तब भी बिजली नहीं आई थी। "When the story ended, the power had still not come back."
52.27 तब दादाजी ने नेहा को कंबल ओढ़ाया। "Then her grandfather covered Neha with a blanket."
52.28 नेहा सो गई, तब दादाजी ने मोमबत्ती बुझा दी। "Neha fell asleep, and then her grandfather put out the candle."
52.29 आधी रात को जब बिजली आई, तब तक दोनों गहरी नींद में थे। "When the power came back at midnight, both of them were by then in deep sleep."
52.30 सुबह नेहा ने हँसकर कहा — दादाजी, तब मुझे डर लग रहा था, पर अब नहीं। "In the morning Neha said, laughing: Grandfather, I was afraid then, but not now."
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52.16 तब तक रात के नौ बज चुके थे और बाहर तेज़ हवा चल रही थी।
52.17 तब अचानक बिजली चली गई और पूरा घर अँधेरे में डूब गया।
52.18 तब नेहा ने डरकर दादाजी को पुकारा।
52.19 दादाजी बोले — घबराओ मत, मैं मोमबत्ती ढूँढ लाता हूँ, तब तक तुम यहीं बैठी रहो।
52.20 कुछ देर बाद उन्होंने मोमबत्ती जलाई, तब कमरे में हल्की रोशनी फैल गई।
52.21 तब नेहा ने देखा कि दादाजी के हाथ में पुरानी लालटेन भी है।
52.22 नेहा ने पूछा — दादाजी, जब गाँव में बिजली नहीं थी, तब आप क्या करते थे?
52.23 दादाजी ने हँसकर कहा — तब हम लालटेन के पास बैठकर कहानियाँ सुनते थे।
52.24 नेहा बोली — तब तो आज की रात मुझे भी अच्छी लगेगी।
52.25 दादाजी ने एक पुरानी कहानी शुरू की, और तब बाहर की आँधी भी धीमी लगने लगी।
52.26 जब कहानी ख़त्म हुई, तब भी बिजली नहीं आई थी।
52.27 तब दादाजी ने नेहा को कंबल ओढ़ाया।
52.28 नेहा सो गई, तब दादाजी ने मोमबत्ती बुझा दी।
52.29 आधी रात को जब बिजली आई, तब तक दोनों गहरी नींद में थे।
52.30 सुबह नेहा ने हँसकर कहा — दादाजी, तब मुझे डर लग रहा था, पर अब नहीं।
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तब as "at that point in the story" (52.17, 52.18, 52.20, 52.21, 52.25, 52.27, 52.28). In a story told in the past, तब does not look back from the speaker's present. It names the point that the story has just reached: "then the power went out", "then she called out". Each use follows an event or a time that the listener already has: the nine o'clock of 52.16, the candle of 52.20, the falling asleep of 52.28. Hindi keeps तब here, where it would also be possible to use फिर for a simple "next". The difference is a feeling of sequence: तब ties the new event to the one before, and फिर simply adds it.
तब तक (52.16, 52.19, 52.29). In 52.16 तब तक means "by then": nine o'clock had already struck. In 52.19, the speaker has named what he is going to do, and तब तक is "until then", the interval before he returns. In 52.29 तब तक follows a जब clause and means "by the time": when the power came back, the two were already asleep. The sense is fixed by what has been said before it.
जब ... तब (52.22, 52.26, 52.29). जब gives the time and तब answers it. In 52.22, तब आप क्या करते थे? asks "what did you do then?", and the question is about the time that the जब clause sets: the time before electricity. In 52.26, जब ... तब भी has the sense "even by the time the story ended". The habitual past in करते थे (52.22) and सुनते थे (52.23) is the tense of "used to": the same pointer तब sets the whole habit in that period.
तब तो (52.24). तब तो means "in that case": if it was so in those days, then tonight will seem good too. The तो marks the conclusion drawn from what has just been said. The construction मुझे ... अच्छी लगेगी is the dative of experience: "to me ... will seem good", and अच्छी agrees with the feminine रात.
तब भी (52.26). The negative past perfect बिजली नहीं आई थी says that the power "had not come" at the point reached. तब भी makes the contrast: even at the end of the story, it had still not come back.
Subject marking. नेहा ने, दादाजी ने and उन्होंने (52.18, 52.19, 52.20, 52.21 and others) are ergative: the past tense of a transitive verb takes ने on the subject, and the verb agrees with the object (मोमबत्ती जलाई, कंबल ओढ़ाया). With an intransitive verb there is no ने: नेहा बोली, नेहा सो गई. तब does not change any of this.
Compound verbs. चली गई (52.17) is "went away"; बुझा दी (52.28) is "put out" (देना gives the sense of an act carried through); डूब गया (52.17) is "sank in"; फैल गई (52.20) is "spread". The oblique infinitive with लगना gives धीमी लगने लगी (52.25): "began to seem faint".
तब does not change with the tense of the story. Whatever tense the verb is in, तब stays what it is.
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तब (tab) — IPA: /t̪əb/
- त (t): voiceless unaspirated dental stop [t̪]; the tip of the tongue touches the back of the upper front teeth, with no puff of breath - ब (b): voiced unaspirated bilabial stop [b]; lips closed, voice on, no puff of breath - The word is one syllable: [t̪əb]. The inherent -a at the end of ब is silent
Related words: - तभी /t̪əbʱiː/ — just then, only then; the भ (bh) is a breathy, aspirated [bʱ] and the ई is long - अब /əb/ — now - जब /d͡ʒəb/ — when - कब /kəb/ — when? - टब /ʈəb/ — a tub; the ट is retroflex, with the tongue curled back
In phrases: - तब से /t̪əb seː/ — since then - तब तक /t̪əb t̪ək/ — until then, by then - तब भी /t̪əb bʱiː/ — even then; the first b closes the lips and the aspirated bh releases them, so the two run together almost as a single longer sound - तब तो /t̪əb t̪oː/ — in that case
Stress and intonation: at the front of a sentence, as in तब मैं छोटा था, तब is short and light, and the weight falls on the words that carry the news. In जब ... तब, the voice rises a little on जब and falls on the answer, so the two halves are heard as a pair. In तब तो, the तो takes a slight stress, since it carries the "in that case".
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