B2 syntax 3 min de lecture

Proportional Comparisons with Jit

Use Jitna and Utna like a weighing scale to balance two quantities or intensities in a single sentence.

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Jitna starts the comparison.
  • Utna completes the balance.
  • Change endings for gender/number.
  • Think: 'As much... that much'.

Quick Reference

Gender/Number Relative (As much/many) Correlative (That much/many) Example Context
Masc. Singular Jitna Utna Money, Time, Water
Fem. Singular Jitni Utni Shanti (peace), Cheeni (sugar)
Masc. Plural Jitne Utne Log (people), Din (days)
Fem. Plural Jitni Utni Kitabein (books), Raatein (nights)

Exemples clés

3 sur 8
1

जितनी चादर हो, उतने पैर फैलाओ।

Stretch your legs only as much as the cover allows. (Live within your means).

2

तुम जितना बोलोगे, मैं उतना सुनूँगा।

I will listen as much as you speak.

3

जितने मुँह, उतनी बातें।

As many mouths, that many opinions.

💡

The Mirror Effect

Imagine a mirror in the middle of your sentence. If you hold up 'Jitna' on one side, 'Utna' reflects on the other. They balance the sentence.

⚠️

Don't Mix Families

Don't mix this up with 'Jab... Tab' (When... Then). 'Jitna' is strictly for quantity or degree, not time!

The Rule in 30 Seconds

  • Jitna starts the comparison.
  • Utna completes the balance.
  • Change endings for gender/number.
  • Think: 'As much... that much'.

Overview

Welcome to the world of proportional comparisons! This is the grammatical equivalent of a see-saw or a mirror. In English, you might say, "The more, the merrier" or "As much as possible." In Hindi, we use a specific pair of words to handle this balance: jitna (as much) and utna (that much). It’s a core structure for expressing quantity, degree, or intensity in relation to something else. If you want to sound like a native speaker who can construct complex thoughts rather than just simple sentences, this is your ticket.

How This Grammar Works

Hindi loves pairs. We call these "relative-correlative" pairs. Jitna introduces the condition or the first part of the comparison, and utna provides the result or the matching amount. Think of them as best friends who hate being apart. If jitna shows up to the party, utna is usually right behind him. They change their clothes (endings) to match the gender and number of the noun they are hanging out with. So, they can be jitna/utna (masculine singular), jitni/utni (feminine), or jitne/utne (masculine plural).

Formation Pattern

  1. 1Here is the secret formula. It usually follows a "Relative Clause + Correlative Clause" structure.
  2. 2Start with the Jitna clause.
  3. 3Match jitna to the noun/adjective following it (Gender/Number).
  4. 4Add the verb/rest of the first idea.
  5. 5Add a comma (optional in speech, but good for pausing).
  6. 6Follow with the Utna clause.
  7. 7Match utna to the noun/adjective in the second part (often the same agreement as the first, but not always!).
  8. 8Example: Jitna (m.sg) gud daaloge, utna (m.sg) meetha hoga. (As much jaggery as you put, that much sweet it will be).

When To Use It

Use this when you are balancing two amounts or intensities. It's perfect for:

  • Bargaining: "I'll pay as much as it's worth."
  • Proverbs: "As many mouths, that many opinions."
  • Limits: "Eat as much as you want."
  • Cause and Effect: "The harder you work, the better the result."

When Not To Use It

Don't use this for simple comparisons where one thing is just bigger or better than another without a changing proportion. For "Ram is taller than Shyam," just use se (Ram Shyam se lamba hai). Don't use jitna/utna there unless you mean "Ram is as tall as Shyam" (Ram utna lamba hai jitna Shyam).

Common Mistakes

  • The "Frozen" Mistake: Using just jitna for everything. Remember, if the noun is feminine (like mehnat - hard work), you must use jitni.
  • The Missing Partner: Forgetting utna in the second half. While you can sometimes drop it in very casual slang, in B2 level Hindi, it sounds incomplete. Like waiting for a beat drop that never happens.
  • The Word Order: Putting jitna at the very end of the sentence. It usually likes to be early in the clause.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

  • Jaisa... Vaisa: This measures quality or manner (Like/So). "Do as I say" (Jaisa main boloon, vaisa karo).
  • Jitna... Utna: This measures quantity or degree. "Eat as much as you can" (Jitna kha sako, utna khao).

Think: Jaisa = How? Jitna = How much?

Quick FAQ

Q. Can I swap the order?

A. Yes! "Main utna nahin kha sakta jitna tum khate ho" is perfectly fine. It shifts the emphasis slightly, but the meaning holds.

Q. Do they always have to match gender?

A. Not always! "Jitni (f) mehnat karoge, utna (m) fal milega." Here, effort (mehnat) is feminine, but fruit/result (fal) is masculine. They agree with their own local nouns.

Reference Table

Gender/Number Relative (As much/many) Correlative (That much/many) Example Context
Masc. Singular Jitna Utna Money, Time, Water
Fem. Singular Jitni Utni Shanti (peace), Cheeni (sugar)
Masc. Plural Jitne Utne Log (people), Din (days)
Fem. Plural Jitni Utni Kitabein (books), Raatein (nights)
💡

The Mirror Effect

Imagine a mirror in the middle of your sentence. If you hold up 'Jitna' on one side, 'Utna' reflects on the other. They balance the sentence.

⚠️

Don't Mix Families

Don't mix this up with 'Jab... Tab' (When... Then). 'Jitna' is strictly for quantity or degree, not time!

🎯

Reverse It

You can start with the result first! 'Main utna khush hoon jitna tum' (I am as happy as you). It sounds very poetic and flexible.

💬

The Polite Refusal

In India, when hosts offer food, saying 'Bas, jitna chahiye tha, le liya' (I took as much as I needed) is a polite way to stop them from serving more.

Exemples

8
#1 Jitni chaadar ho, utne pair phailao.

जितनी चादर हो, उतने पैर फैलाओ।

Focus: Jitni/Utne

Stretch your legs only as much as the cover allows. (Live within your means).

A very famous idiom.

#2 Tum jitna bologe, main utna sununga.

तुम जितना बोलोगे, मैं उतना सुनूँगा।

Focus: jitna/utna

I will listen as much as you speak.

Standard masculine usage.

#3 Jitne munh, utni baatein.

जितने मुँह, उतनी बातें।

Focus: Jitne/Utni

As many mouths, that many opinions.

Notice 'munh' is masc. plural here, 'baatein' is fem. plural.

#4 Jitni jaldi karoge, utna achha hai.

जितनी जल्दी करोगे, उतना अच्छा है।

Focus: Jitni

The sooner you do it, the better it is.

Jaldi is treated as feminine here.

#5 Mere paas utne paise nahin hain jitne tumhe chahiye.

मेरे पास उतने पैसे नहीं हैं जितने तुम्हें चाहिए।

Focus: utne/jitne

I don't have as much money as you need.

Reverse order (Utna first).

#6 ✗ Jitna log aayenge, utna khana banega.

✓ Jitne log aayenge, utna khana banega.

Focus: Jitne

As many people come, that much food will be made.

Correction: 'Log' is plural, so 'Jitna' must be 'Jitne'.

#7 ✗ Jitni mehnat, jitna fal.

✓ Jitni mehnat, utna fal.

Focus: utna

As much hard work, that much result.

Correction: You cannot use 'jitna' twice. The second part must be 'utna'.

#8 Gadi jitni tez chalegi, khatra utna badhega.

गाड़ी जितनी तेज़ चलेगी, खतरा उतना बढ़ेगा।

Focus: jitni

The faster the car goes, the more the danger increases.

Tez (fast) acts as an adverb modified by jitni (agreeing with Gadi).

Teste-toi

Choose the correct form based on the noun 'log' (people).

___ log aayenge, hum utni kursiyan lagayenge.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : Jitne

'Log' (people) is masculine plural in Hindi, so we need 'Jitne'.

Select the correct correlative to complete the thought.

Jitni mehnat karoge, ___ safalta milegi.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : utni

'Safalta' (success) is feminine, so 'utni' is the correct match. 'Vaisa' would mean 'that kind' of success, not 'that much'.

Complete the idiom.

Jitna gud daaloge, ___ meetha hoga.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : utna

Referring to the general quality of sweetness (abstract masculine), so 'utna' is correct.

🎉 Score : /3

Aides visuelles

Agreeing with the Noun

Masculine Singular
Jitna/Utna Paisa, Waqt
Feminine (Sg/Pl)
Jitni/Utni Chai, Baatein
Masculine Plural
Jitne/Utne Dost, Kapde

Selecting the Right Form

1

Is the noun plural?

YES ↓
NO
Check Gender
2

Is it Masculine?

YES ↓
NO
Use Jitni/Utni
3

Is it Feminine?

YES ↓
NO
Use Jitne/Utne

Common Contexts

🛍️

Shopping

  • • Price vs Quality
  • • Bargaining
💪

Effort

  • • Work vs Result
  • • Study vs Grades

Questions fréquentes

21 questions

It translates to 'as much as' or 'how much'. It introduces the relative clause defining quantity.

It means 'that much'. It is the correlative that answers the quantity set by jitna.

In casual speech, yes. But in proper grammar, the 'utna' is implied if not spoken. Better to use both to be safe!

You use this exact structure! 'Jitna zyada... utna zyada...' (As much more... that much more).

Yes. If the object/noun is feminine, use jitni/utni. If masculine, jitna/utna.

If masculine plural (like boys/days), use jitne/utne. If feminine plural (like nights/things), use jitni/utni.

Jitna counts quantity (how much). Jaisa describes quality/manner (like what/how).

Yes, for duration. 'Jitni der rukna hai, ruko' (Stay for as much duration as you want).

No, for questions we usually use 'Kitna' (How much?). 'Jitna' is for statements or relative clauses.

It corresponds to 'As much... as' or the 'The more... the less/more' structure.

Yes! 'Jitna sundar' (As beautiful as). 'Jitna lamba' (As tall as).

Jitna agrees with the first noun, Utna agrees with the second noun. They operate locally.

We say 'Jitni jaldi ho sake'. Here we usually imply the 'utna achha hai' (that much is good) part.

It is neutral. It is used in both very formal writing and street slang.

Technically for countables we use jitne (plural), but jitna acts as the singular mass noun form.

Default to masculine singular (Jitna/Utna). It's the safest bet.

Hindi is flexible, but Jitna clause usually comes first for logical flow (Condition -> Result).

Yes, for emphasis. 'Mujhe utna nahin chahiye jitna tum de rahe ho' (I don't want that much as you are giving).

'Jitna mujhe pata hai...' This is a very common phrase starter!

Yes, just add 'nahin'. 'Jitna socha tha, utna nahin mila' (Didn't get as much as I thought).

Mostly yes, though they might mumble the endings. But the structure is solid.

C'tait utile ?

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