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Relative Clauses

संबंधवाचक उपवाक्य

What is a Relative Clause? | संबंधवाचक उपवाक्य क्या है?

A relative clause gives more information about a noun. It starts with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that) or relative adverb (when, where, why).

संबंधवाचक उपवाक्य किसी संज्ञा के बारे में अधिक जानकारी देता है।

📌 Relative Pronouns | संबंधवाचक सर्वनाम

who - for people (subject) | लोगों के लिए
whom - for people (object) | लोगों के लिए (कर्म)
whose - for possession | स्वामित्व के लिए
which - for things | वस्तुओं के लिए
that - for people or things | लोगों या वस्तुओं के लिए

Types of Relative Clauses | प्रकार

1. Defining Relative Clauses (परिभाषित)

Essential information - Cannot be removed without changing the meaning

आवश्यक जानकारी - अर्थ बदले बिना हटाया नहीं जा सकता

The student who studies hard will succeed.
जो छात्र कड़ी मेहनत करता है वह सफल होगा।

The book that I bought yesterday is interesting.
जो किताब मैंने कल खरीदी वह दिलचस्प है।

2. Non-Defining Relative Clauses (गैर-परिभाषित)

Extra information - Can be removed (use commas)

अतिरिक्त जानकारी - हटाया जा सकता है (कॉमा का उपयोग करें)

My brother, who lives in Delhi, is a doctor.
मेरा भाई, जो दिल्ली में रहता है, एक डॉक्टर है।

The Taj Mahal, which is in Agra, is beautiful.
ताजमहल, जो आगरा में है, सुंदर है।

Examples with Different Relative Pronouns | उदाहरण

Using WHO (लोगों के लिए - कर्ता)

The teacher who taught us English retired.
जो शिक्षक हमें अंग्रेजी पढ़ाते थे वे सेवानिवृत्त हो गए।

Using WHOM (लोगों के लिए - कर्म)

The person whom you met is my uncle.
जिस व्यक्ति से आप मिले वह मेरे चाचा हैं।

Using WHOSE (स्वामित्व)

The boy whose father is a teacher won the prize.
जिस लड़के के पिता शिक्षक हैं उसने पुरस्कार जीता।

Using WHICH (वस्तुओं के लिए)

The car which he bought is very expensive.
जो कार उसने खरीदी वह बहुत महंगी है।

✍️ Practice Exercise | अभ्यास

Fill in the correct relative pronoun:

The girl _____ won the race is my sister.
The house _____ roof is red is ours.
I lost the pen _____ you gave me.
The man _____ I spoke to was helpful.
Delhi, _____ is the capital, is crowded.

Click for Answers

who/that (person - subject)
whose (possession)
which/that (thing)
whom/that (person - object)
which (non-defining, use commas)

⚠️ Common Mistakes | सामान्य गलतियाँ

Omitting Relative Pronoun:
✗ The book I bought is interesting. (informal)
✓ The book that I bought is interesting. (formal)
औपचारिक लेखन में relative pronoun जरूरी
Using 'that' vs 'which':
✓ Defining: The car that he drives is expensive.
✓ Non-defining: My car, which is red, is expensive.
Non-defining में 'which' का उपयोग करें

📊 Quick Reference Table | त्वरित संदर्भ

Pronoun	Use	Example
who	People (subject)	The girl who sings...
whom	People (object)	The man whom I met...
whose	Possession	The boy whose father...
which	Things/Animals	The dog which barked...
that	People/Things (defining)	The book that I read...
where	Places	The school where I study...
when	Time	The day when we met...

✍️ Advanced Practice | उच्च अभ्यास

Combine using relative clauses:

The teacher is very helpful. She teaches us English.
This is the park. I play cricket in this park.
2015 was the year. I graduated in 2015.

Show Answers

The teacher who teaches us English is very helpful.
This is the park where I play cricket.
2015 was the year when I graduated.