जितना (jitnaa)
adjective/pronoun
The correlative 'as much/many as' word, forming a pair with उतना (utnaa, 'that much'); it also stands alone as 'as much as/whatever amount' and inflects like an adjective (जितना/जितने/जितनी) to agree with the noun it quantifies.
Sense
1
:
as much/as many (correlative with उतना)
adjective Works as the जितना...उतना (jitnaa...utnaa) correlative pair: जितना introduces the relative quantity, उतना (utnaa) picks it up in the main clause, e.g. जितना पैसा है, उतना खर्च करो (jitnaa paisaa hai, utnaa kharch karo, 'spend as much money as you have').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This जितना...उतना (jitnaa...utnaa) pattern is one of the first correlative structures learners meet, and it's everywhere in daily bargaining and advice: a shopkeeper might say जितना चाहिए उतना ले लो (jitnaa chaahie utnaa le lo, 'take as much as you need').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often drop the उतना (utnaa) half and just use जितना alone, which sounds incomplete in formal correlative sentences -- native speakers usually keep both sides. 2) जितना agrees in gender/number with the noun it quantifies (जितनी किताबें, jitnii kitaaben, 'as many books'), so learners sometimes leave it stuck in the default masculine form.
Sample Sentences:
जितना पैसा तुम्हारे पास है, उतना ही मेरे पास है।
I have exactly as much money as you have.
(jitnaa paisaa tumhaare paas hai, utnaa hii mere paas hai।)
जितना आटा चाहिए, उतना ही डालो।
Put in only as much flour as is needed.
(jitnaa aataa chaahie, utnaa hii daalo।)
दुकानदार ने कहा, "जितना चाहिए उतना ले लो।"
The shopkeeper said, "Take as much as you need."
(dukaandaar ne kahaa, "jitnaa chaahie utnaa le lo।")
जितनी मेहनत तुम करोगे, उतना ही फल मिलेगा।
As much effort as you put in, you will get that much reward.
(jitnii mehnat tum karoge, utnaa hii phal milegaa।)
जितने लोग बुलाए गए, उतने ही आए।
As many people as were invited, that many came.
(jitne log bulaae gae, utne hii aae।)
काश जितना समय मैंने बर्बाद किया, उतना पढ़ाई में लगाया होता।
If only I had spent as much time on studies as I wasted.
(kaash jitnaa samay mainne barbaad kiyaa, utnaa padhaaii men lagaayaa hotaa।)
मैं चाहता हूँ कि जितनी किताबें मेरे पास हैं, उतनी उसके पास भी हों।
I wish he had as many books as I have.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki jitnii kitaaben mere paas hain, utnii uske paas bhii hon।)
जितना बड़ा घर उनका है, उतना ही बड़ा उनका दिल भी है।
Their heart is as big as their house is.
(jitnaa badaa ghar unkaa hai, utnaa hii badaa unkaa dil bhii hai।)
जितनी उम्मीद हमें थी, उतनी ही निराशा भी मिली।
We got as much disappointment as the hope we had had.
(jitnii ummiid hamen thii, utnii hii niraashaa bhii milii।)
जितना तुम सोचते हो, उतना मुश्किल नहीं है यह काम।
This work is not as difficult as you think.
(jitnaa tum sochte ho, utnaa mushkil nahiin hai yah kaam।)
जितनी जल्दी हो सके, उतनी जल्दी मुझे बता दीजिए।
Please tell me as soon as possible.
(jitnii jaldii ho sake, utnii jaldii mujhe bataa diijie।)
Sense
2
:
whatever amount, however much (standalone quantity)
pronoun Used without a following उतना (utnaa) when the sentence just names a capped or open amount: जितना हो सके (jitnaa ho sake, 'as much as possible').
Synonyms: जो कुछ (jo kuchh, whatever there is)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear जितना हो सके (jitnaa ho sake, 'as much as possible') constantly in polite requests and instructions, from recipes to office emails, as a softer way of setting an open-ended limit.
Sample Sentences:
जितना हो सके, उतना कर दो।
Do as much as possible.
(jitnaa ho sake, utnaa kar do।)
कृपया जितना हो सके, जल्दी जवाब दें।
Please reply as soon as possible.
(kripyaa jitnaa ho sake, jaldii javaab den।)
मुझे जितना चाहिए था, उतना मिल गया।
I got whatever amount I needed.
(mujhe jitnaa chaahie thaa, utnaa mil gayaa।)
जितना बन पड़े, मदद कर दिया करो।
Help out however much you can manage.
(jitnaa ban pade, madad kar diyaa karo।)
जितना खर्च हुआ, वह बिल में लिखा है।
Whatever amount was spent is written on the bill.
(jitnaa kharch huaa, vah bil men likhaa hai।)
अगर मुझसे पूछा जाता, तो जितना संभव होता, मैं उतना दे देता।
If I had been asked, I would have given whatever amount was possible.
(agar mujhse poochhaa jaataa, to jitnaa sambhav hotaa, main utnaa de detaa।)
बॉस ने कहा कि जितना हो सके, उतना ही आज पूरा कर लो।
The boss said to finish as much as possible today.
(bos ne kahaa ki jitnaa ho sake, utnaa hii aaj pooraa kar lo।)
शायद जितना बताया गया है, उससे ज़्यादा नुकसान हुआ हो।
The damage might be more than whatever amount has been reported.
(shaayad jitnaa bataayaa gayaa hai, usse zyaadaa nuksaan huaa ho।)
रेसिपी में लिखा है कि जितना ज़रूरी हो, सिर्फ़ उतना ही नमक डालें।
The recipe says to add only as much salt as is necessary.
(resipii men likhaa hai ki jitnaa zaroorii ho, sirf utnaa hii namak daalen।)
जितना मिलेगा, हम उसी में काम चला लेंगे।
We'll manage with whatever amount we get.
(jitnaa milegaa, ham usii men kaam chalaa lenge।)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
जितना
(jitnaa)
(pl.m):
जितने
(jitne)
(sg.f):
जितनी
(jitnii)
(pl.f):
जितनी
(jitnii)