जब माँ बाज़ार जाती है, तब बहन घर में खाना बनाती है।

जब ... तब is a very common Hindi pair meaning when ... then.

• जब माँ बाज़ार जाती है = when mother goes to the market
• तब बहन घर में खाना बनाती है = then sister cooks food at home

In natural English, we often do not say then, but Hindi often likes this matching structure.

You can think of it like:

• जब = when
• तब = then / at that time

Sometimes तब can be omitted in casual speech if the meaning is clear, but using जब ... तब is very normal and clear.

Because the subject माँ is feminine.

In the habitual present, Hindi verbs often agree with the subject in gender and number when there is no special ergative construction involved.

So:

• वह जाता है = he goes
• वह जाती है = she goes

Since माँ is feminine singular, we use जाती है.

For the same reason: बहन is feminine.

So the verb agrees with बहन:

• भाई खाना बनाता है = brother cooks food
• बहन खाना बनाती है = sister cooks food

The -ती है ending is a very common feminine singular habitual form.

Here जाती है is the habitual present form of जाना (to go).

It usually means something like:

• goes
• does go
• usually goes

So this sentence is not mainly about one action happening right now. It expresses a regular pattern or general situation:

• When mother goes to the market, sister cooks food at home.

If you wanted is going right now, Hindi would more likely use:

• जा रही है = is going

So:

• माँ बाज़ार जाती है = mother goes / mother usually goes
• माँ बाज़ार जा रही है = mother is going to the market

बनाती है is also a habitual present form, from बनाना (to make / to cook).

In this sentence, खाना बनाना means to cook food or simply to cook.

So:

• बहन घर में खाना बनाती है = sister cooks food at home / sister cooks at home

Like जाती है, this suggests a regular or typical action, not necessarily something happening this exact second.

In Hindi, verbs of movement often take the destination directly, without a separate word like English to.

So Hindi says:

• माँ बाज़ार जाती है literally: Mother market goes

But the meaning is:

• Mother goes to the market

This is very normal in Hindi. You can also say things like:

• मैं स्कूल जाता हूँ = I go to school
• वह दिल्ली गई = She went to Delhi

Hindi does not need a separate to here.

में means in.

So:

• घर = house / home
• घर में = in the house / at home

In this sentence, घर में खाना बनाती है means cooks at home or cooks in the house.

Hindi uses postpositions, which come after the noun, unlike English prepositions, which come before:

• English: in the house
• Hindi: घर में = house in

Yes, खाना can be confusing because it can mean different things depending on how it is used.

Here, खाना is a noun, meaning:

• food
• meal

So:

• खाना बनाना = to make food / to cook

But खाना can also be the infinitive form of the verb खा (to eat):

• खाना = to eat

How do you tell the difference? By context.

Examples:

• मुझे खाना है = I have to eat / I want to eat
• खाना तैयार है = the food is ready
• वह खाना बनाती है = she cooks food

In your sentence, it clearly means food.

Hindi usually follows Subject–Object–Verb order, unlike English, which is usually Subject–Verb–Object.

If we break the sentence down:

• जब माँ बाज़ार जाती है

  • माँ = subject
  • बाज़ार = destination
  • जाती है = verb

• तब बहन घर में खाना बनाती है

  • बहन = subject
  • घर में = location
  • खाना = object
  • बनाती है = verb

A useful rule for learners: Hindi often puts the main verb near the end of the clause.

Yes, often yes.

You may hear:

• जब माँ बाज़ार जाती है, बहन घर में खाना बनाती है।

This still means the same thing: When mother goes to the market, sister cooks at home.

Adding तब makes the correlation a little more explicit:

• जब = when
• तब = then

So both are possible, but जब ... तब is especially neat and common in textbook-style Hindi.

Most naturally, it describes a habitual situation or routine.

Because of जाती है and बनाती है, the sentence suggests:

• whenever mother goes to the market, sister cooks at home
• this is what usually happens

If you wanted to describe something happening right now, Hindi would normally use the progressive:

• जब माँ बाज़ार जा रही है, तब बहन घर में खाना बना रही है। = When mother is going to the market, sister is cooking at home.

So your original sentence sounds more like a general pattern than a current event.

In forms like जाती है and बनाती है, the है is part of the normal present habitual construction.

Structure:

• verb stem + habitual participle + form of होना

Examples:

• मैं जाता हूँ = I go
• वह जाती है = she goes
• वह बनाती है = she makes/cooks

So जाती and बनाती are not usually standing alone here; है completes the tense.

Yes. Hindi often does not use articles like a or the, because Hindi has no direct equivalent of English articles.

So:

• माँ can mean mother, the mother, or my mother, depending on context
• बहन can mean sister, the sister, or my sister, depending on context

In a standalone learning sentence, English might translate this as:

• When mother goes to the market, sister cooks at home
• or more naturally, When my mother goes to the market, my sister cooks at home

The exact English wording depends on context, not on extra words in Hindi.

Yes, definitely.

For example:

• जब मम्मी बाज़ार जाती हैं, तब रीना घर में खाना बनाती है।

A small note: many speakers use plural-respect forms for parents, so you may hear:

• मम्मी जाती हैं
• माँ जाती हैं

instead of जाती है

That is an honorific usage. Your original sentence with जाती है is grammatically straightforward and understandable, but in real life many people use हैं for parents out of respect.

That is because Hindi often uses honorific plural for respect.

Even when talking about one respected person, speakers may use plural agreement:

• माँ जाती हैं
• पिताजी आते हैं
• दादी सो रही हैं

This is similar to showing politeness or respect through grammar.

So both can occur:

• माँ बाज़ार जाती है = grammatically simple singular
• माँ बाज़ार जाती हैं = respectful form, very common in real speech

A learner should recognize both.