When discussing choices—like picking out fabrics, threads, or tools for tailoring—you often need to pair alternatives together. Farsi uses correlative (paired) conjunctions that work very much like their English equivalents.
Both... and... (هم… هم…)
To say "both X and Y," simply place هم before each item in the pair.
| The tailor bought both scissors and needles. | خیاط هم قیچی خرید هم سوزن.khayyât ham qeychi kharid ham suzan. |
| He likes both silk and wool. | او هم ابریشم را دوست دارد هم پشم را.u ham abrisham râ dust dârad ham pashm râ. |
Notice how the conjunctions can wrap around nouns, adjectives, or even prepositional phrases. If the nouns are definite direct objects, the object marker را usually follows each noun individually.
Either... or... (یا… یا…)
When presenting a choice between two alternatives, use یا before each option.
| Choose either the zipper or the button. | یا زیپ را انتخاب کنید یا دکمه را.yâ zip râ entekhâb konid yâ dokme râ. |
| You must use either silk or cotton for this shirt. | برای این پیراهن باید یا از ابریشم استفاده کنید یا از پنبه.barâye in pirâhan bâyad yâ az abrisham estefâde konid yâ az panbe. |
Neither... nor... (نه… نه…)
To express "neither X nor Y," use نه before each item.
| She bought neither wool nor cotton. | او نه پشم خرید نه پنبه.u na pashm kharid na panbe. |
There is a very important rule to remember here: because نه… نه… already makes the sentence negative, the main verb usually remains in its affirmative (positive) form.
| This tailor has neither needles nor scissors. | این خیاط نه سوزن دارد نه قیچی.in khayyât na suzan dârad na qeychi. |
