Training a dog involves giving a lot of commands. But what if you want to talk about those commands, like saying "I want the dog to sit" or "The trainer asks the dog not to bark"?
In English, we use an infinitive ("to sit"). In Farsi, we use an indirect command structure built with the verb خواستن (to want / to ask).
The Structure of Indirect Commands
To express wanting or asking someone (or a pet) to do something, Farsi uses this specific formula:
[Conjugated خواستن] + از + [Person/Animal] + که + [Present Subjunctive]
Literally, you are saying "I want from the dog that he sit."
| Subject & Verb 1 | Preposition & Object | Connector | Verb 2 (Subjunctive) |
|---|---|---|---|
| میخواهم (I want) | از سگ (from the dog) | که (that) | بنشیند (he sit) |
| میخواهد (He wants) | از من (from me) | که (that) | بیایم (I come) |
Notice that the first verb (خواستن) matches the person who wants the action, while the second verb (in the subjunctive) matches the person who is supposed to do the action.
| I am training the dog, and I want him to sit. | من دارم سگ را تربیت میکنم و از او میخواهم که بنشیند.man dâram sag râ tarbiyat mikonam va az u mikhâham ke beneshinad. |
| The owner wants the dog to be obedient. | صاحب از سگ میخواهد که مطیع باشد.sâheb az sag mikhâhad ke moti' bâshad. |
| I want you to look at the dog's paw. | من از تو میخواهم که به پنجهی سگ نگاه کنی.man az to mikhâham ke be panje-ye sag negâh koni. |
Negative Indirect Commands
If you want to ask someone not to do something, simply make the subjunctive verb negative by replacing the بـ prefix with نـ (or adding نـ if the verb lacks a prefix, such as with compound verbs). The rest of the sentence structure remains exactly the same.
| The trainer gives a command and asks the dog not to bark. | مربی دستور میدهد و از سگ میخواهد که پارس نکند.morabbi dastur midahad va az sag mikhâhad ke pârs nakonad. |
| I want the dog not to bite anyone. | من از سگ میخواهم که هیچکس را گاز نگیرد.man az sag mikhâham ke hichkas râ gâz nagirad. |
| We want the obedient dog not to lick the floor. | ما از سگ مطیع میخواهیم که کف را نلیسد.mâ az sage moti' mikhâhim ke kaf râ nalisad. |