Expressing "Never"
When you want to say that something never happens—like having strict dietary rules or allergies—Farsi uses words like هرگز and هیچوقت. Both mean "never," though هیچوقت is very common in everyday spoken Farsi.
Unlike English, which generally avoids double negatives, Farsi requires them. When you use a negative adverb of time, the main verb must also be made negative.
| I never eat pork because I am a vegetarian. | من هرگز گوشت خوک نمیخورم چون گیاهخوار هستم.man hargez gusht-e khuk nemikhoram chon giâh-khâr hastam. |
| He never eats nuts because he has an allergy. | او هیچوقت آجیل نمیخورد چون حساسیت دارد.u hich-vaght âjil nemikhorad chon hassâsiyat dârad. |
Placement in the Sentence
These adverbs typically go before the object or the verb, similar to other adverbs of time. Notice how the verb always takes the negative prefix (نـ or نیـ).
| My friend never buys alcohol. | دوست من هیچوقت الکل نمیخرد.doost man hich-vaght alkol nemikharad. |
| He is allergic to mushrooms and never eats them. | او به قارچ حساسیت دارد و هرگز آن را نمیخورد.u be qârch hassâsiyyat dârad va hargez ân râ nemikhorad. |
Contrasting Habits
You can easily contrast what you do and don't consume by combining a positive statement with a negative one using اما (but). Just remember that the half of the sentence with هرگز or هیچوقت must always contain a negative verb!
| She drinks alcohol, but never eats nuts. | او الکل مینوشد، اما هیچوقت آجیل نمیخورد.u alkol mi-nushad, ammâ hich-vaght âjil nemi-khorad. |
| A vegetarian never eats pork, but likes eggplant. | یک گیاهخوار هرگز گوشت خوک نمیخورد، اما بادمجان دوست دارد.yek giyâh-khâr hargez gusht khuk nemi-khorad, ammâ bâdemjân dust dârad. |