Woodworking and carpentry require a lot of multitasking—often, you need one person to hold a piece of wood while another person works on it. To describe two actions happening at the exact same time, Farsi uses the phrase در حالی که (while).
Present Simultaneous Actions
To say "while" something is happening right now or as a general routine, use در حالی که to connect two clauses. Because you are describing real, ongoing actions, the verbs in both clauses will be in the indicative mood—most commonly the Present Continuous.
You will also frequently see the word همزمان (simultaneously) added for emphasis.
| My assistant holds the piece, while I simultaneously cut it. | دستیار من قطعه را نگه میدارد، در حالی که من همزمان آن را میبرم.dastyâr-e man qet'e râ negah midârad, dar hâli ke man hamzamân ân râ miboram. |
| Can one sand the edge, while the assistant holds it with a clamp? | آیا میتوان لبه را سنباده زد، در حالی که دستیار آن را با گیره نگه میدارد؟âyâ mitavân labe râ sanbâde zad, dar hâli ke dastyâr ân râ bâ gire negah midârad? |
Past Simultaneous Actions
If the simultaneous actions happened in the past, simply use the Past Continuous tense for both verbs. The structure remains exactly the same.
| The carpenter was fastening the wood's edge with a clamp, while I was simultaneously measuring. | نجار لبهی چوب را با گیره میبست، در حالی که من همزمان اندازه میگرفتم.najjâr labe-ye chub râ bâ gireh mibast, dar hâli ke man hamzamân andâze migereftam. |
Placement of "در حالی که"
Just like the English word "while," در حالی که can be placed in the middle of a sentence to join two actions, or it can be placed at the very beginning of the sentence.
| While the machine was working, the carpenter was sanding the edges. | در حالی که دستگاه کار میکرد، نجار لبهها را سنباده میزد.dar hâli ke dastgâh kâr mikard, najjâr labe-hâ râ sombâde mizad. |
| About ten carpenters were working simultaneously, while we were polishing the pieces of wood. | حدود ده نجار همزمان کار میکردند، در حالی که ما چوبها را جلا میدادیم.hodud-e dah najjâr hamzamân kâr mikardand, dar hâli ke mâ chub-hâ râ jelâ midâdim. |