The Particle of Disbelief: مگر
In standard Farsi, you can turn a statement into a yes/no question simply by raising your intonation. But when a situation is so absurd—like discovering a secret twin or a ridiculous wig—that you need to express shock, disbelief, or ask a rhetorical question, Farsi uses the particle مگر.
| surely / really (rhetorical question particle) | مگرmagar |
By placing مگر at the beginning of a question, you add the flavor of "Wait, ...?", "Are you actually...?", or "Surely...?" to your sentence. It signals that you are surprised by the situation and are seeking an explanation or confirmation.
| Wait, does this trouble have anything to do with me? | مگر این دردسر به من ربط دارد؟magar in dardsar be man rabt dârad? |
| Wait, did you think he was my twin brother? That is just a wig! | مگر فکر کردی او برادر دوقلوی من است؟ آن فقط یک کلاهگیس است!magar fekr kardi u barâdar doqolu-ye man ast? ân faqat yek kolâh-gis ast! |
When مگر is paired with a negative verb, it translates similarly to "Wait, didn't...?" or "Aren't you...?". In these cases, the speaker usually expects a positive answer or is pointing out something that should be obvious to everyone else in the room.
| Wait, aren't you pretending? This wig is so ridiculous. | مگر وانمود نمیکنی؟ این کلاهگیس خیلی مسخره است.magar vânemud nemikoni? in kolâh-gis kheyli maskhare ast. |
| Wait, didn't the crazy man faint in the yard? | مگر مرد دیوانه در حیاط غش نکرد؟magar mard divâne dar hayât ghash nakard? |
You can also use it to bluntly question someone's state of mind or their reaction when things get completely out of hand.
| Are you crazy? This dog is the manager! | مگر تو دیوانه هستی؟ این سگ مدیر است!magar to divâne hasti? in sag modir ast! |