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### Unavoidable Alternatives

To express "whether ... or ...", Farsi uses the disjunctive correlative pair **خواه ... خواه ...**. This structure connects two alternatives, emphasizing that the main action of the sentence will happen regardless of which condition applies.

When the alternatives are states of being (like day or night), they are often followed by the subjunctive verb **باشد**.

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### Linking Nouns and Adjectives

You can use this structure to contrast simple nouns, such as different extreme weather events, or opposing adjectives. The main verb of the correlative clause is usually placed at the end of the phrase or right after the first condition.

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### Whether or Not

To express "whether [action] or not," you do not need a separate word for "not". Instead, simply place the positive subjunctive verb after the first **خواه** and its negative counterpart after the second **خواه**.

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### Highlighting Complex Hazards

When detailing the severe hazards of an extreme mountaineering expedition, **خواه ... خواه ...** can seamlessly link complex noun phrases, emphasizing the team's determination against all odds.

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Whether ... or (khâh ... khâh)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

suffix

verb

Singular pronouns and copula (man, -am)

Plural pronouns and copula (mâ, -im)

Subject pronoun omission

Singular demonstratives (in, ân)

Plural demonstratives (inhâ, ânhâ)

Independent copula (hastam, hast)

Negative present copula (nistam, nist)

Yes/No questions (âyâ)

Regular plurals (-hâ)

Animate plurals (-ân)

Indefiniteness (yek)

Indefinite marker (-i)

Describing nouns (-e / -ye)

Possession (-e / -ye)

Singular possessives (-am, -at, -ash)

Plural possessives (-emân, -etân, -eshân)

Basic prepositions (dar, be, az, bâ)

Spatial prepositions (ru-ye, zir-e...)

Numbers 1 to 10 (yek, do, se...)

Numbers and singular nouns

Numbers 11 to 20 (yâzdah, davâzdah...)

Counting by tens to 100

Telling time (sâ'at)

The verb to have (dâram)

Negative to have (nadâram)

Basic word order (SOV)

Infinitives and present stems (-an)

Present indicative (mi-)

Negative present indicative (nemi-)

Compound verbs

Question words (che, kojâ)

How many (chand)

The definite object marker (râ)

Object pronouns (man râ, to râ)

Singular commands (be-)

Formal and plural commands (be- ... -id)

Negative commands (na-)

The present subjunctive (be-)

The negative present subjunctive (na-)

Must (bâyad)

Might (shâyad)

Wanting to do something (khâstan)

Being able to do something (tavânestan)

Forming the past stem

The simple past of to be (budan)

The simple past tense

Negative simple past (na-)

Attached object pronouns on verbs (-am, -at, -ash)

Comparative adjectives (-tar)

Basic conjunctions (va, ammâ, yâ)

Giving reasons (chon)

Adverbs of frequency and degree (hamishe, hargez, kheyli, kam)

Everyday actions (kâr kardan, bâz kardan)

Non-human plural subjects

Indefinite pronouns (kasi, chizi, jâyi)

Negative indefinite pronouns (hich-kas, hich-chiz, hich-jâ)

Reciprocal pronouns (hamdigar, yekdigar)

Reflexive pronouns (khod-)

Reflexive direct objects (khod râ)

Emphatic pronouns (khod)

The quantifier every (har)

The quantifier all (hame)

The quantifier some (ba'zi)

Another and other (-i digar)

Which (kodâm)

How much (cheghadr)

Comparisons of equality (mesl-e)

Superlative adjectives (-tarin)

Irregular comparatives and superlatives

Ordinal numbers (-om)

Pre-nominal ordinal numbers (-omin)

Fractions and percentages

Prepositions of theme (dar mored-e)

Prepositions of time (ghabl az, ba'd az)

Preposition of exclusion (bedun-e)

Resultative conjunctions (banâbarin, pas)

Hortative construction (biyâ, biyâyid)

The present progressive tense (dâram mi-)

The past continuous tense (mi-)

Negative past continuous (ne-mi-)

Past continuous of to have (dâshtam)

The past progressive tense (dâshtam mi-)

The past participle (-e)

Present perfect tense (-e-am, -e-ast)

Negative present perfect (na-)

Question	Answer
determined	مصممmosammam
to advance (intransitive)	پیشروی کردنpishravi kardan
whether / or (correlative)	خواهkhâh
The determined team advances toward the summit, whether it is day or night.	تیم مصمم به سمت قله پیشروی می‌کند، خواه روز باشد خواه شب.tim-e mosammam be samt-e qolle pishravi mikonad, khâh ruz bâshad khâh shab.
freezing / frost	یخبندانyakh-bandân
deadly	مرگبارmargbâr
to face / to encounter	مواجه شدنmovâjeh shodan
to retreat	عقب‌نشینی کردنaqab-nešini kardan
Whether we face a deadly freeze or a storm, we do not retreat.	خواه با یخبندان مرگبار مواجه شویم خواه با طوفان، عقب‌نشینی نمی‌کنیم.khâh bâ yakhbandân margbâr movâjeh shavim khâh bâ tufân, aghab-neshini nemi-konim.
to sacrifice	فدا کردنfedâ kardan
Whether the weather is good or bad, we do not sacrifice the team's safety.	خواه هوا خوب باشد خواه بد، ایمنی تیم را فدا نمی‌کنیم.khâh havâ khub bâshad khâh bad, imeni tim râ fedâ nemikonim.
The determined team had not retreated before the freeze.	تیم مصمم قبل از یخبندان عقب‌نشینی نکرده بود.tim mosammam ghabl az yakhbandân aghab-neshini nakarde bud.
frostbite	سرمازدگیsarmâzadegi
The broken leg caused deadly frostbite.	پای شکسته باعث سرمازدگی مرگبار شد.pâ-ye shekaste bâ'es-e sarmâzadegi-ye margbâr shod.
They pay attention to the fact that a storm causes deadly frostbite.	آنها به اینکه طوفان باعث سرمازدگی مرگبار می‌شود، توجه می‌کنند.ânhâ be inke tufân bâ'es sarmâzadegi margbâr mishavad, tavajjoh mikonand.
ruthless	بی‌رحمbirahm
Whether they face frostbite or not, they advance in the ruthless mountains.	خواه با سرمازدگی مواجه شوند خواه نشوند، در کوهستان بی‌رحم پیشروی می‌کنند.khâh bâ sarmâzadegi movâjeh shavand khâh nashavand, dar kuhestân-e birahm pishravi mikonand.
The determined guide had not sacrificed his team.	راهنمای مصمم تیم خود را فدا نکرده بود.râhnamâ-ye mosammam tim khod râ fedâ nakarde bud.
We are afraid of the fact that the determined team might retreat.	ما از اینکه تیم مصمم عقب‌نشینی کند، می‌ترسیم.mâ az inke tim mosammam aqab-neshini konad, mitarsim.
They advance, but the strong wind causes frostbite.	آنها پیشروی می‌کنند، اما باد شدید باعث سرمازدگی می‌شود.ânhâ pishravi mikonand, ammâ bâd shadid bâ'es sarmâzadegi mishavad.
Whether there is a ruthless blizzard or a deadly frost, we advance towards the summit.	خواه کولاک بی‌رحم باشد خواه یخبندان مرگبار، ما به سمت قله پیشروی می‌کنیم.khâh kolâk birahm bâshad khâh yakhbandân margbâr, mâ be samt qolle pishravi mikonim.