Questions & Answers about فرانسوی است و پیر است.
Where is the word for 'she' in this sentence?
In Farsi, you do not always need to use subject pronouns like او (she/he/it). Because the verb است (is) already tells us we are talking about a third person, the pronoun can be dropped. This is completely normal and sounds very natural.
How do we know this sentence means 'she is' and not 'he is'?
We only know from context! Farsi does not have gendered pronouns or verbs. The hidden pronoun او and the verb است can mean 'he is', 'she is', or 'it is'. The translation says 'she' here, but it could easily be 'he' if we were talking about a man.
Can I drop the first است (is) to make the sentence shorter?
Yes! While repeating است like in this sentence is perfectly correct, native speakers often drop the first one to avoid repetition. You will frequently hear فرانسوی و پیر است (French and old is) instead.
How is the word و (and) pronounced in this sentence?
In formal Farsi, it is pronounced 'va'. But in everyday speech, it almost always turns into a short 'o' sound that attaches to the word before it. So instead of 'Faransavi va pir', you will usually hear 'Faransavi-o pir'.