Questions & Answers about کاناداییاند و بیمارند.
Where is the word for 'they' in this sentence?
Farsi often drops the subject pronoun when it is obvious from the verb. Here, the word for 'they' (آنها) is completely left out. We still know the sentence is about 'them' because of the verb suffix ـند attached to the end of the words, which means 'they are'.
Why is the 'they are' ending spelled differently in کاناداییاند compared to بیمارند?
The spelling changes based on the last letter of the word it attaches to. بیمار (sick) ends in a consonant, so the ending joins directly as ـند. However, کانادایی (Canadian) ends in a vowel sound. To separate the vowels, Farsi adds a small break and spells the ending with an Alef as اند.
Do we have to repeat the verb ending on both words?
In English, we usually say 'They are Canadian and sick,' but in Farsi, repeating the short 'to be' verb on both words is very common and sounds natural. You are literally saying 'Canadian-they-are and sick-they-are'.
How do we know کانادایی means 'Canadian' instead of just 'Canada'?
The name of the country is کانادا (Canada). By adding the ی suffix at the end, it turns into a word describing someone from that place, creating کانادایی (Canadian).