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Questions & Answers about هنرمند عالی است.
Since the lesson is about dropping subjects, can we drop هنرمند here?
You can only drop subject pronouns (like I or they) because the verb tells us who the subject is. هنرمند is a specific noun (the artist). If you drop it and just say عالی است, it means he, she, or it is excellent, and the listener will not know you are talking about an artist!
Where is the word for the in this sentence?
Farsi does not have a specific word for the. When a noun like هنرمند is the subject of the sentence, it is usually understood as definite (the artist) rather than general (an artist) without needing an extra word.
Why is the word است (is) at the very end?
Farsi uses a different word order than English. The main verb of the sentence, which is است (is) here, almost always goes at the very end. The literal translation follows the order: Artist excellent is.
Would a native speaker actually say عالی است in casual conversation?
In writing and formal speech, yes. But in everyday casual conversation, the verb است often shrinks and attaches to the previous word. عالی است becomes عالیه (aali-e). So people usually say هنرمند عالیه.