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Questions & Answers about ما سالم نیستیم.
How is the negative verb nistim formed?
nistim means "we are not". It is made of the negative base nist- (is not) plus the personal ending -im (we). Unlike the short, positive "to be" endings that attach directly to words, negative forms like nistim are always written as separate words.
Why is the verb nistim a separate word, when "we are healthy" can be written as just two words?
In the positive sentence "We are healthy" (ma salemim), the "are" is a short ending (-im) attached directly to the adjective. However, the negative forms of the "to be" verb (like nistim) never attach to the previous word. They stand alone at the end of the sentence.
Is it mandatory to include the word ma (we)?
No, you can simply say salem nistim. Because the verb ending -im on nistim already tells us the subject is "we", the pronoun ma is optional. Dropping it is very common in everyday Farsi.
Does salem only mean "healthy"?
When talking about people, salem usually means "healthy". But it is a very flexible word that generally means "intact", "safe", or "undamaged". You will also hear it used to describe objects, like a car or a phone, that are in good working condition.