Learn Farsi: آیا مادران شما جوان هستند؟

The suffix -ان (-ân) is a special plural marker used for animate nouns, meaning living things like people and animals. Since مادر (mother) is a person, its plural becomes مادران (mothers). While مادرها is also correct and very common in everyday speech, مادران perfectly follows the animate plural rule and is often used in writing.

Where is the word for "your" in this sentence?

"Your" is expressed by combining مادران (mothers) with شما (you) using the Ezafe, which is a short "e" sound connecting the two words. When spoken, it sounds like "mâdarân-e shomâ". In Farsi, possessives are formed by saying the object first, followed by the Ezafe, and then the person who owns it.

Why is the verb هستند (they are) used if the word شما (you) is in the sentence?

Even though the pronoun شما (you) is there, the actual subject of the sentence is مادران شما (your mothers). Because "mothers" is a "they" (third-person plural), the verb must match it. That is why we use هستند (they are) instead of هستید (you are).

Do I always have to use آیا at the start of a yes/no question?

No, you do not. The word آیا is used to clearly mark a yes/no question, usually in writing or formal speech. In everyday spoken Farsi, people usually drop it and just say the sentence with a rising tone of voice at the end, similar to asking "Your mothers are young?" in English.