Breakdown of آیا اینها سیب هستند؟
اینهاinhâ
these
بودنbudan
to be
آیاâyâ
whether (question particle)
سیبsib
apple
Questions & Answers about آیا اینها سیب هستند؟
Why doesn't this sentence use yek (one) if it is talking about indefinite apples?
The word yek is only used for singular indefinite nouns (like 'an apple'). Because this sentence is talking about plural 'apples', we do not use yek. In Farsi, a bare noun without any article is used to talk about plural indefinite things.
Why is the word for apple (sib) in the singular form here?
In Farsi, when you use a plural subject like inhâ (these), the category noun describing them often stays singular. You do not need to add a plural ending to sib because inhâ and the verb hastand (are) already make it completely clear we are talking about multiple things.
Is the question word âyâ always required?
No, âyâ is mostly used in formal or written Farsi. In everyday conversation, people usually drop it and just raise their pitch at the end of the sentence to ask a question, simply saying inhâ sib hastand?
How does the word inhâ work?
Inhâ is made up of the word in (this) plus the regular plural suffix -hâ. Together, they translate to 'these'.