Breakdown of من گرسنه هستم، یک سیب لطفاً.
من
I
گرسنه
hungry
بودنbudan
to be
یکyek
one / a, an
لطفاًlotfan
please
سیبsib
apple
Questions & Answers about من گرسنه هستم، یک سیب لطفاً.
Does yek in this sentence mean 'one' or 'an'?
It actually means both! Farsi does not have a separate word for 'a' or 'an'. Instead, it uses the number yek (one) to show that a noun is indefinite. So yek sib translates perfectly to 'an apple'.
Why does yek come before the noun sib? I thought describing words usually come after the noun.
You are right that adjectives usually follow the noun in Farsi. However, numbers are an exception! Numbers, including yek when used as 'a' or 'an', always come before the noun they count or introduce.
Could I shorten gorosneh hastam in everyday speech?
Yes! In spoken Farsi, the full verb hastam (I am) is often shortened to just the ending -am and attached directly to the previous word. Since gorosneh ends in a vowel, you would add a connecting sound, making it gorosne-am.
What is the little double dash symbol above the last letter of lotfan (لطفاً)?
That symbol is called a tanvin, a pronunciation marker borrowed from Arabic. It tells you to add an 'an' sound at the end of the word. The base word is lotf (kindness or favor), and adding the tanvin turns it into lotfan (please).
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