Learn Farsi: آیا این یک رستوران عالی است؟

The Ezafe is an invisible '-e' sound that connects the noun رستوران (restaurant) to its adjective عالی (excellent). In Farsi, the noun comes first, followed by the spoken '-e', and then the adjective. The phrase is pronounced resturan-e aali.

Why doesn't the sentence start with the verb like the English question 'Is this...'?

In Farsi, yes/no questions keep the exact same word order as regular statements. This means the verb است (is) stays at the very end. To show it is a question, you simply add the question word آیا at the beginning.

Can I ask this question without using the word آیا?

Yes! The word آیا is mostly used in written or formal Farsi. In everyday conversation, you can just drop it entirely and raise your tone of voice at the end of the sentence to show you are asking a question.

Where does the word for 'a' or 'an' go when there is an adjective?

The word یک (which means 'one' or 'a') comes right before the noun. The Ezafe particle then links the noun to the adjective that follows it. So the pattern is always: یک plus the noun, then the Ezafe, then the adjective.