Breakdown of آیا دوچرخهی تو بیرون است؟
است
is
تو
you (singular)
بیرونbirun
outside
آیاâyâ
whether (question particle)
Questions & Answers about آیا دوچرخهی تو بیرون است؟
Why does دوچرخه (bicycle) have a ی added to the end of it here?
This is the Ezafe particle used to show possession, linking 'bicycle' to 'you' to make 'your bicycle' (do-charkhe-ye to). Because دوچرخه ends in the silent letter ه (which makes an 'e' sound), we must use the -ye connector instead of just -e to link the words smoothly.
If تو (to) means 'you', why does the English translation say 'your'?
In Farsi, possession is shown by linking the object and the person using the Ezafe particle, rather than having a completely separate set of words for 'my', 'your', etc. By saying 'bicycle [Ezafe] you', you are literally saying 'the bicycle of you', which translates to 'your bicycle'.
How does the word دوچرخه (do-charkhe) break down?
It literally means 'two-wheeler'! It is made of دو (do), meaning 'two', and چرخ (charkh), meaning 'wheel'. The ه at the end turns it into a noun.
Do I always need to use آیا (āyā) to ask a question?
No, you don't! آیا is a formal word used to signal that a yes/no question is coming. In everyday spoken Farsi, people usually drop it entirely and just say دوچرخهی تو بیرون است؟ with a rising tone of voice at the end.
Why is the word است (ast) at the very end of the sentence?