Learn Farsi: آیا چمدان تو کوچک است؟

آیا چمدان تو کوچک است؟âyâ chamedân to kuchak ast?

Is your suitcase small?

Breakdown of آیا چمدان تو کوچک است؟

whether (question particle)

Questions & Answers about آیا چمدان تو کوچک است؟

I see چمدان (suitcase) and تو (you), but how does this become "your suitcase"?

This is where the Ezafe comes in! To show possession in Farsi, we link the noun (چمدان) and the owner (تو) with a short "e" sound. Literally, it translates to "suitcase of you". You won't see a separate word for "your" here because the Ezafe does that job.

Is the Ezafe written out in چمدان تو?

Usually, no. The Ezafe is a short vowel (an "e" sound) added to the end of the first word, so it is pronounced chamedân-e to. In everyday written Farsi, this short vowel is left unwritten, but you must still say it out loud to link the words together.

Why isn't there an Ezafe linking "suitcase" and "small"?

The Ezafe links a noun to an adjective when they form a single phrase, like saying "the small suitcase" (چمدانِ کوچک). But here, the sentence is saying "your suitcase is small". Because کوچک is separated by the idea of "is" (است) to make a full sentence, you don't use the Ezafe to attach it directly to the suitcase.

Is it mandatory to use آیا to ask a yes/no question?

Not in spoken Farsi. آیا acts like a spoken question mark at the beginning of a sentence, but it is mostly used in writing or formal speech. In everyday conversation, you can drop it and just say چمدان تو کوچک است؟ while raising the pitch of your voice at the end to show it is a question.