Breakdown of خواهر دوست من خیلی جوان است.
من
I
است
is
خیلی
very / many (of)
جوان
young
دوستdust
friend
خواهرkhâhar
sister
Questions & Answers about خواهر دوست من خیلی جوان است.
How does Farsi link multiple words together like 'my friend's sister'?
English uses an apostrophe-s. Farsi builds a chain backwards using the Ezafe particle (an 'eh' sound). You literally say 'sister' + Ezafe + 'friend' + Ezafe + 'I'. This becomes xâhar-e dust-e man (sister of friend of me).
Why isn't the Ezafe particle written between خواهر (sister), دوست (friend), and من (me)?
The Ezafe is a short vowel. In the Farsi alphabet, short vowels are usually not written. You just have to know to add the 'eh' sound when linking a noun to its owner, even though there is no extra letter visible in the text.
Why is the word من (I) used here instead of a possessive suffix?
To say 'my friend', you can either attach a possessive ending to the word for friend (dustam) or use the Ezafe to link 'friend' to the independent pronoun 'I', making dust-e man. Both mean exactly the same thing, and this sentence simply chose the independent pronoun.
What is است (ast) doing at the very end of the sentence?
This is the verb meaning 'is'. As a quick refresher, Farsi always places the main verb at the absolute end of the sentence, even though English puts 'is' in the middle of the sentence.
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