Breakdown of عمهمان و خالهشان اینجا نیستند.
و
and
اینجاinjâ
here
بودنbudan
to be
عمهamme
aunt (paternal)
خالهkhâle
aunt (maternal)
Questions & Answers about عمهمان و خالهشان اینجا نیستند.
How do the plural possessive endings attach to words ending in the 'eh' sound like عمه (ammeh)?
When a word ends in a silent ه (sounding like 'eh'), the endings مان (-mân), تان (-tân), and شان (-shân) are attached directly. Notice that a 'half-space' is used in typing so the ه keeps its final shape, as seen in عمهمان (ammeh-mân) and خالهشان (khâleh-shân).
I learned that the plural endings are -emân, -etân, -eshân. Why is the 'e' missing when pronouncing عمهمان?
Normally, these endings use an 'e' sound to link them to a consonant (like کتابمان - ketâb-emân). However, because عمه and خاله already end in a vowel sound ('eh'), that extra linking vowel is dropped to make it easier to say. They are simply pronounced as ammeh-mân and khâleh-shân.
Why are there two entirely different words for 'aunt' in this sentence?
In Farsi, family vocabulary is very specific. عمه (ammeh) specifically means 'paternal aunt' (your father's sister), while خاله (khâleh) means 'maternal aunt' (your mother's sister). You always have to specify which side of the family the relative is from.
Why does the verb نیستند (nistand) have a plural ending when both aunts are singular?
The subject of the sentence is 'our paternal aunt and their maternal aunt'. Because you are talking about two people connected by the word و (and), they form a plural subject together. As a result, the negative verb 'to be' must match them and take the plural ending ند (-and).
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