Breakdown of آیا این ساعت دوازده تومان است؟
این
this
بودنbudan
to be
آیاâyâ
whether (question particle)
ساعتsâ'at
watch
Questions & Answers about آیا این ساعت دوازده تومان است؟
Does آیا mean 'is' in this sentence?
No, آیا is a special word used to start yes/no questions. It doesn't have a direct English translation, but it acts like a spoken question mark. The actual word for 'is' is است at the very end of the sentence. In casual spoken Farsi, people often drop آیا completely and just raise the pitch of their voice at the end.
I previously learned that ساعت means 'hour'. Why does it translate to 'watch' here?
The word ساعت is very versatile! It can mean 'hour', 'clock', or 'wristwatch'. You rely on the context to know which one is meant. Since this sentence is asking about a price, 'watch' or 'clock' makes perfect sense.
Why is the word است (is) at the end of the question?
Unlike English, which moves the verb to the front to ask a question ('Is this...?'), Farsi keeps its standard sentence structure. In Farsi, the verb almost always goes at the very end. So the literal order here is '(Question word) this watch twelve Tomans is?'.
What is a تومان (Toman)?
تومان is the everyday currency unit used in Iran. While the official currency is the Rial, Iranians almost always talk about prices in Tomans in daily life (1 Toman equals 10 Rials). You will hear it constantly when shopping or eating out!