Questions & Answers about هفتاد بشقاب تمیز و هشتاد لیوان اینجا است.
Why are words like بشقاب (plate) and لیوان (glass) in the singular form even though there are seventy and eighty of them?
In Farsi, when you use a number before a noun, the noun always stays in its singular form. So instead of saying "seventy plates," you literally say "seventy plate" (هفتاد بشقاب).
How do you tell the difference between هفتاد (seventy) and هشتاد (eighty)?
They look and sound very similar! هفتاد (haftād - seventy) comes from the word هفت (haft - seven). هشتاد (hashtād - eighty) comes from هشت (hasht - eight). Paying close attention to that "f" versus "sh" sound is the best way to tell them apart.
How does the word تمیز (clean) connect to بشقاب (plate)?
In Farsi, adjectives come after the noun they describe. They are connected by a short "e" sound added to the end of the noun. This connector is called the ezāfe, and it is usually not written in the Farsi alphabet. So, you pronounce it "boshqāb-e tamīz".
Why does the sentence end with است (is) when the English translation says "are"?
In Farsi, when the subject is plural but made up of non-living things (like plates and glasses), the verb is almost always singular. That is why the sentence uses the singular است (is) instead of the plural هستند (are).