Learn Farsi: گرفتن بلیت و ماندن در هتل عالی است. - Getting the ticket and staying in the hotel is excellent.

Yes, they are! In Farsi, the infinitive form (which always ends in -tan or -dan) can be used exactly like English '-ing' nouns. So gereftan can mean 'to get' or 'getting,' and māndan means 'to stay' or 'staying.'

How do I extract the present stem from gereftan?

Finding the present stem in Farsi can sometimes be tricky because many are irregular. While you can easily find the past stem by dropping the -an (leaving gereft), the present stem is gir. You just have to memorize this one!

Is it easier to find the present stem for māndan?

Yes, māndan follows a more predictable pattern. For many verbs ending in -ndan, you can find the present stem simply by dropping the -dan. So the present stem of māndan is mān.

Do I need to use an ezāfe (the connecting 'e' sound) between gereftan and bilit?

You do! Because the infinitive gereftan is acting as a noun here (meaning 'the getting'), it connects to its object ('the ticket') using the ezāfe. You pronounce it as gereftan-e bilit.

Since there are two actions joined by (and), shouldn't the final verb be plural?