Breakdown of مرد پیر به موسیقی گوش نمیدهد.
پیر
old
مردmard
man
بهbe
to
موسیقیmusiqi
music
گوش دادنgush dâdan
to listen
Questions & Answers about مرد پیر به موسیقی گوش نمیدهد.
Why is the negative prefix ne- instead of na- in نمیدهد?
When making a present tense verb negative, the usual negative prefix na- changes to ne- because it sits right next to the present prefix mi-. This makes it flow better when speaking. So, instead of na-mi-dahad, we say ne-mi-dahad.
How does the verb نمیدهد break down into parts?
It is the negative present tense of دادن (to give). It is built with ne- (negative) + mi- (present tense marker) + dah (present stem) + -ad (ending for he/she/it).
Why does the sentence use a form of the verb to give (دادن) to talk about listening?
In Farsi, to listen is the compound verb گوش دادن, which literally translates to giving ear. Because it is a compound verb, only the give part changes for tense and person. Therefore, he does not listen becomes گوش نمیدهد (he does not give ear).
Why is there a به before موسیقی (music)?
Just like in English where you listen to something, the Farsi verb گوش دادن requires the preposition به (to) to introduce the thing you are listening to.
Is there a hidden sound between مرد (man) and پیر (old)?
Yes! Farsi uses an invisible linking vowel called the ezafe to connect a noun to its adjective. Even though it is not written in the Persian script here, you must pronounce the phrase as mard-e pir.
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