Questions & Answers about ما هرگز به دکتر دروغ نمیگوییم.
Why is the verb negative (نمیگوییم) if the sentence already has the word "never" (هرگز)?
In Farsi, words like هرگز (never) always need a negative verb to go with them. While in English we say "We never tell", in Farsi you essentially say "We never do not tell". Double negatives are perfectly correct and required here!
How is the negative verb نمیگوییم put together?
It follows the exact rule for the negative present tense: the negative prefix نـ (ne-) is attached to the ongoing prefix میـ (mi-). Add that to the present stem of "to say", which is گویـ (guy-), and finish with the "we" ending ـیم (-im).
Why does the sentence use the verb for "saying" (نمیگوییم) instead of a specific verb for "lying"?
In Farsi, "to lie" is expressed as a compound verb. It uses the noun دروغ (a lie) paired with the verb گفتن (to say or tell). You will see many actions in Farsi built this way, by combining a noun with a basic verb.
Why does به دکتر (to the doctor) come before دروغ (lie)?
In Farsi compound verbs like دروغ گفتن (to tell a lie), the noun part (دروغ) and the verb part (نمیگوییم) like to stay together at the very end of the sentence. Because of this, extra details like who you are speaking to (به دکتر) are placed right before the compound verb.