Learn Farsi: راننده دیر نمی‌آید. - The driver does not come late.

The verb is نمی‌آید (ne-mi-āyad). To make a present tense verb negative, you add the negative prefix نـ (ne-) directly to the front of the present continuous prefix میـ (mi-). Together, they form نمیـ (ne-mi-), which is attached to the beginning of the verb stem.

Why is there an آ (alef with a hat) in the middle of نمی‌آید?

The present stem for the verb to come is آی (āy), which starts with an آ (ā) sound. When we add the prefix نمیـ (ne-mi-), the spelling of the stem doesn't change. It is simply written right after the prefix. When speaking, you just blend the sounds smoothly as ne-mi-āyad.

What does the ـد at the very end of the verb mean?

The ـد (-ad) is the personal ending for the third-person singular (he, she, or it). Because the subject of our sentence is راننده (the driver), which is a single person, we attach ـد to the present stem آی (āy) to show who is not coming.

Why is دیر (late) placed right before the verb?

Farsi sentences almost always put the main verb at the very end. Adverbs that describe how or when an action happens, like دیر (dir), are typically placed immediately before the verb they modify. Literally, the word order here is: Driver late does not come.