برادر به خواهر کمک می‌کند.

From Lesson 31:Compound verbs·Farsi

Breakdown of برادر به خواهر کمک می‌کند.

برادرbarâdar
brother
خواهرkhâhar
sister
بهbe
to
کمک کردنkomak kardan
to help

Questions & Answers about برادر به خواهر کمک می‌کند.

Why are there two words (کمک می‌کند) for "helps"?
This is a compound verb, which is very common in Farsi! It is made of a noun, کمک (help), and a "light" verb, می‌کند (he/she does). So, instead of having a single specific verb for "to help", Farsi literally says "does help".
Why is the word به (to) used before خواهر (sister)?
In English, we just say "helps the sister", but in Farsi, the compound verb کمک کردن (to help) requires the preposition به (to). You are literally saying the brother does help to the sister. Many compound verbs pair with specific prepositions, so it is best to memorize them together!
I see a "و" (v/w) in خواهر, but it is pronounced "khāhar". Why is the letter silent?
Great catch! In a few Farsi words that start with خو followed by an "a" or "i" sound, the و is written but not pronounced. This is a leftover from how the language used to be spoken. خواهر (sister) and خواب (sleep) are the most common examples you will see at this level.
Why aren't there any words for "the" before برادر and خواهر?
Farsi does not have a direct equivalent for the definite article "the". A plain noun like برادر can mean "a brother", "brother", or "the brother" depending on the context. Here, we understand it as "the brother" based on the overall meaning of the sentence.

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