Questions & Answers about شما چه میخوانید؟
Why is چه (what) in the middle of the sentence instead of at the beginning?
In Farsi, question words like چه don't move to the front of the sentence like they do in English. They stay exactly where the answer would go! Since the answer (the book or thing you are reading) is the object of the sentence, and objects go before the verb in Farsi, چه sits right before the verb میخوانید.
Does the verb میخوانید mean 'you read' or 'you are reading'?
It can mean both! Farsi uses this same verb form, which starts with the می prefix, for both actions happening right now ('are you reading?') and general habits ('do you read?'). You can tell which one is meant based on the context of the conversation.
Would I use this exact sentence to ask my best friend what they are reading?
Probably not, because it is quite formal. The pronoun شما (shomâ) and the verb ending -ید (-id) are used when talking to multiple people, or to show respect to a single person. For a close friend, you would use the informal singular 'you' (تو), changing the sentence to تو چه میخوانی؟.
I sometimes hear people say چی instead of چه for 'what'. Why is that?
چه (che) is the standard, written form of the word 'what', which is why it is used in this formal sentence. However, in casual spoken Farsi, people almost always change it to چی (chi). Both mean the exact same thing!
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