Learn Farsi: معلم کی می‌آید؟ - When is the teacher coming?

In Farsi, question words don't have to jump to the front of the sentence like they do in English. They usually sit exactly where the answer would go. Because the time (the answer) usually goes right before the verb, the question word کی (when) is placed right before the verb می‌آید.

Wait, I thought the word کی meant 'who'?

It can mean both! It depends on how it is pronounced. If you pronounce it 'ki', it means 'who'. If you pronounce it 'key', it means 'when'. They are spelled exactly the same in Farsi. Here, the context tells us it means 'when', as asking 'who is the teacher coming?' would not make sense.

Why does می‌آید translate to 'is coming' instead of 'comes'?

Farsi does not have a separate present continuous tense for everyday verbs the way English does. The standard present tense, which starts with the می prefix, covers both general facts ('comes') and things happening right now ('is coming'). You use the situation to tell them apart.

How is the verb می‌آید built?

It comes from the infinitive آمدن (to come). It is made of the present tense prefix می, the present stem آی, and the third-person ending د (for he, she, or it).