Question 1

How is the negative command نکشید formed in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The verb for "to smoke" is سیگار کشیدن. To make a negative command (telling someone not to do something), you take the present stem of the verb, which is کش, and add the negative prefix نـ (na-) to the front. Finally, add the ending ـید (-id) for the formal "you". So, نـ + کش + ـید makes نکشید.

Question 2

Why is the word for "smoke" translated as two words: سیگار نکشید?

Accepted Answer

Farsi uses many "compound verbs," which combine a noun with a basic verb to create a new meaning. "To smoke" is literally "to drag a cigarette" (سیگار کشیدن). When conjugating or making a command, only the verb part (کشیدن) changes to نکشید, while the noun (سیگار) just sits right in front of it.

Question 3

If I am talking to one person, why does the verb end in ـید (-id) which is the plural "you" ending?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, the plural "you" and its matching verb ending ـید (-id) are also used to speak politely and formally to a single person. Since this is a public notice or a polite request to a customer in a restaurant, it uses the formal "you". If you were telling a close friend not to smoke, you would drop the ending and use the informal singular command: سیگار نکش.

Question 4

What is the symbol at the end of لطفاً?

Accepted Answer

The double diagonal line over the last letter is a special pronunciation marker borrowed from Arabic called a tanvin. It makes an "an" sound, so the word is pronounced "lotfan". It is very common in Farsi to use this ending to turn a noun into an adverb. Here, it turns the word for "favor" or "kindness" into the word for "please".

لطفاً در این رستوران سیگار نکشید.

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