Breakdown of قول میدهم دوباره اشتباه نکنم.
کردنkardan
to do / to make
قول دادنqol dâdan
to promise
دوبارهdobâre
again
اشتباهeshtebâh
mistake / wrong / incorrect / wrongly
قولghol
promise (noun)
Questions & Answers about قول میدهم دوباره اشتباه نکنم.
Why does the second verb use نکنم instead of a regular present tense form?
In Farsi, when you use a verb that expresses wishing, wanting, or promising (like قول میدهم), the second verb that follows must be in the subjunctive mood. It describes the intended future action rather than a current fact.
How exactly is the negative subjunctive نکنم formed here?
The verb is the compound اشتباه کردن (to make a mistake). To form the negative subjunctive for 'I', we take the present stem of کردن, which is کن (kon), add the negative prefix نـ (na-), and attach the 'I' ending ـم (-am). This gives us نکنم (nakonam).
Doesn't the subjunctive usually need the بـ (be-) prefix? Why is it missing in نکنم?
You are right that positive subjunctive verbs normally start with بـ (be-), like بکنم (bekonam). However, the negative prefix نـ (na-) completely replaces the بـ (be-) prefix. You never use both together!
Why does the first verb قول میدهم start with می (mi-) instead of being in the subjunctive too?
The first verb is the main action you are doing right now as a fact ('I am promising'). Therefore, it stays in the normal present tense, which uses the می (mi-) prefix. Only the dependent second action ('not to make a mistake') changes to the subjunctive mood.
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