Breakdown of ما سعی میکنیم اشتباه نکنیم.
ما
we
کردنkardan
to do / to make
سعی کردنsa'y kardan
to try
اشتباهeshtebâh
mistake / wrong / incorrect / wrongly
Questions & Answers about ما سعی میکنیم اشتباه نکنیم.
Why is the second verb نکنیم instead of the normal present tense نمیکنیم?
Because it follows the verb to try (سعی کردن). When you talk about trying, wanting, or needing to do something, the second action must be in the subjunctive form. To make the present subjunctive negative, we use the prefix نـ on the verb stem instead of the affirmative بـ prefix.
Where is the word for 'to' in 'not to make'?
Farsi doesn't use an infinitive with 'to' here. Instead, it connects the two actions by conjugating both verbs to match the subject. The sentence literally translates to 'We try we don't make mistake.' The second verb is simply put into the subjunctive form to show it is the goal of the first verb.
Why do both verbs end in کنیم?
Both to try (سعی کردن) and to make a mistake (اشتباه کردن) are compound verbs built with the same helper verb: کردن (to do or to make). Because 'we' (ما) are doing both actions, the helper verb uses the present stem کن plus the 'we' ending یم both times.
How do we make a compound verb like اشتباه کردن negative in the subjunctive?
In Farsi compound verbs, all the grammar changes happen to the helper verb. The first word (اشتباه) stays exactly the same, while the helper verb gets the negative subjunctive prefix نـ and the personal ending. So, اشتباه بکنیم (that we make a mistake) simply becomes اشتباه نکنیم (that we don't make a mistake).