Breakdown of او قول میدهد که دعوا نکند.
او
he/she
دعوا کردنda'vâ kardan
to fight
کهke
that (conjunction)
قول دادنqol dâdan
to promise
قولghol
promise (noun)
Questions & Answers about او قول میدهد که دعوا نکند.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive (نکند) when the English translation says "will not fight" (future tense)?
In Farsi, when you express a wish, hope, or promise using که (that), the verb that follows takes the present subjunctive. Even though the promise is about the future, Farsi uses the subjunctive to show that the action is intended or promised, rather than a guaranteed fact.
How is the negative present subjunctive formed in نکند?
The regular present subjunctive for "he does" is بکند (the prefix be- + the present stem kon + the "he/she/it" ending -ad). To make it negative, you simply replace the be- prefix with the negative prefix na-. This gives us na- + kon + -ad, creating نکند (nakonad).
Why does the negative prefix attach to کند instead of دعوا?
دعوا کردن (to fight) is a compound verb made of a noun (دعوا) and a "helper" verb (کردن, meaning "to do"). In Farsi, verb prefixes like the negative na- or the subjunctive be- always attach to the helper verb part, never to the noun.
Why doesn't the first verb, میدهد (he promises), also use the subjunctive?
The first verb states a real, actual fact happening right now: "He is promising." Therefore, it uses the regular present indicative tense with the می (mi-) prefix. The subjunctive is only triggered for the second verb, which describes the imagined or promised action after که.
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