Breakdown of آنها امیدوارند سگ را گم نکنند.
آنها
they
سگsag
dog
راrâ
definite direct object marker
امیدوار بودنomidvâr budan
to hope
Questions & Answers about آنها امیدوارند سگ را گم نکنند.
How does the negative subjunctive work in the verb گم نکنند?
This is a compound verb made of گم (lost) and کردن (to do). To make it negative subjunctive, we apply the changes to the second part. We swap the usual positive subjunctive prefix بـ for the negative prefix نـ. Add the present stem کن and the 'they' ending ـند to get نکنند.
The English translation says 'They hope', but I don't see a regular verb for that. How does امیدوارند work?
Farsi often uses an adjective plus the verb 'to be' to express feelings. امیدوار is an adjective meaning 'hopeful'. The ـند at the end is the short form of the verb 'to be' for 'they' (they are). So literally, it means 'They are hopeful'.
Why is there no word for 'that' between 'hope' and 'they do not lose'?
Just like in English, you can often drop the word 'that' in Farsi. The connecting word که could be placed right after امیدوارند, but it is perfectly normal and common to leave it out.
What is the word را doing in the middle of the sentence?
را is the definite object marker. It points out that سگ (dog) is a specific direct object, making it 'the dog' instead of 'a dog'. It always comes right after the noun it marks, which means it sits between the object and the verb گم نکنند at the end of the sentence.