Breakdown of دوستم میخواهد ریاضی یاد بگیرد.
دوستdust
friend
ریاضیriyâzi
mathematics
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
یاد گرفتنyâd gereftan
to learn
Questions & Answers about دوستم میخواهد ریاضی یاد بگیرد.
Where is the word for "my" in dustam?
In Farsi, possession is usually shown by attaching a suffix directly to the end of a noun. Here, dust means friend, and the suffix -am means my. Combined, they make dustam (my friend).
Why does the second verb use begirad instead of its normal present tense form?
This is because of the first verb, mi-khâhad (he/she wants). When you want to do something in Farsi, the second verb must be in the present subjunctive form. The prefix be- added to the front of the verb is the main sign of this subjunctive mood!
How do we form the subjunctive for a compound verb like "to learn" (yâd gereftan)?
A compound verb is made of two words. To make it subjunctive, the first word (yâd) stays exactly the same. You only apply the subjunctive changes—adding the be- prefix and the matching personal ending—to the second, verbal part (gereftan). That is why it becomes yâd begirad.
Why is riyâzi (math) placed right in between the two verbs?
Farsi usually places verbs at the very end of the sentence. When you use a "want to" structure, the wanting verb (mi-khâhad) comes earlier, but the main action verb (yâd begirad) still goes at the very end. The object of the action, riyâzi, naturally sits right before that final verb.
Since there is no word for "he" or "she" here, how do we know who is doing the action?
The verb endings tell us! Both mi-khâhad and begirad end in -ad, which is the matching ending for a third-person singular subject (he, she, or it). Because these verb endings make it so clear who is doing the action, Farsi speakers usually drop subject pronouns unless they want to add special emphasis.
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