Breakdown of من میخواهم فردا شنا کنم.
من
I
فرداfardâ
tomorrow
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
شنا کردنshenâ kardan
to swim
Questions & Answers about من میخواهم فردا شنا کنم.
Why are there two verbs ending in ـَم (-am) in this sentence?
In Farsi, when you say "I want to do something", both verbs must match the person doing the action. So, میخواهم (mi-khâham) means "I want", and کنم (konam) means "I do". Literally, you are saying "I want that I do swim."
Why is the second verb شنا کنم (shenâ konam) instead of شنا میکنم (shenâ mi-konam)?
After the verb میخواهم (I want), the second verb must be in the subjunctive form. This means we drop the continuous prefix می (mi-) from the second verb.
I learned that the subjunctive usually starts with بـ (be-). Why isn't it شنا بکنم (shenâ bekonam)?
شنا کردن (to swim) is a compound verb made of a noun (شنا) and the verb "to do" (کردن). With compound verbs using کردن, Farsi speakers usually drop the بـ (be-) prefix in the subjunctive, making it just شنا کنم instead of شنا بکنم.
Why isn't there a word for "to" between "want" and "swim"?
Unlike English, Farsi does not use an infinitive (like "to swim") after the verb "to want". Instead, it directly connects the two conjugated verbs without a joining word.
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