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Questions & Answers about لطفاً آواز بخوان!
We are learning the subjunctive in this lesson, so why is بخوان an imperative here?
The imperative (command) form and the present subjunctive are closely related in Farsi! Both use the prefix be- added to the present stem of the verb. For the verb خواندن (to read/sing), the present stem is khân. To tell one friend "Sing!", you use the imperative bekhân. If you wanted to say "I can sing" using the subjunctive from this lesson, you use the same prefix and stem, plus the "I" ending: bekhânam.
I thought the verb خواندن meant "to read". Why does it mean "sing" in this sentence?
You are exactly right! By itself, the verb خواندن usually means "to read." However, to say "to sing" in Farsi, we use the compound verb آواز خواندن (literally: to read a song). Because the word آواز (song) is included right before the verb, بخوان means "sing" here instead of "read."
What is the double-dash symbol at the end of لطفاً?
That symbol is called a "tanvin" and it makes an "an" sound. It is borrowed from Arabic and is used in Farsi to turn a word into an adverb. The root word لطف means "favor" or "kindness." Adding the tanvin makes it لطفاً (lotfan), which translates to "kindly" or "please."
Is the command بخوان formal or informal?
It is informal and singular. You would use بخوان when speaking to one person you are close to, like a friend or family member. If you wanted to ask someone formally, or ask a group of people to sing, you would add the plural/formal ending to make it .