Breakdown of بچه کامپیوتر را خراب نکرد.
کامپیوترkâmpyuter
computer
بچهbacheh
child
راrâ
definite direct object marker
خراب کردنkharâb kardan
to ruin/break
Questions & Answers about بچه کامپیوتر را خراب نکرد.
How do we form the negative past tense for the verb in this sentence?
The verb here is a compound verb, kharāb kardan (to ruin). To make it negative in the simple past, we add the prefix na- to the past stem of the helper verb kardan (to do). The past stem is kard, so it becomes nakard. Since the subject is the child (third-person singular), we do not add any personal ending.
Does adding na- change where we put the stress on the verb nakard?
Yes! In Farsi, when you make a verb negative by adding the na- prefix, the stress shifts to that negative prefix. So you pronounce it as NA-kard, with the emphasis strongly on the first syllable.
Why does na- only attach to kard and not the whole verb?
kharāb kardan is a compound verb made of two separate words: the adjective kharāb (ruined) and the verb kardan (to make). Prefixes like the negative na- only ever attach to the actual verb part (kard), leaving the first part (kharāb) as a separate word.
Why do we need the word rā after kāmpyūtar?