Breakdown of این کوچه مثل خیابان شلوغ است.
شلوغsholugh
crowded / busy
خیابانkhiâbân
street
کوچهkuche
alley
مثلmesl
like, such as
Questions & Answers about این کوچه مثل خیابان شلوغ است.
Where is the hidden Ezafe in this sentence?
There is an Ezafe (an "e" sound) connecting مثل (like) and خیابان (street), so it is pronounced mesl-e khiyaban. Even though the lesson focuses on noun-adjective Ezafe, many prepositions like مثل also use the Ezafe to attach to the noun that follows them.
Why isn't there an Ezafe linking این (this) and کوچه (alley)?
Demonstrative words like این (this) and آن (that) are exceptions to the Ezafe rule. They always come before the noun and do not use the Ezafe particle. You simply say این کوچه (in kuche).
Why doesn't خیابان (street) use an Ezafe to connect to شلوغ (crowded)?
Because شلوغ is not directly modifying the word "street" (we aren't saying "the crowded street"). Instead, شلوغ describes the main subject of the sentence (the alley) through the verb است (is). You only use the Ezafe when the adjective is glued directly to the noun it describes.
Why is the comparison مثل خیابان placed in the middle of the sentence?
In Farsi, the verb—in this case, است (is)—almost always goes at the very end of the sentence. The adjective it pairs with, شلوغ (crowded), sits right before it. Extra information like "like the street" is usually tucked in the middle, right after the subject.
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