Questions & Answers about این کوهها خیلی زیبا است.
Why does the sentence use the singular verb است (is) when the English translation says 'are'?
This is the main rule of this lesson! In Farsi, when the subject is an inanimate object (a thing, not a person) and is plural, like کوهها (mountains), the verb is almost always singular. So we use است (is) instead of the plural هستند (are).
Why doesn't the word این (these) have a plural ending?
In English, 'this' changes to 'these' before a plural noun. But in Farsi, demonstrative adjectives like این (this) and آن (that) never take a plural ending when they describe a noun right next to them. You just say این کوهها (literally: this mountains).
Can I use the plural suffix ان instead of ها for mountains?
No, the suffix ان is generally used only for people, certain body parts, and sometimes living things like plants or animals. Since a mountain (کوه) is an inanimate object, you must use the standard plural suffix ها to make کوهها.
Is there a difference between using است and combining it to say زیباست?
There is no difference in meaning. In spoken and even everyday written Farsi, it is very common to attach the verb to the previous word, turning زیبا است (ziba ast) into the contraction زیباست (zibast). The written sentence here just uses the full, uncontracted version.