Breakdown of شما دستهای خودتان را با صابون میشویید و مسواک میزنید.
شما
you (plural)
و
and
دستdast
hand
باbâ
with
راrâ
definite direct object marker
شستنshostan
to wash
خودkhod
self
مسواک زدنmesvâk zadan
to brush teeth
صابونsâbun
soap
Questions & Answers about شما دستهای خودتان را با صابون میشویید و مسواک میزنید.
How does خودتان work here, and how is it different from just saying دستهایتان?
خودتان is made of the reflexive pronoun خود (self) plus the possessive ending تان (your). While دستهایتان just means "your hands", adding خودتان after the noun emphasizes "your own hands."
Why is there an Ezafe connecting دستهای and خودتان?
Even though خودتان translates to "your own", grammatically it acts as a noun showing possession here. To link the plural noun دستها (hands) to خودتان, you need the Ezafe. Because دستها ends in the long vowel "a", the Ezafe takes the form of an extra ی (ye), making it دستهای خودتان (dast-ha-ye khod-etan).
Why does the direct object marker را come after خودتان instead of right after the word for "hands"?
The word را always comes at the very end of the complete noun phrase that receives the action. Since the full direct object being washed is "your own hands" (دستهای خودتان), the را must follow the entire phrase, not just the head noun.
The Farsi word for "teeth" isn't in this sentence. How does مسواک میزنید mean "you brush your teeth"?
مسواک زدن is a compound verb that literally means "to strike a toothbrush" or "to apply a toothbrush." The object being brushed (the teeth) is already implied in the action, so Farsi speakers rarely need to add the actual word for teeth (دندان) when using this verb.
The dictionary form for "to wash" is شستن (shostan). Why does it look like میشویید here?
Farsi verbs have two different stems: one for the past and one for the present. The present stem of شستن is irregular and changes to شوی (shuy). To say "you wash", you combine the present prefix می, the stem شوی, and the "you" (plural or formal) ending ید.
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