Question 1

Why is there a ی added to the end of همه (all)?

Accepted Answer

The word همه describes the noun that follows it (همکارها). To link them, we use the ezafe connecting sound. Because همه ends in a silent ه (which sounds like 'e'), we must add an explicit ی to create the 'ye' sound, making it همه‌ی (hame-ye, meaning 'all of').

Question 2

Since همه already means 'all', why do we still need the plural suffix ها on همکار (colleague)?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, when you use همه to mean 'all of the' with countable things like people or objects, the noun itself must also be plural. You must say همه‌ی همکارها (literally 'all of the colleagues'), rather than leaving the noun singular.

Question 3

Why is there a second ی after همکارها (colleagues)?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses a chain of ezafe links. After linking 'all' to 'colleagues', we need to link 'colleagues' to شرکت (company) to say 'colleagues of the company'. Since the plural suffix ها ends in the vowel 'a', we add a ی for the ezafe to connect them smoothly.

Question 4

Does the verb always have to be plural (هستند) when we use همه?

Accepted Answer

The verb agrees with the main noun, not just the word همه. Here, همکارها (colleagues) refers to a group of people, so we use the plural verb هستند. If you used همه with an uncountable noun, like همه‌ی آب (all the water), the verb would be singular.

همه‌ی همکارهای شرکت حاضر هستند.

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