Q: Why does the second verb, بیایید, start with بـ instead of میـ?

Because it follows the verb میخواهیم (we want). In Farsi, when you express a wish, want, or necessity for an action to happen, the second verb must be in the subjunctive form. This usually means swapping the continuous میـ prefix for a بـ prefix.

Question 1

How does همه‌تان mean "all of you"?

Accepted Answer

This is the focus of this lesson! It combines the word همه (all) with the second-person plural possessive ending تان (your). In Farsi, to say "all of us", "all of you", or "all of them", you literally say "our all" (همه‌مان), "your all" (همه‌تان), or "their all" (همه‌شان).

Question 2

Why is the verb می‌خواهیم (we want) right after the subject instead of at the end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Because this sentence is actually made of two separate clauses, and each one puts its own verb at the end. The first part is ما می‌خواهیم (we want). The second part is همه‌تان به مراسم بیایید (all of you come to the ceremony).

Question 3

Why does the second verb, بیایید, start with بـ instead of میـ?

Accepted Answer

Because it follows the verb می‌خواهیم (we want). In Farsi, when you express a wish, want, or necessity for an action to happen, the second verb must be in the subjunctive form. This usually means swapping the continuous میـ prefix for a بـ prefix.

Question 4

In English we say "we want all of you to come". Is there a missing word here?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, you don't use a word for "to" between verbs like this. You just conjugate both verbs to match their subjects: "we want" and "you come". You can put the connecting word که (that) after می‌خواهیم, but native speakers frequently drop it in everyday speech, just like in this sentence.

ما می‌خواهیم همه‌تان به مراسم بیایید.

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