Breakdown of کدام سیب شیرینتر است، سیب سبز یا سیب زرد؟
بودنbudan
to be
سیبsib
apple
کدامkodâm
which
شیرینshirin
sweet
Questions & Answers about کدام سیب شیرینتر است، سیب سبز یا سیب زرد؟
Why is the noun after kodâm singular (sib), even though we are choosing between multiple apples?
In Farsi, the question word kodâm (which) is always followed by a singular noun. Even though you are asking about more than one apple in the context of the sentence, you must say kodâm sib (which apple), never the plural form.
How do we make the word for 'sweeter' (shirin-tar) from 'sweet' (shirin)?
To make a comparative adjective (just like adding '-er' in English), you simply add the suffix -tar to the end of the base adjective. So, shirin (sweet) becomes shirin-tar (sweeter).
How are the words for 'apple' and 'green' connected in sib sabz if there is no connecting word written?
Farsi uses a spoken 'e' sound called the ezâfe to link nouns to their adjectives. You must pronounce it as sib-e sabz (green apple) and sib-e zard (yellow apple), but this linking 'e' is almost never written in the standard Persian alphabet.
In English we might say 'the green or the yellow one'. Can we drop the second sib (apple) in Farsi?
While you could just say sabz yâ zard (green or yellow), repeating the noun as sib-e sabz yâ sib-e zard is very common and sounds completely natural in Farsi. It is the best way to avoid any confusion about what you are referring to.