Questions & Answers about در قهوهای خانه باز است.
The word در usually means in. Why is it translated as door here?
In Farsi, در is a homonym that can mean either the preposition in or the noun door. Context is your best clue. Because this word is described by the color قهوهای (brown) and belongs to a خانه (house), it clearly means door in this sentence.
How does the grammar connect door, brown, and house together here?
Farsi uses a grammar rule called the Ezafe (an unspoken short e or ye sound) to link nouns to both their adjectives and their possessors. This sentence features an Ezafe chain: در (door) + e + قهوهای (brown) + ye + خانه (house). In an Ezafe chain, the main noun comes first, followed by its adjective, and finally the owner.
Why does the linking Ezafe sound after قهوهای change from e to ye?
The word قهوهای ends in a vowel sound (the long ee sound). Whenever an Ezafe attaches to a word ending in a vowel, the connecting sound changes to ye to make the pronunciation flow smoothly, which is why we say qahve'i-ye khane.
Since the current lesson is about کدام (which), how would I ask: Which door of the house is open?
To ask about a specific door, you place کدام right before the singular noun. The question would be: کدام در خانه باز است؟ (kodam dar-e khane baz ast?). Notice that کدام comes directly before the noun, and you do not use an Ezafe between the question word and the noun.
Learn در قهوهای خانه باز است and more in Farsi
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free