Breakdown of ببر مثل اسب سریع است.
بودنbudan
to be
اسبasb
horse
مثلmesl
like, such as
ببرbabr
tiger
سریعsari'
fast / rapid
Questions & Answers about ببر مثل اسب سریع است.
The translation uses 'as fast as', but doesn't mesl mean 'like'?
Yes it does! The literal translation of this sentence is 'The tiger is fast like a horse.' In Farsi, the pattern Subject + mesl-e + Noun + Adjective + ast is the standard way to say something is 'as [adjective] as' something else.
Is there a hidden ezafe between mesl and asb?
Yes! When mesl comes before the noun it compares something to, you must connect them with an ezafe. Even though it is not written in the script, it is pronounced mesl-e asb.
The lesson also taught be andâze-ye. Could I use that here instead?
Yes, you can say babr be andâze-ye asb sari' ast. Both mean the same thing, though be andâze-ye literally means 'to the measure of' or 'as much as', while mesl-e simply means 'like'. They are highly interchangeable for equative comparisons.
Why is sari' placed just before the verb instead of right after babr?
In this comparison structure, the adjective comes after the thing being compared against, right before the verb. The word order is Thing 1 + mesl-e + Thing 2 + Adjective + Verb. Literally: Tiger like horse fast is.
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