Questions & Answers about فیل به اندازهی ماشین سنگین است.
How does be andâze-ye translate to "as heavy as" when the word "heavy" isn't inside it?
In English, we put the adjective between two "as" words ("as heavy as"). In Farsi, be andâze-ye literally means "to the measure of" or "to the size of." You put it right before the noun you are comparing to (mâshin), and leave the adjective (sangin) for the end of the sentence. So literally, it reads: "The elephant to the measure of a car heavy is."
Why is there a -ye sound at the end of andâze?
The word andâze ends in a written letter "heh" that makes an "e" sound. To link it to the next noun (mâshin), we must use the invisible linking vowel called the ezafe. Because andâze already ends in a vowel sound, the ezafe becomes a -ye sound to make it easier to pronounce.
Could I use mesl-e instead of be andâze-ye here?
Yes, you can say fil mesl-e mâshin sangin ast. But they have slightly different focuses. mesl-e means "like," so it just points out a general similarity ("heavy like a car"). be andâze-ye specifically measures them against each other, meaning they are equally heavy ("as heavy as a car").
Why is sangin (heavy) placed right before the verb ast?
Farsi puts the main verb at the very end of the sentence. Adjectives that describe the subject using "is" or "are" usually go right before that verb. That is why the whole comparison block (be andâze-ye mâshin) comes in the middle, pushing to the very end.