Question 1

Why does the word for third (sevvom) come after the word for section (bakhsh)?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, ordinal numbers ending in -om act like regular adjectives. This means they are placed after the noun they describe and are connected to it using an Ezafe (the invisible 'e' sound). Therefore, 'the third section' is spoken as bakhsh-e sevvom.

Question 2

The number three is se, so why is 'third' written as sevvom instead of se-om?

Accepted Answer

The numbers two and three are exceptions to the normal -om rule! Instead of simply adding -om, an extra 'v' sound is added to make the word easier to pronounce. As a result, 'two' becomes dovvom (second) and 'three' becomes sevvom (third).

Question 3

Why is the indefinite -i suffix attached to jaleb (interesting) instead of dastan (story)?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, when you want to use the indefinite article 'a' or 'an' with a noun and an adjective, the -i suffix attaches to the very end of the phrase. Because the adjective jaleb follows dastan, the suffix attaches to the adjective, resulting in dastan-e jaleb-i (an interesting story).

Question 4

Where are the hidden Ezafe sounds located in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

There are two hidden Ezafe sounds acting as connectors here. The first connects the noun 'section' to its ordinal number: bakhsh-e sevvom. The second connects the noun 'story' to its adjective: dastan-e jaleb-i.

بخش سوم داستان جالبی است.

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