Breakdown of من میخواهم یک ربع استراحت کنم.
من
I
یکyek
one / a, an
استراحت کردنesterâhat kardan
to rest
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
ربعrob'
quarter
Questions & Answers about من میخواهم یک ربع استراحت کنم.
Does یک ربع always mean a quarter of an hour?
The word ربع simply means a quarter (1/4). When talking about resting or checking the time, native speakers automatically understand یک ربع as 15 minutes. You do not need to include the word for hour (ساعت). However, you can also use ربع for a mathematical quarter of anything, like a cake or a kilo.
Wait, where is the word 'for' in this sentence? The translation says 'for a quarter of an hour'.
Farsi does not usually need a preposition like 'for' when expressing how long an action takes. You just state the amount of time right before the verb, so یک ربع استراحت کنم literally means 'rest one quarter'.
Is the word یک necessary here, or can I just say ربع استراحت کنم?
You need یک (one) here. Just like in English where you say 'a quarter' or 'one quarter', Farsi requires یک ربع to specify the exact amount.
Why did the verb استراحت کردن (to rest) change to استراحت کنم here?
Because of the verb میخواهم (I want). In Farsi, when you say you want to do an action, the second action takes the subjunctive mood. For compound verbs like استراحت کردن, we change the helper verb کردن to its subjunctive form کنم to match the 'I' person.
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