Learn Farsi: من به یک پتو نیاز دارم چون بخاری ندارم. - I need a blanket because I do not have a heater.

In English, you simply "need a blanket." But in Farsi, the concept of needing something is expressed with the compound verb به ... نیاز داشتن (be ... niaz dashtan), which literally means "to have a need to [something]." Therefore, you must always use the preposition به (to) right before the object you need.

How could I rewrite the second half of this sentence to practice using the new word بدون (bedun-e, without)?

Instead of saying چون بخاری ندارم (because I do not have a heater), you could say چون بدون بخاری هستم (chon bedun-e bokhari hastam), which literally means "because I am without a heater." This is a great way to practice the preposition of exclusion you are currently learning!

Is چون (chon) the only word for "because" in Farsi?

It is the most common one for everyday conversation! You might also see زیرا (zira) or برای اینکه (baraye inke) to mean "because," but چون is very natural, short, and perfectly suited for spoken Farsi and casual writing at this level.

As a quick refresher, how does ندارم (nadaram) become negative?

To make a verb negative in Farsi, you attach the prefix نـ (na- or ne-) directly to the beginning of the affirmative verb. The verb دارم (daram) means "I have", so adding نـ makes it ندارم (nadaram), meaning "I do not have." It is always written as a single, combined word.