Breakdown of آیا سگ میتواند بدون غذا زنده بماند؟
آیاâyâ
whether (question particle)
سگsag
dog
غذاghazâ
food
ماندنmândan
to stay
Questions & Answers about آیا سگ میتواند بدون غذا زنده بماند؟
How do we connect the word for without to food in this sentence?
The preposition بدون (bedun) means without. To link it to the noun غذا (ghazâ), you must use the ezafe, which is a short e sound. Therefore, it is pronounced bedun-e ghazâ. Even though the ezafe is rarely written in the Persian alphabet, it is required to connect the preposition of exclusion to the noun or pronoun that follows it.
Why does the second verb بماند start with بـ (be-) instead of میـ (mi-)?
This happens because of the first verb, میتواند (can). In Farsi, when you use a modal verb like can, want, or must, the verb that follows it has to be in the subjunctive form. To make the subjunctive, we replace the continuous prefix میـ with the subjunctive prefix بـ. That is why we say میتواند ... بماند (can stay) instead of using two present tense verbs.
How does the phrase زنده بماند work here?
It is a compound verb made of two parts: the adjective زنده (alive) and the verb ماندن (to stay). Together, they mean to stay alive or to survive. Notice that when we make the subjunctive form for this sentence, the بـ prefix only goes on the verb part, changing the regular present tense میماند into بماند.
Do I have to use the word آیا at the beginning of this question?
No, you do not have to use آیا in everyday conversation. It is a question word used mostly in formal speech or writing to let the reader know a yes/no question is starting. In spoken Farsi, you can just drop it entirely and make the sentence a question simply by raising the pitch of your voice at the end.