Breakdown of هدف ما کمک کردن به مردم نیازمند است.
ما
we
بودنbudan
to be
بهbe
to
کمک کردنkomak kardan
to help
Questions & Answers about هدف ما کمک کردن به مردم نیازمند است.
Why do we use the full infinitive کمک کردن (to help) here instead of a conjugated verb?
In Farsi, the infinitive form of a verb (which ends in -an, like کردن) can act as a noun. It works exactly like the "-ing" form (gerund) in English. So in this sentence, کمک کردن translates nicely to "helping."
Why do we need the preposition به (to) before the needy people? In English we just say "helping the people."
Many Farsi compound verbs require a specific preposition to connect to the rest of the sentence. The verb کمک کردن (to help) always uses به for the person receiving the help. It helps to think of it literally as "doing help to someone."
Why doesn't the word مردم (people) have a plural ending like -ها?
مردم is a collective noun that inherently means "people" or "the public" as a group. Because the word itself already refers to multiple individuals, it doesn't need a plural suffix here.
How are the words in "our goal" and "needy people" linked together?
They both use the ezâfe! This is a short "e" sound that connects a noun to its possessor or adjective. هدف ما is pronounced hadaf-e mâ (goal of us), and مردم نیازمند is pronounced mardom-e niyâzmand (people [who are] needy). It usually isn't written in the Farsi alphabet, but you must pronounce it.