Q: Could I drop the pronoun تو at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes, you absolutely can. Because the verb ending ی in نمیدادی already tells us that the subject is "you" (singular), the word تو is optional. Including it just adds a little bit of emphasis, like saying "As for you, you were not testifying."

Question 1

How is the verb نمی‌دادی built in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is the negative past continuous form of دادن (to give). You start with the negative prefix نـ (ne-), add the continuous prefix می (-mi-), then the past stem داد (dād), and finally the personal ending for you (singular), which is ی (-i). Put together, you get نمی‌دادی (ne-mi-dādi).

Question 2

Why does the negative prefix sound like "ne-" instead of "na-" here?

Accepted Answer

The negative prefix is normally pronounced "na-" in the simple past tense. However, there is a special pronunciation rule: whenever the negative prefix attaches directly to the continuous prefix می (mi), it changes its sound to "ne-". This makes it flow better, resulting in "ne-mi-dādi" instead of "na-mi-dādi".

Question 3

Why is "to testify" expressed as two separate words?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, many verbs are compound verbs made of a noun plus a simple verb. Here, "to testify" is شهادت دادن, which literally translates to "giving testimony". When conjugating, the noun part شهادت stays exactly the same, and only the verb part دادن receives the negative and continuous prefixes to become نمی‌دادی.

Question 4

Could I drop the pronoun تو at the beginning of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you absolutely can. Because the verb ending ی in نمی‌دادی already tells us that the subject is "you" (singular), the word تو is optional. Including it just adds a little bit of emphasis, like saying "As for you, you were not testifying."

تو دیروز در دادگاه شهادت نمی‌دادی.

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