Questions & Answers about من یک مجموعه از سکههای طلا داشتم.
The lesson is about the Past Continuous, but the verb is just داشتم (dâshtam). Shouldn't it have a می (mi-) prefix?
That's the tricky part about the verb داشتن (dâshtan - to have)! Unlike most verbs, it doesn't use the می (mi-) prefix to show an ongoing state in the past. To say "I had" or "I used to have" over a period of time, you just use the simple past form داشتم (dâshtam).
How does the phrase یک مجموعه از (yek majmoo'e az) work?
It translates word-for-word to "a collection from" or "a collection of". When you have a group or container of something (like a collection, a box, a cup), Farsi often uses از (az) to connect it to the item, very much like "of" in English.
Why is there a ی (ye) attached to the end of سکههای (sekke-hâ-ye)?
That is the ezafe linking the noun coins (سکهها, sekke-hâ) to its modifier gold (طلا, talâ). Because the plural suffix ها (hâ) ends in a long vowel (â), the ezafe connector is written and pronounced as ی (ye) instead of just an invisible short 'e' sound.
Could I just use the ezafe without از (az), like مجموعه سکههای طلا (majmoo'e-ye sekke-hâ-ye talâ)?
Yes! You can drop از (az) and use the ezafe instead: یک مجموعهی سکههای طلا (yek majmoo'e-ye sekke-hâ-ye talâ). Both ways are completely natural and mean "a collection of gold coins." Using از simply puts a little more emphasis on the fact that the collection is made out of those specific items.