Breakdown of ما آن عتیقهها را نداشتیم.
ما
we
آن
that
داشتنdâshtan
to have
راrâ
definite direct object marker
Questions & Answers about ما آن عتیقهها را نداشتیم.
The lesson is about the Past Continuous, but نداشتیم looks like the Simple Past. Why aren't we using a continuous prefix like می?
The verb داشتن (to have) is a special irregular case. When it is used as a main verb meaning 'to possess', it does not take the continuous prefix می (mi-). Because of this, the simple past form نداشتیم (nadâshtim) translates to both 'we did not have' and 'we were not having', depending entirely on the context of the conversation.
Why is it آن (that) instead of آنها (those) before عتیقهها?
In Farsi, when a pointing word (demonstrative adjective) like آن (that) or این (this) comes right before a noun, it always stays in its singular form. You only make the noun itself plural. So, آن عتیقهها (literally 'that antiques') is the correct grammatical way to say 'those antiques'.
Why do we need the word را after the antiques?
را (râ) is a marker used to show the specific, definite target of an action (the direct object). Because we are talking about a specific group of items ('those antiques') that we didn't have, we must put را right after the entire noun phrase to show they are the direct object of the verb.
Is عتیقه (atiqeh) related to the English word 'antique'?
They sound very similar and mean the exact same thing! While عتیقه actually comes from an Arabic root meaning 'ancient' or 'old', it is used in modern Farsi to refer to collectible antiques just like in English. In this sentence, it has the regular plural suffix (-hâ) attached to it.