Breakdown of چرا کاشیهای قدیمی را عوض نکردهاید؟
چراcherâ
why
راrâ
definite direct object marker
قدیمیqadimi
old (things)
کاشیkâshi
tile
عوض کردنavaz kardan
to replace / to change (exchange, substitute)
Questions & Answers about چرا کاشیهای قدیمی را عوض نکردهاید؟
How is the negative present perfect formed in عوض نکردهاید?
The compound verb here is عوض کردن (to change or replace). To make it negative present perfect for "you" (plural or formal), we keep the non-verbal part عوض, add the negative prefix نـ (na-) to the past participle کرده (karde), and attach the short copula ending اید (id). This gives us عوض نکردهاید (you have not replaced).
Why is را placed after قدیمی instead of right after the noun کاشیهای?
را is the definite direct object marker. It must always come at the very end of the entire noun phrase. Since "the old tiles" (کاشیهای قدیمی) is treated as one complete block receiving the action of the verb, را goes after the adjective rather than directly after the noun.
Why is there an extra ـی connecting کاشیها and قدیمی?
This is the ezāfe, which acts as a bridge to link a noun to its adjective. Because the plural noun کاشیها (tiles) ends in a long "a" vowel, the ezāfe takes the form of a "ye" sound, written as ی. This creates کاشیهای قدیمی (old tiles).
Does the compound verb عوض کردن always mean "to replace"?
It broadly means "to change", "to exchange", or "to substitute". In the context of fixing up a house or dealing with old parts, "to replace" is the most natural English translation for this verb.
Learn چرا کاشیهای قدیمی را عوض نکردهاید؟ and more in Farsi
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free