Breakdown of ما قدیمیترین کتیبه را اینجا پیدا کرده بودیم.
ما
we
اینجاinjâ
here
پیدا کردنpeydâ kardan
to find / to get / to develop (a condition)
راrâ
definite direct object marker
قدیمیqadimi
old (things)
کتیبهkatibe
inscription
Questions & Answers about ما قدیمیترین کتیبه را اینجا پیدا کرده بودیم.
How exactly is the verb پیدا کرده بودیم formed to mean "we had found"?
This is the Past Perfect tense, which is the main focus of this lesson. It is made by taking the past participle of the compound verb پیدا کردن (to find), which is پیدا کرده, and adding the simple past form of بودن (to be) for "we", which is بودیم. Together, they create "we had found".
Is پیدا کرده all one word in the past participle?
It acts as a single concept, but it is two separate words because it is a compound verb. پیدا کردن literally means "to make visible" or "to find". To form the past participle of a compound verb, you only change the verb part (کردن becomes کرده) and leave the first part (پیدا) exactly as it is.
I thought adjectives usually come after the noun. Why is قدیمیترین before کتیبه?
You are right that normal adjectives follow the noun and connect with an ezâfe (like کتیبه قدیمی for "an old inscription"). However, superlative adjectives—those ending in -ترین meaning "-est" or "the most"—are an exception! They always come before the noun, and they do not use an ezâfe.
Why is را used in this sentence, and why does it come right after کتیبه?
را is the specific direct object marker. It points out exactly what received the action of being found. Because "the oldest inscription" (قدیمیترین کتیبه) is a specific, definite thing, the entire phrase gets marked with را immediately after the noun.
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