Breakdown of زمانی که تراکتور در مزرعه کار میکند، هیچکس آنجا نیست.
بودنbudan
to be
آنجاânjâ
there
درdar
in
هیچکسhichkas
nobody
کار کردنkâr kardan
to work
مزرعهmazra'e
farm
زمانی کهzamâni ke
when (conjunction)
تراکتورterâktor
tractor
Questions & Answers about زمانی که تراکتور در مزرعه کار میکند، هیچکس آنجا نیست.
Why do we use زمانی که (zamâni ke) here instead of just کی (key) for 'when'?
کی (key) is a question word used to ask 'when?'. But here, 'when' connects two parts of a sentence. For this, we use زمانی که (zamâni ke) or وقتی که (vaghti ke), which literally mean 'at the time that'.
Why is the verb کار میکند (kâr mikonad) in the present indicative and not the subjunctive?
Because زمانی که (zamâni ke) is describing a real, factual, or habitual event ('When the tractor works...'). In Farsi, when you talk about something that actually happens or is a fact, you use the indicative mood with the می (mi-) prefix, not the subjunctive.
The English translation says 'no one is there', but the Farsi uses the negative verb نیست (nist). Why?
Farsi uses double negatives! When you use a negative word like هیچکس (hich-kas, meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'), the main verb of the sentence must also be negative. So literally, you are saying 'nobody is not there'.
Could I use وقتی که (vaghti ke) instead of زمانی که (zamâni ke) in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. وقتی که (vaghti ke) and زمانی که (zamâni ke) mean the exact same thing and are interchangeable here. زمانی که sounds just slightly more formal or literary, as زمان means 'time'.
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