Breakdown of او گوشت میخورد تا عضلههایش را قوی کند.
او
he/she
خوردنkhordan
to eat / to drink
کردنkardan
to do / to make
گوشتgusht
meat
راrâ
definite direct object marker
تاtâ
so that
قویqavi
strong
عضلهazole
muscle
Questions & Answers about او گوشت میخورد تا عضلههایش را قوی کند.
Why is the second verb کند (konad) instead of the normal present tense میکند (mikonad)?
Because it follows تا (tâ), meaning in order to or so that. When we talk about a goal or an intention using تا, the following verb must be in the present subjunctive form.
If کند (konad) is in the subjunctive, why doesn't it have the بـ (be-) prefix?
The verb here is the compound verb قوی کردن (qavi kardan) meaning to make strong. To form the subjunctive of compound verbs with کردن, we drop the می (mi-) prefix. While you could technically add بـ (be-) to make it بکند (bekonad), Farsi speakers usually leave it out for compound verbs because it sounds smoother.
How exactly does the word عضلههایش (azole-hâyash) break down?
It is built from four parts: عضله (azole) meaning muscle, plus the plural suffix ها (hâ), plus a bridge letter ی (y) to connect the vowels, and finally the possessive ending ـَش (ash) meaning his. Put together, it means his muscles.
Why is را (râ) used right after عضلههایش?
را (râ) is the definite direct object marker. The verb to make strong needs a direct object, which is the thing being made strong. Since we are talking about his specific muscles, the object is definite, so we must follow it with را.
Could I use برای اینکه (barâ-ye inke) instead of تا (tâ) in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Both can mean so that or in order to. If you swap تا for برای اینکه, the rest of the sentence, including the subjunctive verb کند, stays exactly the same. تا is just a shorter, very common alternative.
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