Breakdown of آیا قبل از اینکه لیست را بنویسیم، تالار را رزرو کردی؟
آیاâyâ
whether (question particle)
نوشتنneveshtan
to write
راrâ
definite direct object marker
قبل ازqabl az
before
Questions & Answers about آیا قبل از اینکه لیست را بنویسیم، تالار را رزرو کردی؟
Why is the verb for 'we wrote' in the present tense (benevisim) when the English translation says 'before we wrote'?
In Farsi, the phrase ghabl az inke (before) must always be followed by the present subjunctive, even if the action happened in the past. So instead of using a past tense verb, we use benevisim, making the literal meaning closer to 'before that we write'.
How is the subjunctive verb benevisim formed here?
To form the present subjunctive, we take the prefix be-, add the present stem of the verb, and then attach the personal ending. For the verb to write (neveshtan), the present stem is nevis. We add the 'we' ending -im to get be-nevis-im.
Why is rezerv kardi in the simple past tense while benevisim is in the present subjunctive?
The main action of the sentence (Did you reserve the hall?) happened in the past, so it uses the simple past tense. The subjunctive rule only applies to the specific action happening right after ghabl az inke (before).
Why is the object marker ra used twice in this sentence?
The word ra marks a specific direct object. Because this sentence has two clauses with two different specific objects, it needs ra twice. It marks list (the list) as the object we are writing, and talar (the hall) as the object you reserved.