Breakdown of چقدر طول میکشد تا پستچی نامه را به گیرنده تحویل دهد؟
بهbe
to
نامهnâme
letter
راrâ
definite direct object marker
تاtâ
so that
طول کشیدنtul keshidan
to take (time) / to last
چقدرcheqadr
how much
گیرندهgirande
recipient
پستچیpostchi
postman
تحویل دادنtahvil dâdan
to deliver
Questions & Answers about چقدر طول میکشد تا پستچی نامه را به گیرنده تحویل دهد؟
Why is the final verb تحویل دهد (tahvil dahad) in the present subjunctive form?
In this sentence, the word تا (ta) translates to "for" or "until" (as in, "how long does it take for the postman to..."). Because the action of delivering is a dependent future event that hasn't happened yet, we use the present subjunctive تحویل دهد. This is exactly like how you use the subjunctive after اگر (agar - if) in the conditional sentences you are currently studying!
How does طول میکشد (tool mikeshad) mean "does it take"?
In English, we say an activity "takes time", but Farsi uses the compound verb طول کشیدن (tool keshidan). طول means "length" and کشیدن means "to pull" or "to draw". So, چقدر طول میکشد literally means "how much length does it pull?", which is the standard Farsi idiom for asking "how long does it take?".
How is the word گیرنده (girandeh - recipient) built?
It is formed by taking the present stem of the verb گرفتن (gereftan - to take or receive), which is گیر (gir), and adding the suffix ـنده (-andeh). This useful suffix turns a verb stem into a noun for the person doing the action. Therefore, a گیرنده is literally "a receiver."
Just as a refresher, why do we need را (ra) after نامه (nameh)?
را (ra) is the specific direct object marker. It shows that the postman is delivering a specific, known object ("the letter"). If he were just delivering any general letter ("a letter"), we would drop را and use the indefinite form instead, saying نامهای (nameh-ee).
Learn چقدر طول میکشد تا پستچی نامه را به گیرنده تحویل دهد؟ and more in Farsi
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