Breakdown of این نامه تمبر ندارد؛ اگر آن را بفرستیم، به مقصد نمیرسد.
این
this
آن
that
بهbe
to
داشتنdâshtan
to have
نامهnâme
letter
راrâ
definite direct object marker
فرستادنferestâdan
to send
رسیدنrasidan
to arrive
اگرagar
if
مقصدmaqsad
destination
تمبرtambr
stamp (postage)
Questions & Answers about این نامه تمبر ندارد؛ اگر آن را بفرستیم، به مقصد نمیرسد.
Why is بفرستیم (we send) in the subjunctive form here?
Because it follows اگر (if). In Farsi first conditionals (situations that are real possibilities), the 'if' part of the sentence uses the present subjunctive to show that the action is hypothetical. The present subjunctive is formed with the prefix بـ (be-), the present stem فرست (ferest-), and the ending ـیم (-im).
The English translation says 'it will not arrive', so why is نمیرسد in the present tense?
In Farsi, it is very common to use the simple present tense (میرسد / نمیرسد) in the result clause of an اگر (if) sentence to talk about the future. You do not need to use the formal future tense with خواستن (to want). The present tense naturally expresses that this is the factual, certain result of the condition.
What is the purpose of را in the phrase آن را بفرستیم?
The word آن (it or that) refers back to the letter, which is the direct object of the verb بفرستیم (we send). Because 'it' is a specific, known thing, Farsi requires the specific object marker را right after it.
Why doesn't ندارد (it does not have) start with نمیـ (nemi-) like نمیرسد does?
The verb داشتن (to have) is a special exception in Farsi. Unlike regular verbs, its present tense form never takes the میـ (mi-) prefix. Therefore, to make it negative, you just add نـ (na-) directly to the stem, giving us ندارد instead of نمیدارد.
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