Breakdown of او فکر میکند که عطسه کردن شانس میآورد.
او
he/she
فکر کردنfekr kardan
to think
آوردنâvardan
to bring
کهke
that (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about او فکر میکند که عطسه کردن شانس میآورد.
Why do we have two conjugated verbs, mikonad and miavarad, in this sentence?
This is because ke (that) connects two separate mini-sentences (clauses). The first part is u fekr mikonad (he thinks), and the second part is atse kardan shans miavarad (sneezing brings luck). Because they are complete thoughts linked by ke, each part needs its own fully conjugated verb.
Do I always have to use ke after fekr mikonad, or can I drop it like in English?
In spoken and casual Farsi, you can often drop ke just like we drop "that" in English (saying "He thinks sneezing brings luck" instead of "He thinks that sneezing brings luck"). However, keeping ke is completely natural and often helpful for learners, as it clearly marks the start of the second clause.
Why is the full infinitive atse kardan used to mean sneezing?
In Farsi, the full infinitive form of a verb (ending in -dan or -tan) doubles as a noun. This is just like using an "-ing" word (a gerund) in English. So, atse kardan can mean "to sneeze", but here it acts as a noun meaning the act of "sneezing".
Does shans mean chance or luck?
Although it comes from the French word for "chance", in Farsi shans almost always means "luck" (specifically good luck). The phrase used here, shans avardan (with the present stem miavarad), literally translates to "to bring luck".