Breakdown of مرد پیر میگوید که یک روح در آن خانهی قدیمی زندگی میکند.
پیر
old
خانه
house
آن
that
مردmard
man
Questions & Answers about مرد پیر میگوید که یک روح در آن خانهی قدیمی زندگی میکند.
Do I always need to use که after verbs like "says"?
Just like the word "that" in English, که connects the verb of speaking to the statement. In casual spoken Farsi, که is often dropped, exactly like how we can say "The old man says a ghost lives there" in English. However, in written or careful Farsi, it is usually kept.
Why is the second verb زندگی میکند in the present tense?
Farsi is simpler than English here! The old man is describing a current situation (the ghost living there now), so the second verb stays in the present tense. Farsi doesn't shift tenses backwards in reported speech the way English sometimes does.
What is the infinitive for the verb میگوید (he says)?
It comes from the verb گفتن (to say). The present stem is irregular: گوی. By adding the present continuous prefix می and the "he/she" ending د, you get میگوید.
Why does خانه (house) get a ی added to the end to make خانهی?
This is the ezafe sound linking the noun خانه to its adjective قدیمی (old). Because خانه ends in a silent "eh" vowel, we must add a ی (y) so the ezafe flows smoothly. It is pronounced "khane-ye qadimi".
Why does زندگی میکند (lives) go at the very end of the sentence instead of right after "ghost"?