Question 1

The word که appears twice in this sentence. Does it do the same thing both times?

Accepted Answer

No, they have different jobs! The first که is paired with وقتی to form وقتی که, which means "when" (literally "the time that"). The second که is the main focus of this lesson: it means "that" and links the verb of speaking (می‌گوید, "says") to the idea that follows it.

Question 2

Why is the verb "to wait" written as صبر کنم instead of صبر می‌کنم?

Accepted Answer

Because it comes after the modal word باید (must). In Farsi, verbs following باید must switch to the subjunctive mood. For a compound verb like صبر کردن (to wait), you form the subjunctive by dropping the می prefix. So, صبر می‌کنم (I am waiting) becomes صبر کنم.

Question 3

Why does the sentence say "I must wait" after sneezing?

Accepted Answer

This refers to a very common Iranian cultural superstition. Sneezing once is literally called a صبر (wait or patience). It means whatever you were about to do might not go well, so you must pause and wait a few minutes before continuing.

Question 4

Could I use مادرم instead of مادر من in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. مادرم uses the attached possessive suffix (-م) and is actually much more common in everyday spoken Farsi. مادر من uses the ezafe vowel to link the words and means the exact same thing, but sounds just a little bit more formal or puts slight emphasis on the word "my".

وقتی که عطسه می‌کنم، مادر من می‌گوید که باید صبر کنم.

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