Question 1

Is the word که (that) required here, or can I skip it like in English?

Accepted Answer

The word که acts as a bridge connecting the verb of sensing (شنیدم, I heard) to the action you heard about. While it is sometimes dropped in casual spoken Farsi (just like "that" in English), it is standard and highly recommended to use it, especially as you are learning to build complex sentences.

Question 2

Why is the second verb بیدار می‌شوند in the present tense when the first verb شنیدم is in the past tense?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, the phrase after که often keeps the tense of the original statement or thought. Because ghosts waking up at night is a general, ongoing fact in this context, it stays in the present tense. English does this too sometimes, but Farsi is much stricter about not shifting the tense to the past just because the main verb (شنیدم) is past.

Question 3

Why isn't there a preposition before شب (night) to mean "at night"?

Accepted Answer

Words for times of day, like شب (night) or صبح (morning), can act directly as adverbs of time in Farsi. You don't need to add a preposition like "at" or "in" before them. Just saying شب is perfectly enough to mean "at night".

Question 4

How is the verb بیدار می‌شوند formed?

Accepted Answer

This is a compound verb made of the adjective بیدار (awake) and the verb شدن (to become). Literally, it translates to "they become awake." The می prefix and the -وند ending on the second word indicate it is in the present tense for "they" (third-person plural).

من شنیدم که روح‌ها شب بیدار می‌شوند.

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