Breakdown of فکر کردم که او را اخراج میکنند، ولی ترفیع گرفت!
او
he/she
گرفتنgereftan
to take / to get
فکر کردنfekr kardan
to think
راrâ
definite direct object marker
کهke
that (conjunction)
ولیvali
but
ترفیعtarfi'
promotion
اخراج کردنekhrâj kardan
to fire
Questions & Answers about فکر کردم که او را اخراج میکنند، ولی ترفیع گرفت!
Why is اخراج میکنند in the present tense when the English translation says "were firing"?
This is a key rule in Farsi! When reporting what someone said or thought using که (that), you keep the exact tense they originally used. At the time, the thought was "They are firing him." So, Farsi uses the present tense اخراج میکنند after که, even though the main verb فکر کردم (I thought) is in the past.
Why do we need the word را after او here?
The word را is used to mark a specific direct object. Since the action of firing happens directly to a specific person—"him" (او)—we must put را right after it to show he is the one receiving the action.
What kind of verb is اخراج میکنند?
It is a compound verb, which is very common in Farsi. It combines the noun اخراج (expulsion or firing) with the present tense of کردن (to do). So, اخراج میکنند literally means "they do a firing".
The English translation says "he got a promotion", but I don't see the word for "he" in the second half of the sentence. Where is it?
Farsi often drops subject pronouns like او (he/she) because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The verb گرفت (got) is the 3rd-person singular form (which adds no extra ending to the past stem). We know from the context of the first half of the sentence that this refers to "him".
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