Question 1

Why does the sentence use the present tense دارد when the manager "said" it in the past?

Accepted Answer

This is a key rule for reported speech in Farsi. Unlike English, which usually shifts the second verb to the past (said that he was), Farsi keeps the exact tense the original speaker used. Since the manager originally stated a present fact (he is on leave), we use the present tense verb دارد after که.

Question 2

Does او mean the manager is on leave, or someone else?

Accepted Answer

It most likely means someone else. In Farsi reported speech, it is very common to quote exactly what the person said. If the manager were talking about his own time off, the sentence would likely keep the original "I" and say مدیر گفت که من مرخصی دارم (The manager said that I have leave). Because it says او, he was almost certainly talking about another employee.

Question 3

Why do we use دارد (has) instead of the verb for "is"?

Accepted Answer

In English you say someone "is" on leave, but Farsi treats time off as something you possess. You use the verb داشتن (to have). Therefore, مرخصی دارد literally translates to "he has leave."

Question 4

Can I leave out the word که in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! Just like you can often drop "that" in English (The manager said he is on leave), you can drop که in conversational Farsi and simply say مدیر گفت او امروز مرخصی دارد. Including it just makes the separation between the two clauses a bit clearer.

مدیر گفت که او امروز مرخصی دارد.

Breakdown of مدیر گفت که او امروز مرخصی دارد.

Questions & Answers about مدیر گفت که او امروز مرخصی دارد.

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