Breakdown of ما امیدواریم که ماهیها طعمه را سریع نخورند.
ما
we
خوردنkhordan
to eat / to drink
راrâ
definite direct object marker
کهke
that (conjunction)
امیدوار بودنomidvâr budan
to hope
سریعsari'
fast / rapid
ماهیmâhi
fish
طعمهto'me
bait
Questions & Answers about ما امیدواریم که ماهیها طعمه را سریع نخورند.
Why is the verb نخورند (nakhorand) used instead of the normal present tense?
This is the negative present subjunctive. Because the sentence starts with امیدواریم که (we hope that), the verb in the second part of the sentence must be in the subjunctive mood. To make the subjunctive negative, we replace the usual subjunctive prefix بـ (be-) with نـ (na-), giving us نخورند (that they do not eat).
Wait, doesn't امیدواریم (omidvârim) literally mean 'we are hopeful'?
Exactly! In Farsi, there isn't a single simple verb for 'to hope.' Instead, you use the compound structure امیدوار بودن (literally 'to be hopeful'). So ما امیدواریم (mâ omidvârim) translates as 'we are hopeful' or 'we hope.'
Why do we need the word را (râ) after طعمه (to'me)?
The word را (râ) is the definite direct object marker. Because the fish are eating the specific bait (not just any bait in general), we must put را right after طعمه to show it is the definite thing receiving the action of the verb.
The English translation says 'the fish', but the Farsi word is ماهیها (mâhi-hâ). Why does it have a plural suffix?
In English, the plural of 'fish' is just 'fish', which can be ambiguous! Farsi is much clearer here: you make it plural by adding the standard suffix ـها (-hâ). Since we are talking about multiple fish, we use ماهیها and match it with the plural verb نخورند at the end of the sentence.
The word سریع (sari') usually means 'fast' or 'quick.' How does it act as 'quickly' here?
In Farsi, you don't usually need to add a special ending (like the English '-ly') to turn an adjective into an adverb. You can just use the regular adjective form سریع right before the verb to describe how the action is being done.
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