Breakdown of اگر برادرتان سردش باشد، پتوی گرم را به او بدهید.
او
he/she
بودنbudan
to be
برادرbarâdar
brother
گرمgarm
warm, hot
سردsard
cold
بهbe
to
دادنdâdan
to give
راrâ
definite direct object marker
پتوpatu
blanket
اگرagar
if
Questions & Answers about اگر برادرتان سردش باشد، پتوی گرم را به او بدهید.
Why is "he is cold" translated as سردش باشد instead of using the normal word for "he" (او)?
In Farsi, physical and mental states like being cold, hot, or hungry are often expressed as impersonal verbs. Instead of saying "he is cold", you literally say "it is his cold". You take the state (سرد, cold), attach the possessive ending for "his/her" (ش-, -esh), and use the 3rd person singular form of the verb "to be".
Why does the sentence use باشد (bâshad) instead of است (ast) for "is"?
The word اگر (agar, meaning "if") sets up a conditional sentence. In Farsi, the verb that follows "if" usually takes the subjunctive mood because it describes a hypothetical or uncertain situation. باشد is the subjunctive form of the verb "to be".
If برادرتان already means "your brother", why do we still need the ش (-esh) ending on سردش?
This is a common structure for impersonal verbs. The person experiencing the feeling is brought to the front of the sentence as the main topic (برادرتان, your brother). However, because the feeling itself requires a possessive ending to show who is experiencing it, you still must attach ش (his) to match the brother. Literally, it translates to "your brother, his cold is".
Why is را (râ) placed after گرم (garm) and not right after پتو (patu)?
The word را marks the specific direct object of the sentence. When the object is a noun phrase that includes an adjective, like پتوی گرم (the warm blanket), the را must go at the very end of that entire phrase, not in the middle of it.
How is the verb بدهید (bedehid) formed here?
This is the imperative (command) form of دادن (to give). It uses the command prefix بـ (be-) attached to the present stem ده (deh), plus the polite or plural ending ید (-id). You use this ending because you are formally addressing someone or talking to multiple people.
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