Breakdown of کوبیدن میخ با چکش خطرناک است.
است
is
باbâ
with
خطرناکkhatarnâk
dangerous
کوبیدنkubidan
to pound
Questions & Answers about کوبیدن میخ با چکش خطرناک است.
How does the word kubidan connect to mikh in this sentence?
They are connected by the Ezafe vowel sound. You pronounce it kubidan-e mikh (the pounding of a nail). This is the standard way to link a verbal noun to its logical object in Farsi.
Since mikh (nail) is receiving the action of being pounded, why doesn't it take the direct object marker râ?
Because it is linked with the Ezafe! When a verbal noun connects to its object this way, the two words form a single noun phrase (kubidan-e mikh). That entire phrase acts as the subject of the sentence (the thing that is dangerous), so râ is not needed.
The English translation says 'pounding', but isn't kubidan the infinitive 'to pound'?
Yes, but Farsi infinitives (ending in -dan or -tan) act just like English gerunds (words ending in '-ing'). Using the bare infinitive is the normal way to turn an action into a noun so it can be the subject of a sentence.
Why are there no words for 'a' before the nail and hammer in the Farsi sentence?
Farsi often leaves nouns bare when talking about things in general. Because this sentence describes a general rule about any nail and any hammer, mikh and chakkosh do not need the indefinite -i suffix or the word yek (one).