Question 1

The lesson says the passive uses a past participle plus shodan, so why is there no past participle here?

Accepted Answer

This is because jodā kardan (to separate) is a compound verb made with an adjective. To make these verbs passive, you simply swap kardan (to do/make) with shodan (to become). The adjective jodā (separate) stays exactly the same, so you don't need a past participle.

Question 2

I learned that inanimate plural subjects usually take a singular verb. Why does dāne-hā (beans) take the plural verb mi-shavand?

Accepted Answer

You are right that inanimate plurals normally take singular verbs in everyday Farsi (like mi-shavad). However, using a plural verb for things is also grammatically correct and often sounds more formal. It can also be used to emphasize that the action happens to each item individually.

Question 3

Why does in mean 'these' here instead of 'this'?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, pointing words like in (this/these) and ān (that/those) never take a plural marker when they are used directly before a noun. The plural ending -hā on dāne-hā is enough to show we mean 'these beans' and not 'this bean'.

Question 4

The translation says 'beans', but doesn't dāne mean something else?

Accepted Answer

Yes, dāne primarily translates to 'seed', 'grain', or 'piece'. In English, we call the seeds of coffee or cocoa 'beans', which is how it fits here. If you were talking about vegetable beans (like kidney beans), you would use the word lubiyā instead.

این دانه‌ها جدا می‌شوند.

Breakdown of این دانه‌ها جدا می‌شوند.

Questions & Answers about این دانه‌ها جدا می‌شوند.

Learn این دانه‌ها جدا می‌شوند and more in Farsi