Breakdown of اگر او ویولن را کوک کند، من میزنم.
من
I
او
he/she
راrâ
definite direct object marker
زدنzadan
to hit / to play (an instrument) / to apply (a coating) / to put on (a tie/accessory)
اگرagar
if
کوک کردنkuk kardan
to tune
ویولنviolon
violin
Questions & Answers about اگر او ویولن را کوک کند، من میزنم.
How would I change this sentence to say 'If he tunes a certain violin' using the grammar from this lesson?
To say 'a certain violin', you use the indefinite marker taught in this lesson: yek + noun + -i. You would say yek violon-i. The first part of the sentence would become agar u yek violon-i rā kuk konad. Our original sentence just says violon rā, which means 'the violin' (a specific, already known violin).
Why is the verb کند (konad) used here instead of میکند (mikonad)?
The word اگر (agar), meaning 'if', sets up a condition. In Farsi, the verb in the 'if' part of the sentence must be in the subjunctive form. For the compound verb کوک کردن (kuk kardan, to tune), the کردن part drops its usual indicative prefix and becomes the subjunctive کند (konad).
Why is the verb میزنم (mizanam) used for 'I will play'? Doesn't زدن (zadan) mean 'to hit'?
Yes, the literal meaning of زدن (zadan) is 'to hit' or 'to strike'. However, it is the standard verb used in Farsi for playing musical instruments, similar to the idea of striking a key on a piano or plucking a string.
The English translation says 'I will play', but میزنم (mizanam) is present tense. How does that work?
In Farsi conditional sentences (If X happens, then Y will happen), it is extremely common to use the present continuous/indicative tense for the 'then' part of the sentence. It shows an immediate future action or a direct result. While میزنم literally means 'I am playing' or 'I play', here it naturally translates to 'I will play'.
What is the job of را (rā) right after ویولن (violon)?
را (rā) marks the specific direct object of the verb. Since the sentence is about tuning a specific, known violin ('the violin'), we must add را right after ویولن (violon) to show that it is the thing receiving the action.
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