Breakdown of اگر آنها طبل نزنند، شیپور میزنند.
آنها
they
زدنzadan
to hit / to play (an instrument) / to apply (a coating) / to put on (a tie/accessory)
اگرagar
if
طبلtabl
drum
شیپورsheypur
trumpet
Questions & Answers about اگر آنها طبل نزنند، شیپور میزنند.
Why does the first verb (نزنند) look different from the second one (میزنند)?
This is because of the word اگر (if). In Farsi, 'if' sentences usually require the subjunctive mood for the condition part. The subjunctive does not use the می prefix. Instead, for a negative verb, you just attach the negative prefix ن to the present stem, making نزنند (if they do not play).
Why is the second verb (میزنند) in the present tense when the English translation says 'they will play'?
In Farsi, the present tense (which uses the می prefix) is very commonly used to talk about the near future or the definite result of a condition. Because it is the result part of an 'if' sentence, شیپور میزنند translates smoothly to 'they will play the trumpet'.
The verb زدن usually means 'to hit'. Why is it used here?
You are right! While زدن literally means 'to hit' or 'to strike', it is the standard verb used for playing musical instruments. Therefore, طبل زدن means 'to play the drum' and شیپور زدن means 'to play the trumpet'.
Our current lesson is about the indefinite marker یک ... ی (a certain / a particular). Why isn't it used for the drum or trumpet here?
When talking about playing an instrument as a general activity, Farsi leaves the noun bare. If we said یک طبلی (yek tabli), it would specifically mean 'a certain drum' or 'a particular drum' as a physical object, rather than just the general concept of playing the drums.
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