Breakdown of یک قرن است که از این اختراع استفاده میکنیم.
است
is
این
this
یکyek
one / a, an
ازaz
from
کهke
that (conjunction)
استفاده کردنestefâde kardan
to use
قرنqarn
century
اختراعekhterâ'
invention
Questions & Answers about یک قرن است که از این اختراع استفاده میکنیم.
Why does the sentence use the present tense استفاده میکنیم when the English translation says 'have been using'?
In Farsi, when an action started in the past and is still continuing right now, you use the structure [time period] + است که followed by the present indicative tense. Literally, this sentence says 'It is a century that we use this invention.'
Why is there an از before این اختراع? The English translation doesn't use the word 'from'.
The compound verb استفاده کردن (to use) always requires the preposition از (from) before the object being used. So in Farsi, you don't 'use' an object directly; you 'make use from' it.
Can I put یک قرن است که at the end of the sentence like we do with 'for a century' in English?
No, this specific structure must come before the main action. Because است که translates literally to 'It is [a century] that...', it naturally acts as an introductory phrase that sets up the rest of the sentence.
Where is the word for 'we' in this sentence?
It is built directly into the verb! The verb استفاده میکنیم ends with the personal suffix ـیم, which tells us the subject is 'we'. In Farsi, it is standard to drop the subject pronoun ما (we) because the verb ending makes it perfectly clear.
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