Word
آیا مدت زیادی است که با این دستگاه دیجیتال کار میکنید؟
Meaning
Have you been working with this digital device for a long time?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of آیا مدت زیادی است که با این دستگاه دیجیتال کار میکنید؟
است
is
این
this
آیاâyâ
whether (question particle)
باbâ
with
Questions & Answers about آیا مدت زیادی است که با این دستگاه دیجیتال کار میکنید؟
Why does the Farsi sentence use the present tense verb کار میکنید when the English translation says 'have you been working'?
In Farsi, to say you have been doing something for a certain amount of time, we use the structure [Time period] + است که followed by the present tense. English uses the present perfect continuous for this, but Farsi treats it as an action that is still happening right now, so it uses the present tense verb کار میکنید.
What is the ی at the end of زیادی doing in the phrase مدت زیادی?
The word مدت means a period of time, and زیاد means much or a lot. The ی at the end of زیادی is the indefinite suffix meaning 'a'. In Farsi, when a noun has an adjective, this indefinite ی attaches to the end of the adjective rather than the noun. So, مدت زیادی translates to 'a long period'.
Do I always need to use آیا to ask a yes/no question like this?
No. آیا is a formal question word that signals a yes/no question is starting. In everyday spoken Farsi, people usually drop آیا and just use a rising tone of voice at the end of the sentence to show they are asking a question.
Why does با come before the device rather than next to the verb?
In Farsi, prepositions like با (with) go right before the noun they relate to, creating a phrase like با این دستگاه دیجیتال (with this digital device). Because Farsi typically puts verbs at the very end of the sentence, the action must come after the prepositional phrase.