Word
مدت زیادی است که از این گوشی هوشمند استفاده میکنم.
Meaning
I have been using this smart phone for a long time.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about مدت زیادی است که از این گوشی هوشمند استفاده میکنم.
Why does the sentence end with the present tense استفاده میکنم instead of a past tense, since the action started in the past?
This showcases the lesson's main rule! When you want to express that an action started in the past and is still ongoing, Farsi uses [Time period] + است که followed by the present tense. While English uses the present perfect continuous (have been using), Farsi literally says 'It is a long time that I use...' using the present indicative میکنم.
Why is there an از before این گوشی هوشمند?
The verb to use in Farsi is the compound verb استفاده کردن. This verb requires the preposition از (from) to introduce the object. So instead of saying 'I use this phone', Farsi logic translates to 'I make use from this phone'.
How is the phrase for 'smart phone' formed here?
It is گوشی هوشمند. The word گوشی means phone (derived from گوش, meaning ear) and هوشمند means smart. They are linked by the hidden ezafe grammatical linker. Because گوشی ends in a long vowel sound, the ezafe is pronounced as 'ye', making it spoken as guši-ye hušmand.
Why does زیاد have a ی attached to the end of it in مدت زیادی?
In the phrase مدت زیادی, the word مدت means period or duration, and زیاد means much or a lot. Adding the indefinite suffix ی creates the meaning 'a considerable' or 'a long' amount. Together, they mean 'a long period of time'.