Breakdown of هر شب قبل از اینکه بخوابم، مغز من هنوز بیدار است.
من
I
بودنbudan
to be
شبshab
night
خوابیدنkhâbidan
to sleep
هرhar
every
قبل ازqabl az
before
هنوزhanuz
yet / still
اینکهin-ke
that (conjunction)
بیدارbidâr
awake
مغزmaghz
brain
قبل از اینکهghabl az inke
before (+ subjunctive)
Questions & Answers about هر شب قبل از اینکه بخوابم، مغز من هنوز بیدار است.
Why does hanuz mean "still" here instead of "yet"?
The meaning of hanuz depends on the verb that goes with it. Because the verb ast (is) is affirmative (positive), hanuz translates to "still". If the verb were negative, like nist (is not), hanuz would mean "not yet" (for example, "my brain is not awake yet").
Why is the verb for "I sleep" written as bekhabam instead of the normal present tense mikhabam?
The phrase qabl az inke (before) triggers the present subjunctive mood for the verb that follows it. To form the subjunctive here, we replace the indicative mi- prefix of mikhabam with the subjunctive be- prefix, resulting in bekhabam.
Could I just say qabl az bekhabam instead of qabl az inke bekhabam?
No, because qabl az (before) is a preposition and can only be followed by a noun, like "before midnight". When you want to follow "before" with a full clause containing a conjugated verb (like "before I sleep"), you must add inke to turn it into a conjunction.
Can I use the possessive suffix and say maghzam instead of maghz-e man?
Yes, absolutely! Both mean "my brain". Using the noun + ezafe + pronoun structure (maghz-e man) puts a slight emphasis on the word "my". In casual, everyday spoken Farsi, however, you will very frequently hear the suffix version (maghzam).
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