Breakdown of همین که واکنش را شروع کردم، دیدمش.
دیدنdidan
to see / to watch
شروع کردنshoru' kardan
to start
راrâ
definite direct object marker
همین کهhamin ke
as soon as
Questions & Answers about همین که واکنش را شروع کردم، دیدمش.
Why is the verb شروع کردم in the simple past (indicative) here, rather than the subjunctive?
The conjunction همین که (as soon as) uses the indicative tense when you are talking about a completed fact in the past, like you are here. You would only use the subjunctive if you were talking about an event in the future, like 'As soon as I start...'.
How does دیدمش break down to mean 'I saw it'?
It combines the simple past verb دیدم (I saw) with the attached pronoun ش (it/him/her). You will see these attached object pronouns very often, as they are much more natural in everyday Farsi than using a full separate phrase like آن را دیدم.
Why is را placed right after واکنش?
را marks the specific direct object of the sentence, which is واکنش (the reaction). It always comes directly after the noun or noun phrase it marks, and before the compound verb شروع کردم (I started).
Does همین که literally mean 'this same that'?
Literally, yes! By itself, همین means 'this same' or 'exactly this'. But when you combine it into the phrase همین که, it acts as a fixed conjunction meaning 'as soon as'.