Breakdown of مردی که ماشین شخصی داشت، به بیمارستان عمومی رفت.
ماشینmâshin
car
مردmard
man
بیمارستانbimârestân
hospital
بهbe
to
داشتنdâshtan
to have
رفتنraftan
to go
کهke
that (conjunction)
عمومomum
public
شخصshakhs
person (individual)
Questions & Answers about مردی که ماشین شخصی داشت، به بیمارستان عمومی رفت.
How are the words شخصی (private) and عمومی (public) formed in this sentence?
These are relational adjectives, which are formed by taking a noun and adding the suffix ی (-i) to the end. شخص means person, so شخصی means personal or private. Similarly, عموم means the public, so adding ی creates عمومی (public or general).
The word مردی (a man) also ends in ی. Is that the same adjective suffix?
No, and this is a great catch! While they look and sound exactly the same, the ی in مردی is the indefinite article meaning a or an (مرد + ی = a man). The ی at the end of شخصی and عمومی is a completely different suffix used to turn nouns into adjectives.
How do we connect the adjectives to their nouns here, like private car?
You must use the ezafe, which is a short e sound that connects a noun to its adjective. It usually isn't written in the standard alphabet, but it is spoken. You pronounce private car as ماشینِ شخصی (māšin-e šaxsi) and public hospital as بیمارستانِ عمومی (bimārestān-e omumi).
How does the word که work in this sentence?
Here, که acts as a relative pronoun linking the man to his description. Since it comes right after مردی (a man), it translates to who (a man who...). که is a very handy word in Farsi because it can mean who, which, or that depending on the noun it is describing.
Why is the verb داشت (had) placed in the middle of the sentence right before the comma?
Farsi puts verbs at the end of their specific clause. The phrase که ماشین شخصی داشت (who had a private car) is a complete thought describing the man. The verb داشت finishes that thought, then the main sentence resumes and finishes with the main verb رفت (went) at the very end.
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