Breakdown of اگر ذهن او را میخواندم، راز او را میفهمیدم.
او
he/she
خواندنkhândan
to read / to study (a subject)
راrâ
definite direct object marker
فهمیدنfahmidan
to understand
Questions & Answers about اگر ذهن او را میخواندم، راز او را میفهمیدم.
Why do we use the past continuous for both verbs (میخواندم and میفهمیدم) if we are talking about the present?
This is the standard way to make the second conditional (imaginary present) in Farsi. To talk about an unreal or imaginary present situation, you use اگر (if) followed by the past continuous in both the condition clause and the result clause.
Does او mean 'his' or 'he'?
او means 'he' or 'she'. However, it is connected to the nouns here using an ezafe (the hidden 'e' linking sound). For example, ذهن او literally means 'the mind of him', which translates to 'his mind'.
Why is the object marker را used twice in this sentence?
Because there are two separate actions, each with its own specific direct object. In the first half, the specific thing being read is 'his mind' (ذهن او را). In the second half, the specific thing being understood is 'his secret' (راز او را).
Where exactly does را go when a pronoun like او is attached to the noun?
را always follows the entire group of words that makes up the object. In ذهن او را, the full object phrase is 'his mind' (ذهن او), so را comes at the very end of that group, right after the pronoun او.