Breakdown of ما اینجا هیچوقت بادمجان و گوجهفرنگی نمیخوریم.
ما
we
و
and
اینجاinjâ
here
خوردنkhordan
to eat / to drink
Questions & Answers about ما اینجا هیچوقت بادمجان و گوجهفرنگی نمیخوریم.
Why is the verb نمیخوریم negative if هیچوقت already means 'never'?
In Farsi, sentences with negative adverbs of time like هیچوقت (never) require a double negative. You must always pair them with a negative verb. So, you are literally saying 'We never do not eat.' If you used the positive verb (میخوریم), the sentence would be grammatically incorrect.
What is the literal breakdown of the word هیچوقت?
It is a combination of two words: هیچ meaning 'no' or 'any,' and وقت meaning 'time.' Together, they literally mean 'no time.'
Could I put هیچوقت right before the verb instead?
Yes, Farsi word order is somewhat flexible. You could say ما اینجا بادمجان و گوجهفرنگی هیچوقت نمیخوریم, but adverbs of time usually come early in the sentence, right after the subject or the location (اینجا). The word order shown in this sentence sounds very natural.
Why aren't the words for eggplant (بادمجان) and tomatoes (گوجهفرنگی) plural in Farsi?
When talking about things in general, like a broad category of food you do or don't eat, Farsi uses the singular form. You only make these nouns plural if you are talking about specific, countable items, like 'those three tomatoes.'