Breakdown of اگر زندانی مقررات را بشکند، نگهبان او را تنبیه میکند.
او
he/she
راrâ
definite direct object marker
شکستنshekastan
to break
تنبیه کردنtanbih kardan
to punish
Questions & Answers about اگر زندانی مقررات را بشکند، نگهبان او را تنبیه میکند.
Why does the verb بشکند (beshkanad) start with the subjunctive prefix بـ (be-) here?
In your current lesson, you are learning to use the subjunctive after verbs like "to allow". However, the present subjunctive is also required after اگر (agar), meaning "if". Because the prisoner breaking the rules is a hypothetical situation, we use the subjunctive form بشکند instead of the regular present tense میشکند (mishekanad).
Why doesn't the second verb, تنبیه میکند (tanbih mikonad), also use the subjunctive?
The word اگر (if) only affects the first action (breaking the rules), which is the hypothetical condition. The second half of the sentence describes what the guard actually does as a factual result. Therefore, "punishes" stays in the normal present tense with the می (mi-) prefix.
Is زندانی (zendâni) related to the word for prison?
Yes! زندان (zendân) means "prison". By adding the suffix ـی (-i), it changes from a place to a person associated with that place or situation. So, a زندانی is a "prisoner".
Why does the word را (râ) appear twice in this sentence?
را (râ) is the marker we use to point out a specific direct object. Because this sentence contains two separate actions, it has two direct objects. In the first half, the specific things being broken are the regulations (مقررات را). In the second half, the specific person being punished is him (او را).