Learn Farsi: آیا قبل از اینکه فوت کند، این پول مال وارث بود؟ - Before he passed away, did this money belong to the heir?

The word mâl literally means 'property' or 'wealth'. In Farsi, we do not use a standalone verb for 'to belong'. Instead, we link mâl to the owner with an ezâfe (the hidden 'e' sound), making mâl-e vâres (property of the heir). Adding the verb bud (was) at the end completes the predicate: 'was the property of the heir'.

Why is the verb fot konad in the present subjunctive form if the sentence is talking about the past?

The phrase qabl az inke (before) always forces the verb that follows it into the subjunctive mood, regardless of the overall time frame. Even though the main verb bud (was) is in the past tense, the action of passing away gets the present subjunctive form fot konad.

Why do we need inke after qabl az here?

You use qabl az directly before a simple noun, like qabl az shâm (before dinner). But when you want to connect it to a full clause that contains its own subject and verb (like 'he passes away'), you must add inke (literally 'this that') to bridge the two parts together.

Is the word âyâ required to ask this question?

No, âyâ is a formal question word used mostly in writing to signal a yes/no question. In everyday spoken Farsi, you can drop it completely and simply raise your tone of voice at the end of the sentence to show you are asking a question.