Questions & Answers about این ملک مال چه کسی است؟
How does mâl-e work here to express belonging?
mâl literally translates to property or wealth. By adding the ezafe connector to make it mâl-e, we link it to a possessor. So mâl-e che kasi literally means the property of what person. This is the standard way to express belongs to or whose as a predicate in Farsi.
Why does the sentence use che kasi instead of just ki for who?
Both mean who, but che kasi (literally what person) is slightly more formal and often used in writing, the news, or polite speech. In everyday spoken Farsi, you will frequently hear mâl-e ki ast? or the shortened mâl-e ki-e? instead.
Can I use the word melk to talk about any object I own, like a book or a car?
No, melk specifically refers to real estate, land, or a physical building. If you are asking who a smaller object belongs to, you would just say in mâl-e che kasi ast? (whose is this?) or name the specific object, like in ketâb mâl-e ki ast? (whose book is this?).
Why is the verb ast placed at the very end of this question?
Farsi typically places the verb at the end of the sentence. Here, the subject is in melk (this estate), the predicate is mâl-e che kasi (the property of whom), and the verb ast (is) finishes the thought. Notice that the word order does not flip around to form a question like it does in English.