Breakdown of کتابم را نگه میدارم.
کتابketâb
book
راrâ
definite direct object marker
نگه داشتنnegah dâshtan
to keep, to hold
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Questions & Answers about کتابم را نگه میدارم.
Why is the word را used in this sentence?
را is the definite direct object marker. In this sentence, the action of keeping is being done to "my book". Because "my book" is a specific, known item (which is true for anything that belongs to someone), it is considered definite. We use را right after it to show that it is the specific object receiving the action.
How is "my book" formed in the word کتابم?
In Farsi, you often show ownership by attaching a possessive suffix directly to the end of a noun. Here, the base word is کتاب (book) and the suffix for "my" is ـَم (-am). When you put them together, you get کتابم (my book).
Why is را placed after the possessive ending instead of right after the word for "book"?
The marker را must always follow the entire noun phrase. Because the possessive ending ـَم is attached to the noun, they function as a single block. را has to wait until the very end of that block: کتابم را (my book + râ). You cannot put را in the middle of the word.
Why is the verb نگه میدارم written in two separate words?
This is a compound verb. Farsi builds many of its verbs by pairing a regular noun, adjective, or prefix with a basic "helper" verb. Here, نگه (which relates to holding or guarding) is paired with میدارم (the "I" form of "to hold"). In compound verbs, only the second part changes to match the person doing the action.