Breakdown of غذا را تمام کردی؟
غذاghazâ
food
راrâ
definite direct object marker
تمام کردنtamâm kardan
to finish
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Questions & Answers about غذا را تمام کردی؟
How do we know کردی is in the past tense?
کردی comes from the infinitive کردن (to do). To form the simple past tense, we drop the -ن at the end of the infinitive to get the past stem, which is کرد. Then we add the personal ending for 'you' (singular), which is -ی.
Why does the verb for 'finish' use two words (تمام and کردی)?
Farsi frequently uses 'compound verbs', which combine an adjective or noun with a basic helper verb. Here, تمام (complete or finished) is paired with the past tense of کردن (to do). Literally, you are asking 'Did you do the food complete?'.
What is the purpose of را after غذا?
را is a marker used to show a specific direct object. Because you are asking if they finished 'the' food (a specific meal they were just eating), غذا needs را right after it.
Where is the Farsi word for 'you' in this sentence?
The pronoun تو (you, singular) was left out. Because the verb ending -ی already tells us exactly who we are talking to, Farsi speakers usually drop the subject pronoun.
How does this sentence become a question without a question word?
Just like in casual English when you say 'You finished the food?', Farsi often drops formal question words. You just raise your pitch at the end of the spoken sentence to show it is a yes/no question.