Breakdown of بالشا نرمتر از کوسنا هستن.
بودنbudan
to be
ازaz
from
نرمnarm
soft
بالشbâlesh
pillow
کوسنkuson
cushion
Questions & Answers about بالشا نرمتر از کوسنا هستن.
Why do the words for pillows and cushions end in ا instead of the usual plural suffix ها?
This sentence uses colloquial Tehrani. Because بالش (pillow) and کوسن (cushion) both end in a consonant, the formal plural suffix ها shrinks to just ا in spoken Farsi. Formally they are بالشها and کوسنها, but spoken they become بالشا and کوسنا.
How do we form the comparative softer than in this sentence?
You take the adjective نرم (soft) and add the comparative suffix تر to make نرمتر (softer). To say than, Farsi uses the preposition از (from), so the whole structure translates literally as softer from.
Wait, pillows and cushions are inanimate objects. Shouldn't the verb be singular?
Good memory! In strict formal grammar, plural inanimate subjects usually take a singular verb. However, in casual colloquial speech, it is very common to match plural inanimate nouns with plural verbs like هستن, especially when comparing specific groups of things.
Why is the verb هستن used here instead of هستند?
In everyday spoken Farsi, the final د on plural verb endings is almost always dropped. So the formal 3rd person plural هستند (they are) is pronounced and written colloquially as هستن.
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