Question 1

Why is the verb shodeh būdand (from shodan) used here instead of a form of kardan?

Accepted Answer

This ties into your current lesson on transitivity! The appliances here are turning on by themselves (or we are just focusing on their state without mentioning who did it), making it an intransitive action. We use roshan shodan for "to turn on" (intransitive). If a person turned them on, we would use the transitive equivalent roshan kardan, like: "I turned the fridge on" (man yakhchāl rā roshan kardam).

Question 2

I learned that roshan means "bright" or "light". Why is it used for a refrigerator and an air conditioner?

Accepted Answer

While roshan literally means "bright" or "illuminated", in Farsi it is the standard word used to describe electronic devices, appliances, and engines being "on" or "running". The opposite is khāmūsh (literally "extinguished" or "silent"), which is used for machines that are "off".

Question 3

Why is the verb in the past perfect tense (shodeh būdand) instead of the simple past (shodand)?

Accepted Answer

shodeh būdand translates to "had turned on". The past perfect tense is used here to show that the fridge and AC turned on before another event in the past (for example, before the speaker entered the room). If you just wanted to state a completed action like "they turned on", you would use the simple past shodand.

Question 4

Since a fridge and an AC are inanimate objects, shouldn't the verb be singular instead of the plural būdand?

Accepted Answer

It can be! While this sentence uses the plural būdand because there are two distinct subjects joined by va (and), in everyday Farsi, inanimate subjects—even plural or compound ones—very often take a singular verb. It would be perfectly natural to hear yakhchāl va kūlar roshan shodeh būd in casual conversation.

یخچال و کولر روشن شده بودند.

Breakdown of یخچال و کولر روشن شده بودند.

Questions & Answers about یخچال و کولر روشن شده بودند.

Learn یخچال و کولر روشن شده بودند and more in Farsi