Question 1

The verb here is پاره شد (got torn). How would I say 'I tore his shirt'?

Accepted Answer

To make this action transitive (meaning someone does the action to an object), you swap شدن (to become) for کردن (to do). You would use پاره کردم (I tore) instead. The sentence becomes: من پیراهن او را دیروز پاره کردم (I tore his shirt yesterday). Notice that when you add a specific direct object, you also need the object marker را.

Question 2

Why is پاره شد translated as 'got torn' instead of 'was torn'?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, compound verbs with شدن describe a change of state (becoming something). پاره شد literally means 'became torn'. Translating it as 'got torn' captures that change of state. If you want to say something 'was torn' (as a past ongoing state rather than the event of it tearing), you would use the adjective with the 'to be' verb: پاره بود.

Question 3

Where is the ezafe in پیراهن او?

Accepted Answer

There is an unseen ezafe (an 'e' sound) linking the noun to its possessor, pronounced pirâhan-e u. This is the standard way to show possession in Farsi, connecting the word for 'shirt' to the pronoun for 'his'.

Question 4

Could I put دیروز (yesterday) at the beginning of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Time words are quite flexible in Farsi. You can say دیروز پیراهن او پاره شد to put more emphasis on when it happened. Placing it after the subject, as it is in this sentence, is also perfectly natural and standard.

پیراهن او دیروز پاره شد.

Breakdown of پیراهن او دیروز پاره شد.

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