Breakdown of قرار است که استاد در سمینار حضور داشته باشد.
است
is
استاد
professor / master (expert)
درdar
in
قرارgharâr
appointment
کهke
that (conjunction)
سمینارseminâr
seminar
حضور داشتنhozur dâshtan
to attend / to be present
Questions & Answers about قرار است که استاد در سمینار حضور داشته باشد.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive form dâshte bâshad at the end?
The phrase gharâr ast ke means 'it is supposed to' or 'it is planned that'. Like many impersonal expressions of expectation or necessity in Farsi, it requires the verb in the following clause to be in the present subjunctive. Here, it triggers the subjunctive form of hozur dâshtan (to be present).
Most present subjunctive verbs start with the prefix be-. Why doesn't dâshte bâshad have it?
The verb dâshtan (to have) is a major exception in Farsi. Instead of taking the usual be- prefix, its present subjunctive is formed using its past stem plus -e, followed by the subjunctive forms of 'to be' (bâsham, bâshi, bâshad, etc.). So, for the 'he/she/it' form, it becomes dâshte bâshad.
The English translation says 'to be present,' but doesn't dâshtan mean 'to have'?
Yes! In Farsi, 'to be present' is expressed with the compound verb hozur dâshtan, which literally translates to 'to have presence'. So the sentence essentially says 'It is planned that the professor has presence at the seminar'.
Could we drop the word ke (that) in this sentence?
Yes, just like in spoken English where you can drop 'that', the conjunction ke is often optional after gharâr ast in conversational Farsi. However, keeping it makes the grammatical boundary between the main clause and the subjunctive clause very clear.
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