Breakdown of دو گلوله به ماشینشان شلیک شده بود.
بودنbudan
to be
ماشینmâshin
car
بهbe
to
دوdo
two
شدنshodan
to become
گلولهgoluleh
bullet
شلیک کردنshalik kardan
to shoot / to fire (a weapon)
Questions & Answers about دو گلوله به ماشینشان شلیک شده بود.
How do we form the past perfect passive 'had been fired' in this sentence?
The active compound verb is شلیک کردن (to fire). To make it passive, we replace کردن with شدن (to become), giving us شلیک شدن. For the Past Perfect Passive ('had been fired'), we use the noun part شلیک followed by the past perfect of شدن, which is شده بود.
Since the subject is 'two bullets', why is the verb singular (شده بود) instead of plural (شده بودند)?
In Farsi, inanimate objects (things that are not alive, like bullets) usually take a singular verb, even when there is more than one of them. Because of this rule, the verb for two bullets remains singular.
Why is the word for bullet, گلوله, in the singular form when the English translation says 'bullets'?
Whenever you use a specific number before a noun in Farsi (like دو, meaning two), the noun itself must always stay in the singular form. You do not add a plural suffix like ها.
How does the word ماشینشان translate to 'their car'?
It combines the base word ماشین (car) with the attached possessive suffix شان (their). When spoken, a short connecting vowel links them together, making it sound like ماشینِشان (māshin-eshān).
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