Learn Farsi: یک غریبه‌ای که گذرنامه‌اش روی باجه است، هنوز منتظر است. - A certain stranger whose passport is on the counter is still waiting.

یک غریبه‌ای که گذرنامه‌اش روی باجه است، هنوز منتظر است.yek gharibe'i ke gozarnâme'ash ruye bâje ast, hanuz montazer ast.

A certain stranger whose passport is on the counter is still waiting.

Breakdown of یک غریبه‌ای که گذرنامه‌اش روی باجه است، هنوز منتظر است.

Questions & Answers about یک غریبه‌ای که گذرنامه‌اش روی باجه است، هنوز منتظر است.

How does که گذرنامه‌اش translate to "whose passport"?

Farsi does not have a single word for "whose" to link clauses. Instead, it uses the relative word که (that/who) followed by the noun attached to a possessive ending. Here, گذرنامه (passport) takes the third-person singular ending -اش (his/her). Literally, the structure means "that his/her passport," which we smoothly translate to "whose passport."

Why are both یک and the ending -ای used with غریبه?

Using both یک (a/one) and the indefinite suffix -ای (-i) together is a common way to say "a certain" or "some." It highlights that you are talking about a specific, single person whose identity is unknown to you. Notice that because غریبه (stranger) ends in a spoken "eh" sound (written with a silent 'h'), the suffix is written with an alef as -ای to prevent two vowels from clashing.

Why does the sentence use منتظر است instead of a present continuous verb for waiting?

Farsi often expresses "waiting" as a continuous state of being rather than an ongoing action. منتظر is an adjective that means "expectant" or "waiting." Therefore, combining it with the "to be" verb as منتظر است is the most natural way to describe someone who "is waiting" right now.

How does the preposition روی connect to the noun باجه?

The word رو means "surface" and is used as the preposition "on." Like many prepositions in Farsi, it needs the Ezafe vowel to link it to the noun that follows. Since ends in a vowel, the Ezafe takes the form of a "ye" sound, resulting in (ru-ye) before (counter).