Breakdown of دکتر به پدربزرگم گفت که غذاهای مضر نخورد.
من
I
دکتر
doctor
پدربزرگpedarbozorg
grandfather
بهbe
to
غذاghazâ
food
خوردنkhordan
to eat / to drink
گفتنgoftan
to say / to tell
کهke
that (conjunction)
مضرmozerr
harmful
Questions & Answers about دکتر به پدربزرگم گفت که غذاهای مضر نخورد.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive verb نخورد instead of an infinitive like "not to eat"?
In Farsi, reported commands don't use infinitives. You introduce the command with a verb like گفتن (to tell/say) followed by که (that), and then use the present subjunctive for the action. You are literally saying "The doctor told to my grandfather that he should not eat..."
Why doesn't the subjunctive verb نخورد have the usual بـ prefix?
The present subjunctive usually takes the بـ (be-) prefix, as in بخورد (that he eat). But when a subjunctive verb is negative, the negative prefix نـ (na/ne-) completely replaces the بـ prefix. You never use both at the same time.
Why is the verb نخورد conjugated in the third-person "he/she" form instead of the "you" form?
In reported speech, the verb conjugation shifts to match the perspective of the person reporting it. Because the speaker is talking about the grandfather (a third person, "he"), the verb takes the third-person singular ending ـد (-ad), just like in English "told him that he should not eat."
Why is there a به before پدربزرگم?
The verb گفتن (to say/tell) requires the preposition به (to) when specifying who is being spoken to. Even though English says "told my grandfather," Farsi requires you to say "said to my grandfather."
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