Learn Farsi: مسافر پرسید که آیا برای اشتراک اینترنت به راهنمایی نیاز دارد. - The passenger asked whether he needed guidance for the internet subscription.

In reported speech, Farsi usually links the clauses with که (that). Because it is a yes/no question being reported, we add the question word آیا. Using که آیا together is the standard way to translate 'whether' or 'if' for reported questions.

The English translation says 'needed' in the past tense, so why is نیاز دارد in the present tense?

In English, we shift the tense backwards in reported speech ('asked if he needed'). Farsi does not do this! You simply use the tense the person originally spoke in. The passenger's original thought was 'Do I need...?' which is present tense, so the reported clause keeps the present indicative tense نیاز دارد.

Our current lesson says we can use the subjunctive with که آیا. Why is نیاز دارد in the indicative?

We use the indicative here because the original question was a simple factual inquiry: 'Do I need guidance?' If the original question implied asking for advice, such as 'Should I get guidance?', Farsi would use the subjunctive. Since it is a straightforward yes/no question about a fact, the indicative is correct.

Why is there a به before راهنمایی (guidance)?

The Farsi phrase for 'to need' is نیاز داشتن (niyâz dâshtan), which literally means 'to have a need'. This verb requires the preposition به (to) before the thing you need. So the sentence literally says he 'has a need to guidance'.