Question 1

Why do we have ke and cherā next to each other? In English we do not say 'that why'.

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, reported speech is usually introduced by ke (that), even for questions. You can think of it as a colon setting up the original quote. So, porsidand ke cherā... literally means 'they asked that: why...'. This is the standard way to connect a reporting verb like porsidan (to ask) to a question word.

Question 2

Why is nadārad (does not have) in the present tense when the main verb porsidand (asked) is in the past?

Accepted Answer

English shifts tenses in reported speech, changing 'does' to 'did' because the asking happened in the past. Farsi, however, keeps the exact tense the original speaker used. The people originally asked, 'Why DOES the apartment not have a balcony?' (cherā... nadārad?). Therefore, Farsi reports it using that exact same present-tense verb.

Question 3

Do I always have to use ke to introduce a reported question?

Accepted Answer

It is standard in written Farsi and makes the sentence structure very clear. However, in spoken or informal Farsi, the ke is frequently dropped, so you will often just hear ānhā porsidand cherā... (they asked why...).

Question 4

How is the adjective now-sāz (newly built) formed?

Accepted Answer

It is a compound word made of now (new) and sāz. The word sāz is the present stem of sākhtan (to build, to make). Farsi often combines a noun or adjective with a present stem to create a new adjective describing how something was made or what it does.

آنها پرسیدند که چرا آپارتمان نوساز بالکن ندارد.

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