Questions & Answers about این دو پارچه، جنس متفاوتی دارند.
Why is پارچه (fabric) singular when the sentence says there are two of them?
In Farsi, nouns that follow numbers are always kept in their singular form. So, you say دو پارچه instead of using the plural form.
If پارچه is in the singular form, why does the verb دارند (they have) take a plural ending?
Even though the noun itself drops the plural marker after a number, the subject این دو پارچه still refers to multiple things. For inanimate objects, Farsi allows either a singular or plural verb. Using the plural دارند here emphasizes that the two fabrics are distinct from each other.
What is the purpose of the ی at the end of متفاوتی?
This is the indefinite ی, which works like the English articles a or an. The phrase جنس متفاوت means different material, so adding the suffix makes it جنس متفاوتی (a different material). Notice that when a noun has an adjective, this indefinite suffix attaches to the very end of the noun phrase, which is the adjective.
I have seen the word جنس used to mean gender. Does it mean something else here?
Yes, جنس is a very versatile word. While it can mean gender, in the context of objects, clothing, and shopping, it refers to the material, texture, or quality of an item.