Breakdown of به جای اینکه فقط ایمیل بخوانید، اولویتهای امروز را مرور کنید.
امروزemruz
today
ایمیلimeyl
email
خواندنkhândan
to read / to study (a subject)
راrâ
definite direct object marker
فقطfaqat
only, just
به جای اینکهbe jâ-ye in-ke
instead of (+ clause)
اولویتowlaviyat
priority
مرور کردنmorur kardan
to review
Questions & Answers about به جای اینکه فقط ایمیل بخوانید، اولویتهای امروز را مرور کنید.
Why do we use the subjunctive form بخوانید in the first half of the sentence?
The conjunction به جای اینکه (instead of) always triggers the present subjunctive for the verb that follows it. This is because you are talking about an alternative or hypothetical action, rather than stating a fact.
The English translation says "emails" in the plural, so why doesn't ایمیل have the plural suffix -ها?
When talking about a general activity or category—like "reading email"—Farsi prefers the singular form. You only add -ها if you are referring to specific, individual emails.
Is the second verb, مرور کنید (review), also in the subjunctive because of به جای اینکه?
No, مرور کنید is an imperative (a command). The rule for به جای اینکه only applies to the action being replaced (بخوانید). However, for the helping verb کردن (to do), the imperative and present subjunctive forms happen to look exactly the same (کنید), which is why they match here.
Why is the direct object marker را placed after امروز (today) instead of right after اولویتها (priorities)?
The word را must go at the very end of the entire noun phrase it marks. Because "priorities" is linked to "today" using the ezâfe (اولویتهای امروز), the whole phrase acts as the direct object, so را comes at the very end.
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