Breakdown of به جای اینکه وقت هدر دهیم، کارهای سودمند انجام میدهیم.
کارkâr
work
وقتvaght
time
انجام دادنanjâm dâdan
to do (a task), to carry out
به جای اینکهbe jâ-ye in-ke
instead of (+ clause)
هدر دادنhadar dâdan
to waste
سودمندsudmand
useful / productive
Questions & Answers about به جای اینکه وقت هدر دهیم، کارهای سودمند انجام میدهیم.
Why is the first verb hadar dahim instead of the regular present tense hadar midahim?
The phrase be jâ-ye inke (instead of) acts as a trigger for the present subjunctive. Because you are talking about an action you are not doing (wasting time), it is treated as hypothetical. So, you must use the subjunctive hadar dahim rather than the indicative hadar midahim.
If hadar dahim is subjunctive, why does it not start with the usual be- prefix?
Hadar dâdan (to waste) is a compound verb made of a noun and the light verb dâdan (to give). In many compound verbs, especially those using dâdan or kardan, Farsi speakers often drop the subjunctive be- prefix. You could technically say hadar bedahim, but hadar dahim sounds much more natural.
Why is the second verb anjâm midahim in the regular present tense when the first verb is subjunctive?
The first part of the sentence is governed by be jâ-ye inke, which requires the subjunctive because it describes an alternative action that is not actually happening. However, the second part (anjâm midahim) is a statement of fact about what you are actually doing, so it stays in the normal present indicative tense.
What does the -mand part of sudmand mean?
The suffix -mand means possessing or having and is used to turn nouns into adjectives. Here, sud means profit or benefit, so sudmand literally means possessing benefit, or useful. You have probably seen this before in words like sâlemand (elderly) or sarvatmand (wealthy).
Why is there a -ye sound at the end of kâr-hâ (کارهای)?
That is the Ezâfe! When you link a noun to an adjective in Farsi, you use the Ezâfe connector. Here, the noun kâr (task) is made plural with -hâ, becoming kâr-hâ. Because kâr-hâ ends in a vowel, the Ezâfe takes the form of a -ye to smoothly connect it to the adjective sudmand.
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