Breakdown of جاده به سمت کوه لغزنده است، احتیاط کن مبادا بیفتی.
است
is
بهbe
to
افتادنoftâdan
to fall
کوهkuh
mountain
جادهjâdde
road
سمتsemat
position
احتیاط کردنehtiyât kardan
to take precaution / to be careful (exercising caution)
مباداmabâdâ
lest / so that not
لغزندهlaghzande
slippery
Questions & Answers about جاده به سمت کوه لغزنده است، احتیاط کن مبادا بیفتی.
Since mabâdâ means "so that not," why isn't the verb بیفتی (biyofti) negative?
The negative meaning is already built right into the word mabâdâ. Because it means "lest" or "so that not", the verb that follows it must stay in the affirmative form (biyofti). Making the verb negative here would create a double negative.
Why is بیفتی (biyofti) in the subjunctive mood rather than the simple present?
Mabâdâ introduces a hypothetical event or a possibility that the speaker wants to prevent from happening. In Farsi, conjunctions expressing purpose, doubt, or condition almost always trigger the present subjunctive for the following verb.
The infinitive for "to fall" is oftâdan. Why is there a "y" sound and an extra letter "ی" in بیفتی (biyofti)?
To make the subjunctive, we add the prefix be- to the present stem (oft-). Because the stem starts with a vowel, Farsi inserts a "y" sound to bridge the gap smoothly. So, be- + ofti becomes biyofti, spelled with a ی to represent that glide.
How is the adjective لغزنده (laghzandeh) formed?
It comes from the verb laghzidan (to slip or slide). By taking the present stem (laghz-) and adding the suffix -andeh, you create an active participle, which acts like an adjective that describes something doing that action. So laghzandeh literally means "slipping" or "slippery".
Why do we need an ezâfe (the hidden 'e' sound) in به سمتِ کوه (be samt-e kuh)?
Samt means "direction" or "side." To connect it to kuh (mountain) to mean "the direction of the mountain," you link the nouns using an ezâfe. Together, be samt-e acts as a compound preposition meaning "towards".
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