Breakdown of ما همشهری هستیم و در تهران زندگی میکنیم.
ما
we
و
and
بودنbudan
to be
درdar
in
تهرانtehrân
Tehran
زندگی کردنzendegi kardan
to live
همشهریham-shahri
fellow citizen
Questions & Answers about ما همشهری هستیم و در تهران زندگی میکنیم.
How is the word همشهری built?
It uses the prefix هم- (ham-), which indicates 'same' or 'together', added to شهر (shahr, meaning 'city'). The suffix -ی (-i) at the end makes it refer to a person. So همشهری literally means 'person of the same city'. This prefix is exactly how you form other mutual relationship words like همکلاسی (classmate) or همکار (coworker).
Since the sentence says 'We are...', why isn't همشهری pluralized as همشهریها?
When a noun describes the shared identity or status of a subject using the verb 'to be' (like هستیم), Farsi often keeps the noun singular. It acts almost like an adjective describing the group. Saying ما همشهری هستیم is perfectly natural and is the standard way to express this.
Why does the verb for 'we live' consist of two words (زندگی میکنیم)?
Farsi heavily relies on compound verbs, which pair a noun or adjective with a basic verb. Here, زندگی (life) is paired with کردن (to do/make). To say 'we live', you only conjugate the 'to do' part into the present tense for 'we' (میکنیم) and leave the noun زندگی unchanged at the front.
How is the word و (and) pronounced in this sentence in spoken Farsi?
While written as a separate letter, native speakers usually pronounce و as a short 'o' sound attached directly to the word right before it. So instead of 'hastim va', you will hear 'hastim-o' in everyday speech.
Learn ما همشهری هستیم و در تهران زندگی میکنیم and more in Farsi
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free