Breakdown of متاسفانه آنها میخواستند کار را به موقع تمام کنند، ولی گرفتار شدند.
آنها
they
کارkâr
work
راrâ
definite direct object marker
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
Questions & Answers about متاسفانه آنها میخواستند کار را به موقع تمام کنند، ولی گرفتار شدند.
How does میخواستند ... تمام کنند translate to "they were going to finish"?
This sentence uses the structure for "unfulfilled past intentions." To say someone "was going to" do something, Farsi uses the past continuous form of خواستن (to want), which here is میخواستند (they were wanting), followed by the present subjunctive of the main verb, تمام کنند (that they finish). The literal structure is "they were wanting that they finish."
Why is the second verb گرفتار شدند in the simple past tense?
The first part of the sentence describes an ongoing intention in the past (میخواستند). However, getting tied up is the sudden, completed action that interrupted their plan. Because it was a single, completed event in the past, Farsi uses the simple past tense شدند (they became).
What does گرفتار mean exactly in this context?
گرفتار literally translates to "caught," "captive," or "entangled." In everyday Farsi, when you combine it with شدن (to become), it is the most common way to say you got "tied up," "busy," or stuck in a situation that prevented you from doing something else.
Why do we need the word را after کار?
را is the specific direct object marker. Because the sentence refers to a specific task ("the work" they intended to finish) rather than just "work" in general, Farsi requires را right after کار to show it is the direct receiver of the action.