Breakdown of میخواستم اون نامه رو بخونم، اما گرفتار بودم.
آن
that
بودنbudan
to be
اماammâ
but
خواندنkhândan
to read / to study (a subject)
نامهnâme
letter
راrâ
definite direct object marker
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
گرفتارgereftâr
busy / swamped (of a person, occupied)
Questions & Answers about میخواستم اون نامه رو بخونم، اما گرفتار بودم.
How does mi-khâstam + be-khunam mean 'I was going to read' instead of 'I wanted to read'?
The verb khâstan (to want) in the past continuous (mi-khâstam) followed by the present subjunctive (be-khunam) is the standard way to express an unfulfilled past intention in Farsi. It literally means 'I was wanting that I read,' which translates naturally to 'I was going to read' or 'I intended to read.' If you just meant 'I wanted to read' as a completed past fact, you would use the simple past: khâstam be-khunam.
Why is the verb pronounced and spelled as be-khunam instead of the standard be-khânam?
This is a very common feature of spoken Farsi. The long 'â' sound before an 'm' or 'n' almost always shifts to a 'u' sound. So, the written be-khânam becomes be-khunam in everyday conversation.
What is the ro attached to nâme?
It is the spoken form of the specific direct object marker râ. Because nâme ends in a vowel sound (the short 'e'), the marker râ changes to ro in colloquial speech to make it flow better. If the word had ended in a consonant, it would usually become just o.
I know sholugh means busy. Can I use that instead of gereftâr here?
You could say saram sholugh bud (my head was busy), but you usually wouldn't say man sholugh budam. The word gereftâr literally means 'entangled' or 'captured,' and is a very natural way to say you were personally tied up, swamped, or preoccupied with things to do.
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