Breakdown of میخواستم بیایم، اما یک مشکل فوری داشتم و نمیخواستم مزاحم شوم.
و
and
اماammâ
but
یکyek
one / a, an
داشتنdâshtan
to have
مشکلmoshkel
problem
آمدنâmadan
to come
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
شدنshodan
to become
فوریfowri
urgent
مزاحمmozâhem
nuisance / bother
Questions & Answers about میخواستم بیایم، اما یک مشکل فوری داشتم و نمیخواستم مزاحم شوم.
How does میخواستم بیایم translate to "I was going to come" instead of "I wanted to come"?
This is the "future in the past" structure you are currently learning. Using the past continuous of خواستن (khâstan, to want) — which is میخواستم — followed by a verb in the present subjunctive — بیایم — expresses an unfulfilled past intention. It perfectly translates to "I intended to come" or "I was going to come" (but ultimately didn't).
Why is the subjunctive form of "to come" written as بیایم (biâyam)?
The infinitive is آمدن (âmadan) and its present stem is آی (ây). When you add the subjunctive prefix بـ (be-), a "y" sound is naturally added to bridge the vowels smoothly. This turns بـ + آی into بیایـ (biây-). With the "I" ending (ـم), it becomes بیایم (biâyam).
We see نمیخواستم مزاحم شوم at the end. Is this also the "future in the past" meaning "I was not going to be a bother"?
It uses the exact same grammatical structure (past continuous of "to want" + subjunctive), but context shifts how we translate it. While the affirmative often means "was going to" (a plan), the negative نمیخواستم usually reverts to a more literal "I didn't want to". Here, the speaker is explaining their feeling or desire ("I didn't want to intrude"), rather than a canceled plan.
How does the phrase مزاحم شوم work to mean "be a bother"?
It's the present subjunctive of the compound verb مزاحم شدن (mozâhem shodan). مزاحم means a nuisance or intruder, and شدن means "to become". So literally, it translates to "that I become a nuisance". You will hear this word constantly in Iranian politeness (ta'arof) when apologizing for taking up someone's time!
In the phrase یک مشکل فوری, where exactly is the ezafe (the hidden linking vowel)?
The ezafe connects the noun to its adjective: مشکلِ فوری (moshkel-e favri - urgent problem). The word یک (yek, a/an) sits at the front of the phrase and does not take an ezafe. So the entire phrase is pronounced yek moshkel-e favri.
Learn میخواستم بیایم، اما یک مشکل فوری داشتم و نمیخواستم مزاحم شوم 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