Breakdown of میخواستم آنها را به موزه همراهی کنم، چون مسیر را نمیشناختند.
آنها
they
موزهmuze
museum
بهbe
to
راrâ
definite direct object marker
شناختنshenâkhtan
to know (someone) / to recognize
خواستنkhâstan
to want / to ask (request from someone)
چونchon
because
مسیرmasir
route
همراهی کردنhamrâhi kardan
to accompany
Questions & Answers about میخواستم آنها را به موزه همراهی کنم، چون مسیر را نمیشناختند.
How does this sentence express "I was going to" accompany them?
It uses the past continuous of "to want" (mi-khâstam) followed by the present subjunctive of the main action (hamrâhi konam). Literally, it translates to "I was wanting that I accompany." This is the standard way to express an unfulfilled past intention or a future action from a past perspective in Farsi.
Why is there no be- prefix on the subjunctive verb hamrâhi konam?
Because hamrâhi kardan (to accompany) is a compound verb. When making the subjunctive for most compound verbs that use kardan, you do not add the be- prefix. You simply combine the noun part (hamrâhi) with the present stem of the auxiliary verb (kon-) and the personal ending (-am).
Why use the verb shenâkhtan here instead of dânestan for "knowing"?
In Farsi, dânestan is used for knowing facts, abstract information, or languages. Shenâkhtan is used for being familiar with or recognizing a person, a place, or a physical route. Since they are unfamiliar with the physical path to the museum, shenâkhtan is the natural choice.
Why does ne-mi-shenâkhtand have the continuous mi- prefix if it translates to a simple past "they didn't know"?
Verbs describing a continuous state of mind or being—like knowing (shenâkhtan, dânestan), wanting (khâstan), or having (dâshtan)—usually take the continuous mi- prefix in the past tense. It emphasizes that their unfamiliarity with the route was an ongoing state at that time in the past, rather than a single event.
Learn میخواستم آنها را به موزه همراهی کنم، چون مسیر را نمیشناختند 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