Learn Farsi: می‌خواستم آنها را به موزه همراهی کنم، چون مسیر را نمی‌شناختند. - I was going to accompany them to the museum, because they did not know the route.

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 (), or having ()—usually take the continuous 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.