Breakdown of چه کسی مالکیت چهار پنجم این استارتاپ را دارد؟
این
this
چهارchahâr
four
داشتنdâshtan
to have
چهche
what
Questions & Answers about چه کسی مالکیت چهار پنجم این استارتاپ را دارد؟
How do we form the fraction 'four fifths' in this sentence?
We say چهار پنجم (chahar panjom). Just like in English, Farsi fractions use a normal cardinal number for the top number (چهار meaning four) and an ordinal number ending in -om for the bottom number (پنجم meaning fifth). Unlike English, Farsi doesn't make the bottom number plural, so it is just پنجم, not 'fifths'.
How do we connect the fraction to the rest of the sentence to say 'ownership of four fifths of this startup'?
We use the ezafe, which is the invisible 'e' sound that links nouns together to show possession or description. You can hear it twice here: مالکیتِ چهار پنجمِ این استارتاپ (malekiyat-e chahar panjom-e in estartap). This perfectly translates the English word 'of' in both places.
Why is the direct object marker را placed after the word for startup?
The marker را always goes at the very end of the entire direct object phrase. The verb دارد (has) acts on the whole chain of words 'ownership of four fifths of this startup' (مالکیت چهار پنجم این استارتاپ). Because the words are linked by the ezafe, they form one big chunk, and را must wait until the very end.
The word for ownership, مالکیت, has a common suffix. How does it work?
It uses the suffix -یت (-iyat), which is added to nouns or adjectives to create abstract concepts, similar to '-ship' or '-ness' in English. Here, it attaches to مالک (malek), which means owner, to create مالکیت (ownership).