Breakdown of قاضی باانصاف هیچوقت بیرحم نبوده است.
بودنbudan
to be
قاضیqâzi
judge
هیچوقتhich-vaght
never
رحمrahm
mercy
Questions & Answers about قاضی باانصاف هیچوقت بیرحم نبوده است.
How do the prefixes in باانصاف and بیرحم change the meaning of the original nouns?
The prefix با means "with," turning the noun انصاف (fairness or justice) into the adjective باانصاف (fair). The prefix بی means "without," turning the noun رحم (mercy) into the adjective بیرحم (merciless or ruthless). This is one of the most common ways to build opposite adjectives in Farsi.
Why is باانصاف written as one connected word while بیرحم has a small gap?
In modern Farsi spelling, با is often joined directly to the following noun if the letters connect easily, though you will sometimes see it written with a space as با انصاف. The prefix بی, on the other hand, is almost always written with a "half-space" so it sits very close to the noun but doesn't physically attach its letters to it.
Why is the verb negative (نبوده است) when we already have the word هیچوقت (never)?
Farsi requires double negatives. Whenever you use a "zero quantity" word like هیچوقت (never), هیچکس (nobody), or هیچچیز (nothing), the main verb must also be negative. Even though it translates to "has never been" in English, Farsi requires the negative ن prefix on the verb.
Why does the sentence use نبوده است instead of just نبود?
نبود is the simple past tense ("was not"), whereas is the present perfect tense ("has not been"). Using the present perfect here emphasizes the judge's track record stretching from the past all the way up to the present moment.