Breakdown of آنها همدیگر را بغل کردند زیرا میترسیدند.
آنها
they
راrâ
definite direct object marker
ترسیدنtarsidan
to fear
همدیگرhamdigar
each other
Questions & Answers about آنها همدیگر را بغل کردند زیرا میترسیدند.
Why do we use rā after ham-digar in this sentence?
The word ham-digar means each other. Since the people are receiving the action of the hug, each other is the definite direct object of the verb. In Farsi, definite direct objects must be followed by the marker rā.
Could I use yek-digar instead of ham-digar here?
Yes, absolutely! The words yek-digar and ham-digar both mean each other and are interchangeable as reciprocal pronouns. The word ham-digar is very common in everyday speech, while yek-digar can sound a tiny bit more formal, but both work perfectly as the object in this sentence.
Why doesn't the direct object marker rā come after baghal?
The verb here is the compound verb baghal kardan (to hug). The noun baghal is part of the verb itself, not the object receiving the action. The target being hugged is ham-digar, so the object marker rā must attach to ham-digar instead of interrupting the verb.
Why is the verb mi-tarsidand used instead of the simple past tarsidand?
The prefix mi- added to a past tense verb creates the past continuous tense. It shows an ongoing state or action in the past. They didn't just get scared for a single isolated second; they were in an ongoing state of being afraid while they hugged, which is why we use mi-tarsidand rather than the simple past.