Breakdown of گفته میشود که آن جزیره مرموز است.
است
is
آن
that
گفتنgoftan
to say / to tell
کهke
that (conjunction)
شدنshodan
to become
جزیرهjazire
island
مرموزmarmuz
mysterious
Questions & Answers about گفته میشود که آن جزیره مرموز است.
Why doesn't Farsi use an infinitive for 'is said to be' in this sentence?
In English, we often say 'That island is said to be...'. Farsi doesn't use an infinitive here. Instead, it uses an impersonal phrase: gofte mi-shavad (it is said) followed by که (that) and a full, normal sentence: آن جزیره مرموز است (that island is mysterious).
How exactly is the passive verb گفته میشود (gofte mi-shavad) formed?
It is built using the past participle of goftan (to say), which is gofte, combined with the third-person singular present form of the auxiliary verb shodan (to become), which is mi-shavad. Together, they form the present passive meaning 'it is said'.
Why is است (ast) in the normal indicative mood here? Shouldn't verbs after که (ke) be subjunctive?
While verbs of wishing, wanting, or doubting trigger the subjunctive mood after که, reporting verbs like saying, hearing, or knowing do not. Because گفته میشود is simply reporting a stated fact or belief, the verb that follows stays in the normal indicative mood (است).
If I literally translate this to 'It is said that that island...', why aren't there two identical words for 'that' in Farsi?
Farsi uses two different words for the two types of 'that' used here. The first is که (ke), a conjunction used to connect the two parts of the sentence ('it is said that...'). The second is آن (aan), a demonstrative adjective pointing at a specific noun ('that island'). So, که آن جزیره perfectly translates to 'that that island'.
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