Breakdown of ای کاش پادشاه اژدها را بیدار نکرده بود!
بودنbudan
to be
راrâ
definite direct object marker
بیدار کردنbidâr kardan
to wake up (someone)
پادشاهpâdeshâh
king
Questions & Answers about ای کاش پادشاه اژدها را بیدار نکرده بود!
Why do we use the past perfect tense نکرده بود (nakarde bud) after ای کاش (ey kâsh)?
ای کاش (ey kâsh) means "I wish" or "if only". When expressing a regret about a completed event in the past (wishing something had not happened), Farsi uses the past perfect tense. This lines up perfectly with the English translation "had not woken".
How do we know the king woke the dragon, and not the other way around?
Word order is a good hint, as the subject usually comes first in Farsi. However, the definitive clue is the object marker را (râ). It always directly follows the specific direct object. Since it comes right after اژدها (ezhdehâ), we know the dragon is the one who was woken up.
If I wanted to say "I wish the king had not woken up" (on his own), would I still use بیدار نکرده بود?
No. بیدار کردن (bidâr kardan) means to wake someone else up. To say someone woke up on their own, you must use the intransitive verb بیدار شدن (bidâr shodan). For that meaning, the sentence would end with بیدار نشده بود (bidâr nashode bud).
Can I drop the ای (ey) and just use کاش (kâsh)?
Absolutely! کاش (kâsh) and ای کاش (ey kâsh) are completely interchangeable in everyday Farsi. Adding ای (ey) just makes the statement feel slightly more emphatic or dramatic, which fits perfectly when talking about dragons!