Breakdown of داشتم در بازار دنبال یک عتیقهفروشیای میگشتم.
یکyek
one / a, an
درdar
in
داشتنdâshtan
to have
گشتنgashtan
to search
Questions & Answers about داشتم در بازار دنبال یک عتیقهفروشیای میگشتم.
Why do we have both yek before and -i after atiqeh-forushi?
This combination (yek + noun + -i) is used to express indefinite specificity. It means the speaker is looking for a particular antique shop, rather than just any random one. In English, we often translate this as a certain antique shop.
How do you pronounce and spell the ending of atiqeh-forushi'i?
The word for antique shop, atiqeh-forushi, already ends with an i sound. When we add the indefinite -i suffix, it creates an i-yi sound. In written Farsi, this is shown by adding the standalone ای after a zero-width space to keep the letters from connecting improperly, forming عتیقهفروشیای.
How is the past continuous tense formed in this sentence?
It uses the auxiliary verb dāshtam (I had) at the beginning of the phrase and the main verb mi-gashtam (I was searching) at the end. In Farsi, the auxiliary verb for continuous tenses is often placed early in the sentence, wrapping around the object and other details.
Why is the word donbāl used here with mi-gashtam?
The phrase donbāl-e something gashtan is a common way to say to look for or search for. While gashtan on its own means to turn or stroll, pairing it with donbāl-e (in search of) changes the meaning. Note that there is an unseen spoken ezafe connecting the words: