Breakdown of در یک سمساریای یک ساعت قدیمی دیدیم.
ساعتsâ'at
watch
یکyek
one / a, an
درdar
in
دیدنdidan
to see / to watch
Questions & Answers about در یک سمساریای یک ساعت قدیمی دیدیم.
Why do we use both یک and the suffix ای on سمساری?
This is the core of indefinite specificity. Using both یک before the noun and the indefinite suffix after it shows that you are talking about a specific but unnamed thing. It translates well to a certain or some particular junk shop, rather than just any random junk shop.
Why doesn't یک ساعت have the indefinite suffix too?
The clock is a general indefinite object here, meaning it is just an old clock, not a specific one the speaker is trying to single out. Because it isn't a certain clock they had in mind beforehand, it only takes یک without the extra suffix.
How do you attach the indefinite suffix to a word like سمساری that already ends in an i sound?
When a word ends in the vowel sound i, Farsi separates the two i sounds with a slight catch in the throat or a y glide, often pronounced as -i'i. In writing, this is shown by adding the alef, making it look like ای instead of just a single ی.
If we wanted to say a certain old clock, where would the indefinite suffix go in یک ساعت قدیمی?
The suffix always attaches to the very end of the entire noun phrase. The noun and adjective are connected by the hidden ezafe sound, giving us ساعتِ قدیمی. To make it a specific indefinite, the suffix goes after the adjective, becoming یک ساعتِ قدیمیای.