Breakdown of او همیشه وسایل دستدوم میخرد.
او
he/she
خریدنkharidan
to buy
همیشهhamishe
always
وسایلvasâyel
things
دستدومdast-dovom
second-hand
Questions & Answers about او همیشه وسایل دستدوم میخرد.
The current lesson is about the indefinite structure 'yek ... -i'. Why isn't it used here for 'second-hand items'?
The yek ... -i structure is for a single, specific but unidentified thing (like 'a certain item'). In this sentence, vasāyel (items) is plural, and he buys them as a general habit. For general plural objects, Farsi just uses the bare noun without yek or -i.
Is وسایل a plural word? It doesn't have a standard plural ending like -hâ.
Yes, it is a 'broken plural' borrowed from Arabic. The singular form is vasileh (item or device). Instead of adding a standard Farsi suffix, the word's internal letters and vowels change. As a B1 learner, you will start seeing these Arabic-style plurals more often.
How does the phrase for 'second-hand' translate literally?
The word dast-dovvom literally translates to 'hand-second' (dast means 'hand' and dovvom means 'second'). Just like in English, it refers to something previously owned. Notice that it connects to the noun using an ezafe: vasāyel-e dast-dovvom.
Why doesn't the direct object take the -râ suffix here?
The suffix -râ is only used for definite direct objects (like 'the specific items' or 'those items'). Because he is buying second-hand items in general, the object is indefinite and generic, so it does not take -râ.
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