باید با آن فروشنده چانه می‌زدی!

Questions & Answers about باید با آن فروشنده چانه می‌زدی!

Why is می‌زدی conjugated in the past continuous tense here?
When you combine the modal word باید (bayad, meaning "must" or "should") with a verb in the past continuous tense, it expresses a past obligation or regret: "should have done [something]". Therefore, باید ... می‌زدی means "you should have bargained". If you used the present subjunctive (باید ... بزنی), it would mean "you should bargain" right now or in the future.
What is the literal translation of the verb چانه می‌زدی?
The compound verb for bargaining or haggling in Farsi is چانه زدن (chane zadan), which literally translates to "hitting the chin" or "beating the chin". So, word-for-word, this sentence says "You should have hit the chin with that seller!"
How would we change this sentence to say "a certain seller" instead of "that seller"?
To express "a certain seller" (where a specific seller exists but hasn't been explicitly identified yet), you would replace the definite آن فروشنده (that seller) with the indefinite specific structure یک فروشنده‌ای (yek forushande-i). The sentence would become: باید با یک فروشنده‌ای چانه می‌زدی!
How is the noun فروشنده (forushande) built?
It is formed by taking the present stem of the verb فروختن (forukhtan, to sell), which is فروش (forush), and attaching the suffix ـنده (-ande). This suffix is used to create an "agent noun"—the person who does the action. So, "sell" + "doer" becomes "seller".

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