Breakdown of ما برای دیدن یکی از مرتفعترین آبشارهای جهان رفتیم.
ما
we
ازaz
from
برایbarâye
for
دیدنdidan
to see / to watch
رفتنraftan
to go
یکیyeki
one (of them), someone
جهانjahân
world
مرتفعmortafe'
high (elevated)
آبشارâbshâr
waterfall
Questions & Answers about ما برای دیدن یکی از مرتفعترین آبشارهای جهان رفتیم.
How does the 'one of the...' superlative structure work in this exact sentence?
It uses یکی از (one of) followed by the superlative adjective مرتفعترین (highest) and then the plural noun آبشارهای (waterfalls). Notice that the superlative adjective comes right before the noun, which is different from regular Farsi adjectives that follow the noun!
Wait, don't numbers usually take singular nouns in Farsi? Why is waterfall pluralized as آبشارهای?
You are right that a number directly before a noun takes the singular form (like سه آبشار for 'three waterfalls'). However, the phrase یکی از means 'one out of a group'. Because it refers to a group of multiple things, the noun that follows the superlative must be plural, so we use the suffix ها.
Is there an Ezafe linking the superlative adjective to the noun?
No! Superlative adjectives ending in ترین sit directly in front of the noun they modify without any Ezafe. However, there is an Ezafe at the end of the noun آبشارهای to link it to the next word, جهان (world).
Why use برای دیدن (for seeing) instead of the subjunctive to say 'we went to see'?
Both are correct and natural! You can use the preposition برای (for) with the verbal noun or short infinitive دیدن (seeing/to see), which is what happens here. Alternatively, you could use a subjunctive clause like رفتیم تا ببینیم (we went so that we see) to express the exact same purpose.
What is the base word for مرتفعترین? Can I use a simpler word?
The base adjective is مرتفع (high or elevated). To make it a superlative meaning 'highest', we add the standard suffix ترین. A very common and slightly simpler alternative you might hear in everyday conversation is بلندترین (tallest/highest), which works perfectly here too.
Learn ما برای دیدن یکی از مرتفعترین آبشارهای جهان رفتیم and more in Farsi
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free