Breakdown of این کس دیگری بود که پیروزی را خراب کرد.
این
this
بودنbudan
to be
راrâ
definite direct object marker
کهke
that (conjunction)
خراب کردنkharâb kardan
to ruin/break
دیگرdigar
other, else
کسیkasi
someone, anyone
پیروزیpirouzi
victory
Questions & Answers about این کس دیگری بود که پیروزی را خراب کرد.
How does the cleft sentence structure work here to emphasize 'someone else'?
This sentence uses the structure این ... بود که to highlight who did the action. The word این acts like the English dummy pronoun 'it', followed by the focused phrase کس دیگری, the past tense verb بود, and finally که to introduce the rest of the clause.
Why is there an ی at the end of دیگر in the phrase کس دیگری?
That is the indefinite suffix, indicating 'a' or 'some'. In Farsi, when a noun is modified by an adjective, this indefinite suffix often attaches to the end of the adjective rather than the noun itself. Here, it turns 'another person' into 'someone else'.
Why do we need را after پیروزی?
The word را is the definite direct object marker. Because the sentence refers to a specific, known event (the victory), we must use را after پیروزی to show it receives the action of the verb خراب کرد.
Does که translate to 'who' or 'that' in this sentence?
It translates best to 'who' because it refers to a person, but Farsi is much simpler than English here. It uses که as a universal connector for both people and things, so you never have to choose between 'who', 'which', or 'that'.
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