Learn Farsi: ده سال است که بین ما صمیمیت وجود دارد. - Intimacy has existed between us for ten years.

In Farsi, when an action or state started in the past and is still happening right now (like intimacy existing for ten years), we use the structure [time period] + ast ke + [present tense verb]. While English uses "has existed" or "have been doing," Farsi treats it as a current, ongoing reality, so it uses the present tense.

The lesson mentions using Present Continuous or Simple Present for this structure. Why doesn't the verb have the mi- prefix (vojud mi-dârad)?

The verb dâshtan (to have) and its compound forms, like vojud dâshtan (to exist), are common exceptions in Farsi. They do not take the mi- prefix in the present tense. Therefore, it is simply vojud dârad, not vojud mi-dârad.

What is the literal translation of vojud dârad?

The noun vojud means "existence" or "presence." Because it is paired with dârad (has), the phrase literally means "has existence." This compound verb is the standard, natural way to say "exists" or "there is" in Farsi.

The word for intimacy, samimiyat, ends in -iyat. Is this a common pattern?

Yes, the -iyat suffix is very common. Borrowed from Arabic, it is attached to words to create abstract nouns, working exactly like "-ness" or "-ity" in English. Here, it turns the concept of being close or genuine (samim) into the noun "intimacy" or "closeness" ().