Breakdown of من در خواب، بدون اینکه چشمانم را باز کنم، غلت میزنم.
من
I
چشمchashm
eye
درdar
in
راrâ
definite direct object marker
باز کردنbâz kardan
to open
خوابkhâb
sleep
بدون اینکهbedun-e inke
without (doing something)
غلت زدنghalt zadan
to roll over
Questions & Answers about من در خواب، بدون اینکه چشمانم را باز کنم، غلت میزنم.
Why is the verb baaz konam (to open) in the subjunctive form here?
The phrase bedun-e inke (without doing something) literally translates to 'without this that'. In Farsi, this conjunction introduces a negative condition or manner and always requires the following verb to be in the present subjunctive. So, instead of using a gerund like 'without opening' in English, Farsi says 'without this that I open' using the subjunctive baaz konam.
Why does the sentence use cheshmaan-am for 'my eyes' instead of the regular plural cheshm-haa-yam?
Both are correct, but -aan is an older plural suffix that is still heavily used for paired body parts. Words like eyes (cheshmaan), hands (dastaan), and lips (labaan) often take this suffix instead of -haa. It sounds very natural and slightly more elegant, though you will hear cheshm-haa in casual speech too. The -am at the end is just the possessive suffix for 'my'.
How does the verb for 'I roll over' work in Farsi?
The verb used here is ghalt zadan (to roll or tumble). Like many Farsi verbs, it is a compound made of a noun ghalt (a roll) and the helper verb zadan (to hit/strike). To say 'I roll over' in the present tense, you only conjugate the helper verb, which gives us ghalt mizanam.
English says 'without opening', but Farsi says bedun-e inke... baaz konam. Does the second verb always have to match the subject 'I'?
Yes, in Farsi you must specify who is doing the action in the dependent clause. Because it is your eyes being kept closed while you roll over, both the main verb (mizanam) and the subjunctive verb (konam) are conjugated for 'I'. If you wanted to say 'I roll over without YOU waking me', the subjunctive verb would be conjugated for 'you' instead.
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