Breakdown of او بدون اینکه اصلاً تکان بخورد، خوابید.
او
he/she
خوابیدنkhâbidan
to sleep
اصلاًaslan
at all / absolutely
بدون اینکهbedun-e inke
without (doing something)
تکان خوردنtekân khordan
to move (oneself) / to budge
Questions & Answers about او بدون اینکه اصلاً تکان بخورد، خوابید.
Why is تکان بخورد in the present subjunctive form if the main action "slept" (خوابید) is in the past tense?
The phrase بدون اینکه (without doing something) always requires the following verb to be in the present subjunctive. This rule applies regardless of whether the main sentence happens in the past, present, or future. So even though he slept in the past, the action he skipped takes the subjunctive بخورد.
Why does "moving" use a form of the verb خوردن (to eat) here?
تکان خوردن is a common compound verb that means "to move" or "to be shaken". It is often used for physical movements of the body. Since it is a compound verb, only the خوردن part changes to the subjunctive form بخورد.
Is there a reason اصلاً (at all) is placed where it is?
Yes, adverbs like اصلاً are typically placed right before the verb they modify. Here, it sits neatly between the conjunction phrase بدون اینکه and the verb تکان بخورد to emphasize that not even the slightest movement happened.
Both verbs in this sentence end in a way that shows the subject is "he". Could we just drop او?
Absolutely. The endings of both خوابید and بخورد clearly indicate a third-person singular subject. Including او at the start is optional and just gives a little extra focus to the subject.
Learn او بدون اینکه اصلاً تکان بخورد، خوابید 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