Question 1

Why is the verb دارند (they have) positive when the sentence means "they don't have"?

Accepted Answer

The نه ... نه ... (neither ... nor ...) structure already makes the sentence negative. In standard Farsi, especially with verbs like داشتن (to have) and بودن (to be), you keep the verb in its positive form when using this structure. Making the verb negative here would sound like an awkward double negative.

Question 2

Why is دارند in the middle of the sentence instead of at the end?

Accepted Answer

Farsi normally puts verbs at the end, so you might expect اینها نه قمقمه نه نقشه دارند. However, when using نه ... نه ..., it is very common and natural to place the verb after the first item, letting the second item trail after it. This breaks up a clunky list and gives the sentence a much better rhythm.

Question 3

Does اینها (these) refer to people or objects here?

Accepted Answer

It refers to people, meaning "these people" or "they" (for a group physically near the speaker). While اینها literally translates to "these" and can be used for objects, the context of owning a map and canteen makes it clear we are talking about human beings.

Question 4

Why isn't there a word for "a" (like یک) before canteen and map?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, when you deny having something in a general sense, you usually leave the noun bare. You are saying they lack the general category of "canteen" and "map," so indefinite markers like یک (one/a) or the -ی suffix aren't needed here.

اینها نه قمقمه دارند نه نقشه.

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