Question 1

How do you say "than" in Farsi comparisons like this one?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, you use the preposition az (which usually means "from") to mean "than". The comparative adjective itself is formed by adding the suffix -tar to the root adjective. So, az ... bozorg-tar literally translates to "bigger from...", which is how Farsi expresses "bigger than...".

Question 2

Why is there an extra "ye" sound at the end of hame (all)?

Accepted Answer

The word hame means "all", and to say "all of the bees", Farsi uses the ezâfe linking vowel to connect it to zanburhâ. Because hame ends in a silent "h", the ezâfe is pronounced as "ye" and is often written out with a standalone "ye" (as همه‌ی) to make the connection clear: hame-ye zanburhâ.

Question 3

Can I use the plural suffix -ân instead of -hâ for bees?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could technically say zanburân. The suffix -ân is traditionally used for living things like humans and animals. However, in modern everyday Farsi, -hâ has become the universal plural marker for both living and non-living things, so zanburhâ is perfectly natural and much more common in normal speech.

Question 4

Why are the words in this order, with the adjective right before the verb?

Accepted Answer

Farsi typically puts the verb at the very end of the sentence, and when you have a sentence describing what something is, the predicate adjective stays right next to that verb. The subject is malake (the queen), followed by the comparison phrase az hame-ye zanburhâ (than all the bees), and finally the core description bozorg-tar ast (is bigger).

ملکه از همه‌ی زنبورها بزرگ‌تر است.

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