ماهیگیر مخابره کرد که پارازیت در این فرکانس زیاد است.

From Lesson 266:Reported speech·Farsi

Questions & Answers about ماهیگیر مخابره کرد که پارازیت در این فرکانس زیاد است.

The English translation says "there was a lot of static", but the Farsi sentence uses است (is). Why doesn't it use بود (was)?
This is the key rule of Farsi reported speech! Unlike English, which shifts tenses backward (from "is" to "was") when reporting what someone said in the past, Farsi keeps the exact tense the original speaker used. The fisherman originally said "There is a lot of static" (...زیاد است), so we keep the present tense verb است after the conjunction که (that), even though the reporting verb (مخابره کرد) is in the past.
Does پارازیت mean "parasite"? Why is it translated as "static" here?
You are right that پارازیت comes from the French word "parasite" and can mean a biological bug or parasite. However, in Farsi, it is also the standard everyday word for radio static, signal interference, or broadcast jamming.
Is the verb مخابره کرد related to the word for news (خبر)?
Yes, it shares the same Arabic root letters as خبر (news or information). The compound verb مخابره کردن specifically means to transmit a message, broadcast, or communicate via radio, telegraph, or similar telecommunication channels.
Why does the sentence use در (in) instead of روی (on) for "on this frequency"?
Prepositions rarely match up perfectly between languages. While English speakers say they communicate "on a frequency" or listen "on the radio", Farsi uses در (in) for these telecommunication mediums. So, you will say "in this frequency" (در این فرکانس) and "in the radio" (در رادیو).

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