Question 1

Why does the Farsi sentence use است (is) when the English translation says "was" broken?

Accepted Answer

This is how Farsi handles reported speech and tense retention. In English, we shift the tense backward because the main verb is in the past ("found out that it was"). In Farsi, you keep the tense exactly as it was when the thought or speech originally occurred. At that moment, they realized, "The antenna is broken" (خراب است), so Farsi keeps the reported clause in the present tense.

Question 2

How does متوجه شدیم mean "we found out"?

Accepted Answer

The infinitive is متوجه شدن, a very common compound verb meaning "to realize," "to notice," or "to find out." It is made by combining متوجه (aware) and شدن (to become). It is conjugated here in the simple past for "we": متوجه شدیم (we became aware).

Question 3

What is the little symbol over the alef at the end of کاملاً?

Accepted Answer

That is a "tanvin" marker, which adds an "-an" sound to the end of the word. Farsi uses it on certain Arabic loanwords to turn an adjective like کامل (complete) into an adverb like کاملاً (completely).

Question 4

Are آنتن and رادار just the English words "antenna" and "radar"?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Farsi has adopted these technological words directly. They are linked together here using an ezāfe (the hidden "-e" sound) to show possession: آنتنِ رادار (anten-e radar) means "the antenna of the radar" or "the radar's antenna".

ما متوجه شدیم که آنتن رادار کاملاً خراب است.

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