Breakdown of ممکن است سرنشینها از تلاطم بترسند.
است
is
ازaz
from
ترسیدنtarsidan
to fear
ممکنmomken
possible
تلاطمtalâtom
turbulence
سرنشینsarneshin
passenger (occupant of a vehicle)
Questions & Answers about ممکن است سرنشینها از تلاطم بترسند.
How does momken ast change the verb at the end of the sentence?
momken ast is an impersonal expression meaning 'it is possible,' and it requires the action that might happen to be in the present subjunctive. That is why the final verb is betarsand instead of the indicative mitarsand. It is built with the subjunctive prefix be-, the present stem tars-, and the plural ending -and to match the passengers.
Why do we use the preposition az before the word for turbulence?
In Farsi, the verb for 'to fear' (tarsidan) requires the preposition az (from). So while in English you simply 'fear the turbulence,' in Farsi you say that you 'fear from the turbulence' (az talâtom betarsand).
What are the parts that make up the word sarneshin-hâ?
It is a compound word made of sar (head) and neshin (the present stem of the verb 'to sit'), plus the plural suffix -hâ. While its literal roots mean something like 'occupants' or 'sitters,' it is a standard word used specifically for passengers in a vehicle, ship, or aircraft.
Could we put the word ke (that) into this sentence?
Yes! You can insert ke right after the impersonal phrase, making it momken ast ke sarneshin-hâ... ('It is possible that the passengers...'). In spoken and everyday Farsi, this ke is very often dropped to make the sentence flow faster, just as we often drop 'that' in English.
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