Breakdown of مشتری گرسنهای داشت با اشتهای زیادی غذا میخورد.
گرسنه
hungry
باbâ
with
داشتنdâshtan
to have
غذاghazâ
food
خوردنkhordan
to eat / to drink
زیادziyâd
a lot
مشتریmoshtari
customer
اشتهاeshtehâ
appetite
Questions & Answers about مشتری گرسنهای داشت با اشتهای زیادی غذا میخورد.
In مشتری گرسنهای (a hungry customer), where exactly is the indefinite 'a' attached?
The indefinite suffix -i, which means 'a' or 'an', attaches to the very end of the noun phrase, after the adjective. Instead of adding it directly to the noun مشتری (customer), it comes after the Ezafe and the adjective گرسنه (hungry). This creates the structure: Noun + Ezafe + Adjective + -i.
Why is the indefinite suffix written as ای in گرسنهای but just ی in زیادی?
This comes down to spelling rules. Because گرسنه ends in a 'silent h' (which is pronounced as a short 'e'), Farsi requires us to write the suffix as ای to separate the vowel sounds. The adjective زیاد ends in a consonant, so we just attach the standard ی to make it زیادی.
Is اشتهای زیادی using the exact same noun + adjective + -i pattern?
Yes! 'A big appetite' follows the exact same rule being taught in this lesson. It consists of the noun اشتها (appetite), linked by an Ezafe to the adjective زیاد (much/big), with the indefinite suffix ی added to the end. Note that because اشتها ends in a long 'a' vowel, its connecting Ezafe is written with a ی.
Why are the verbs داشت and میخورد separated by so many words?
These two words work together to form the past continuous tense ('was eating'). The auxiliary verb داشت sets up the continuous action, while میخورد is the main verb. In spoken and written Farsi, it is very natural to place the object and descriptive phrases (like با اشتهای زیادی غذا) right between the auxiliary and the main verb.
Learn مشتری گرسنهای داشت با اشتهای زیادی غذا میخورد and more in Farsi
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free