Breakdown of من هر شب اینجا کشیک میدهم، اما هیچکس را نمیبینم.
من
I
اینجاinjâ
here
اماammâ
but
شبshab
night
دیدنdidan
to see / to watch
هرhar
every
راrâ
definite direct object marker
هیچکسhichkas
nobody
کشیک دادنkeshik dâdan
to keep watch
Questions & Answers about من هر شب اینجا کشیک میدهم، اما هیچکس را نمیبینم.
Why does the Farsi sentence use the negative verb نمیبینم (nemibinam) when the English translation is "I see"?
In Farsi, words like هیچکس (nobody) or هیچچیز (nothing) require "negative concord" — meaning they must be paired with a negative verb. Literally, you are saying "I do not see nobody." Using a positive verb with هیچکس is grammatically incorrect in Farsi.
I thought را (ra) was only for specific objects. Why is it used after هیچکس (nobody) here?
That is a great observation! While را usually marks specific or definite objects, negative pronouns like هیچکس (nobody) and هیچچیز (nothing) take را when they are the direct object of the verb. Since "nobody" is the direct receiver of the action "see," it becomes هیچکس را.
What is the infinitive of the verb کشیک میدهم (keshik midaham)?
The infinitive is the compound verb کشیک دادن (keshik dādan), which literally translates to "to give watch" or "to give guard." Here it is conjugated for "I" in the present tense using the present stem ده (dah).
Why is the negative prefix on نمیبینم pronounced as "ne" instead of "na"?
As a quick refresher: when you make a verb with the continuous می (mi) prefix negative, the standard negative prefix نـ (na-) changes its pronunciation to "ne-". It flows much easier, so it is always pronounced نمی (ne-mi-).
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