Q: Why are the verbs نمیکنی and نمیکند both negative in Farsi when the English translation says "never look" and "nobody repairs"?

In Farsi, words like هیچوقت (never) and هیچکس (nobody) require a mandatory negative verb. This is called negative concord. Even though English avoids double negatives, Farsi demands them! You must literally say "nobody doesn't repair" for the sentence to be grammatically correct.

Q: How are the words هیچوقت and هیچکس formed?

Both start with هیچ (no/none/any). هیچوقت combines هیچ with وقت (time) to literally mean "no time" (never). هیچکس combines هیچ with کس (person) to literally mean "no person" (nobody).

Question 1

Why are the verbs نمی‌کنی and نمی‌کند both negative in Farsi when the English translation says "never look" and "nobody repairs"?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi, words like هیچ‌وقت (never) and هیچ‌کس (nobody) require a mandatory negative verb. This is called negative concord. Even though English avoids double negatives, Farsi demands them! You must literally say "nobody doesn't repair" for the sentence to be grammatically correct.

Question 2

How are the words هیچ‌وقت and هیچ‌کس formed?

Accepted Answer

Both start with هیچ (no/none/any). هیچ‌وقت combines هیچ with وقت (time) to literally mean "no time" (never). هیچ‌کس combines هیچ with کس (person) to literally mean "no person" (nobody).

Question 3

Why is there a به before مانیتور instead of using the object marker را?

Accepted Answer

The compound verb نگاه کردن (to look) always uses the preposition به (at/to) for the thing being looked at. Because مانیتور directly follows a preposition, it is not a direct object and cannot take the object marker را.

Question 4

Why does دزدگیر (burglar alarm) have the direct object marker را next to it?

Accepted Answer

Unlike the monitor in the first half of the sentence, the burglar alarm is the direct object of the verb تعمیر کردن (to repair). Since it is a specific, known thing being acted upon (the burglar alarm), it requires the marker را.

Question 5

What is the literal translation of the word دزدگیر (burglar alarm)?

Accepted Answer

It literally means "thief catcher." It is composed of دزد (thief) and گیر (the present stem of گرفتن, meaning to catch or take).

تو هیچ‌وقت به مانیتور نگاه نمی‌کنی و هیچ‌کس دزدگیر را تعمیر نمی‌کند.

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