Breakdown of ما دیشب کشیک دادیم، اما هیچچیز ندیدیم.
ما
we
اماammâ
but
دیدنdidan
to see / to watch
دیشبdishab
last night
هیچچیزhich chiz
nothing
کشیک دادنkeshik dâdan
to keep watch
Questions & Answers about ما دیشب کشیک دادیم، اما هیچچیز ندیدیم.
Why is the verb ندیدیم negative if هیچچیز already translates to 'nothing'?
In Farsi, negative words like هیچچیز (nothing) require the verb to be negative as well. This is called negative concord or a double negative. So instead of saying 'we saw nothing' like in English, Farsi literally says 'we did not see nothing'. If you used the positive verb دیدیم, the sentence would be grammatically incorrect.
What kind of verb is کشیک دادیم?
It is a compound verb, which is very common in Farsi. It combines the noun کشیک (guard or watch) with the light verb دادن (to give). Here, the light verb is conjugated in the simple past tense for 'we' (دادیم), giving us the overall meaning 'we kept watch' or 'we stood guard'.
هیچچیز is the direct object of the verb. Why isn't it followed by the object marker را?
The object marker را is only used for specific, definite objects (like 'the car' or 'Ali'). Because هیچچیز (nothing or anything) is completely indefinite by nature, it never takes the را marker.
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