Breakdown of ما باید با مددکار دربارهشان صحبت کنیم.
ما
we
باbâ
with
صحبت کردنsohbat kardan
to speak / to talk
بایدbâyad
must
Questions & Answers about ما باید با مددکار دربارهشان صحبت کنیم.
How does the word دربارهشان (dar bâre-y-ashân) break down, and why is there a glide sound?
The preposition dar bâre (about) ends in a vowel sound. When we attach the pronoun enclitic -ashân (them), we insert a 'y' sound to smoothly bridge the two vowels. This makes dar bâre + y + ashân which is pronounced dar bâre-y-ashân. In casual spoken Farsi, this is often shortened to dar bâre-shoon.
Why do we use با (bâ) here instead of a word for 'to'?
In English, you can say 'talk to' or 'talk with', but in Farsi, the compound verb sohbat kardan (to talk/speak) strictly requires the preposition bâ (with). You always talk 'with' someone in Farsi, never 'to' them.
Why is the verb صحبت کنیم (sohbat konim) instead of صحبت میکنیم (sohbat mikonim)?
The sentence uses the modal verb bâyad (must). In Farsi, verbs following bâyad must be in the subjunctive mood. Because of this, we drop the indicative prefix mi- and use the subjunctive form konim.
What are the root parts of the word مددکار (madadkâr)?
This noun is built from madad, an Arabic-derived word meaning 'help' or 'assistance', and the Persian suffix -kâr, which means 'worker' or 'doer'. A 'help-worker' is the standard Farsi term for a social worker.