Breakdown of دکتر یک وعدهی گیاهی را به گوشت ترجیح میدهد.
دکتر
doctor
یکyek
one / a, an
بهbe
to
گوشتgusht
meat
Questions & Answers about دکتر یک وعدهی گیاهی را به گوشت ترجیح میدهد.
How does the structure for "preferring X to Y" work in this sentence?
The verb for "to prefer" is ترجیح دادن (tarjih dâdan). To say you prefer one thing to another, Farsi uses the pattern "[Thing 1] را به [Thing 2] ترجیح دادن". In this sentence, the doctor prefers a plant-based meal (یک وعدهی گیاهی را) to meat (به گوشت).
I see یک (a) and را (the specific object marker) used together on یک وعدهی گیاهی را. Don't we normally only use را with definite nouns?
Normally, yes! However, in the standard "prefer X to Y" frame (X را به Y ترجیح دادن), Farsi heavily favors marking the first item (X) with را to clearly show it is the direct object receiving the preference. Also, when یک and را are used together, it usually means "a certain" or "a specific type of" thing—in this case, a specific type of meal.
Doesn't the word وعده (va'de) usually mean "promise"?
Yes, وعده means "promise" in many contexts (like in وعده دادن, to make a promise). However, it is also the standard vocabulary word for a "meal" or "serving time" (e.g., "three meals a day"). Here, it takes an ezafe (the ی at the end) to connect it to the adjective گیاهی (plant-based).
How is the adjective گیاهی formed here?