Breakdown of او به استعاره اشاره کرد.
او
he/she
بهbe
to
اشاره کردنeshâre kardan
to refer / to point out
استعارهeste'âre
metaphor
Questions & Answers about او به استعاره اشاره کرد.
Why do we use به instead of the direct object marker را with this verb?
The compound verb اشاره کردن means "to point" or "to refer". In Farsi, you always point to something, so this verb requires the preposition به. Because it is the object of a preposition rather than a direct object, استعاره cannot take the marker را.
How would I change this sentence to say "She pointed out her own metaphor" using the literary word خویش from this lesson?
You would link خویش to the noun using an ezafe. Since استعاره ends in a silent he (sounding like "e"), you add a "ye" sound: او به استعارهی خویش اشاره کرد. This acts exactly like the everyday reflexive pronoun خود but gives the sentence a formal, literary tone.
How do I pronounce the ع in the middle of استعاره?
استعاره is pronounced with a slight glottal stop. The letter ع (eyn) creates a tiny catch in the back of your throat, similar to the pause in the middle of the English word "uh-oh", right before the second "a" sound.
What is the literal breakdown of the verb اشاره کرد?
It is a compound verb made of the noun اشاره (sign, gesture, or hint) and the past tense of the light verb کردن (to do or to make). Literally, the sentence says she "made a gesture" to the metaphor.
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