Breakdown of نوجوان سرکش بزرگتر از برادر من است، ولی نمیگذارند معاشرت کند.
من
I
است
is
بزرگbozorg
big / large
برادرbarâdar
brother
ازaz
from
ولیvali
but
گذاشتنgozâshtan
to let / allow
نوجوانnowjavân
teenager
معاشرت کردنmo'âsharat kardan
to socialize
سرکشsarkesh
rebellious
Questions & Answers about نوجوان سرکش بزرگتر از برادر من است، ولی نمیگذارند معاشرت کند.
Why does the sentence use the subjunctive konad instead of the indicative mi-konad?
The verb gozâshtan (here as nemi-gozârand, meaning "they do not let") is a verb of permission. Farsi requires the second verb in these setups to be in the present subjunctive form to show that the action is a potential event rather than an established fact.
I know the subjunctive usually takes a be- prefix. Why is it missing in mo'âsherat konad?
mo'âsherat kardan (to socialize) is a compound verb. For many compound verbs formed with kardan (to do/make), the subjunctive is simply konam, koni, konad, etc. The be- prefix is dropped because adding it (like mo'âsherat be-konad) sounds unnatural to native speakers.
Why is the first verb plural (nemi-gozârand, "they do not let") but the second verb singular (konad, "he socializes")?
The verbs have different subjects! The plural "they" refers to an unnamed authority, usually the parents or guardians of the teenager. The singular "he" refers to the teenager himself. Literally, the structure translates to "they do not let that he socialize."
Why does the Farsi sentence use bozorg-tar (bigger) when the English translation says "older"?
In Farsi, age is frequently expressed using size adjectives. The word bozorg literally means "big," but when comparing people's ages, bozorg-tar is the standard and most natural way to say "older." Conversely, kuchek-tar (smaller) is used for "younger."
Shouldn't there be a word for "him" after "they do not let," like u râ?
Farsi often leaves out direct object pronouns when the context makes it obvious. Because the first half of the sentence is already about the teenager, it is completely understood who is not being allowed to socialize. Adding u râ isn't strictly necessary, and dropping it makes the spoken sentence flow much better.
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