Breakdown of اگر قطعهها را روغنکاری نکرده بودی، ساعت از کار میافتاد.
بودنbudan
to be
ساعتsâ'at
watch
راrâ
definite direct object marker
اگرagar
if
قطعهqet'e
piece
از کار افتادنaz kâr oftâdan
to stop working
روغنکاری کردنroghan-kâri kardan
to lubricate
Questions & Answers about اگر قطعهها را روغنکاری نکرده بودی، ساعت از کار میافتاد.
Why do we use نکرده بودی (had not done) and میافتاد (was falling) for a past 'if' sentence?
This is a past unreal conditional. In Farsi, to say 'If X had happened, Y would have happened,' we use the past perfect tense for the 'if' clause (نکرده بودی) and the past continuous/imperfect tense for the result clause (میافتاد).
قطعهها is a plural inanimate noun. If it were the subject here, would the verb be plural?
No. As you are learning in this lesson, inanimate plural subjects in Farsi generally take a 3rd-person singular verb. So if we wanted to say 'the parts stopped working,' it would be قطعهها از کار میافتاد (using the singular verb میافتاد), exactly as it is here for the singular subject ساعت.
Why is را used after قطعهها?
قطعهها (the parts) is the direct object of the verb روغنکاری کردن (to lubricate). Because it refers to specific, definite parts (the ones inside the watch), it requires the definite direct object marker را.
How does از کار میافتاد translate to 'would have stopped working'?
It comes from the compound verb از کار افتادن, which literally means 'to fall out of work.' In Farsi, this is the standard everyday idiom used when a machine, device, or system breaks down or stops functioning.
Is روغنکاری a single word?
Yes, it is a noun meaning 'lubrication' or 'oiling,' made by combining روغن (oil) and کاری (work or action). When combined with the auxiliary verb کردن (to do), it forms the compound verb روغنکاری کردن (to lubricate).
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