Breakdown of دسته یکباره پراکنده شدند.
یکبارهyekbâre
all at once / suddenly (in one go)
پراکنده شدنparâkande shodan
to scatter / to disperse
دستهdaste
group / band (bunch, category)
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Questions & Answers about دسته یکباره پراکنده شدند.
Why does the singular noun دسته (group) take the plural verb شدند (they became)?
دسته is a collective noun, meaning it represents a single group made up of multiple people. In Farsi, when a collective noun refers to humans, it usually takes a third-person plural verb. This emphasizes that the individual members of the group are the ones actually doing the action.
If دسته referred to a group of objects instead of people, would the verb still be plural?
Most likely not. For inanimate objects, Farsi almost always uses a singular verb. The plural verb rule for collective nouns is strongly preferred when the group is made up of people.
How is the word یکباره (all at once) formed?
It is built from یک (one) plus بار (time) plus the suffix ـه which turns it into an adverb. Literally it translates to at one time, giving us the everyday meaning of suddenly or all at once.
Why do we use a form of شدن (to become) for the verb here?
پراکنده شدن is a compound verb meaning to scatter or to disperse. It combines the adjective پراکنده (scattered) with شدن (to become). So literally, the sentence says the group became scattered. If they were scattering something else, you would use کردن (to do or make) instead.