Breakdown of من دنبال وسیلهای اتوماتیک میگردم که ضدآب باشد.
من
I
بودنbudan
to be
کهke
that (conjunction)
گشتنgashtan
to search
دنبالdonbâl
after / looking for
وسیلهvasile
means / tool (device, vehicle)
اتوماتیکotomâtik
automatic
ضدآبzeddâb
waterproof
Questions & Answers about من دنبال وسیلهای اتوماتیک میگردم که ضدآب باشد.
Why does this sentence end with the subjunctive باشد instead of the indicative است?
This relates to our current lesson! You use the subjunctive باشد because you are looking for any device that meets your requirements, rather than describing a specific device you already know exists. Since "an automatic device" is non-specific here, the relative clause describing it must take the subjunctive. If you already owned a specific waterproof device and were just stating a fact about it, you would use است.
How does the phrase دنبال ... میگردم translate to "I am looking for"?
The full expression for "to look for" or "to seek" is دنبال چیزی گشتن (donbāl-e chizi gashtan). The word دنبال literally means "tail" or "following", and گشتن means "to search" or "to turn". So, you are literally saying "I am searching following a device". Remember that you must use an invisible ezafe to link دنبال to the thing you are seeking.
Why is the indefinite suffix ای attached to the noun (وسیله) rather than the adjective (اتوماتیک)?
In Farsi, when a noun is followed by an adjective, there are two correct ways to say "a" or "an". You can attach the indefinite suffix to the noun and follow it with an ezafe and the adjective, like we see here (وسیلهای اتوماتیک). Alternatively, you can put the ezafe on the noun and attach the indefinite suffix to the very end of the adjective (وسیلهی اتوماتیکی). Both mean "an automatic device", though the structure used in this sentence is very common in formal writing and clear speech.
How is the word ضدآب formed to mean "waterproof"?
ضد (zedd) means "anti", "against", or "opposite", and آب (āb) means "water". They are connected by an invisible ezafe (ضدِ آب - zedd-e āb). You will see ضد used a lot in Farsi to create words that translate to "-proof" or "anti-" in English, such as ضدگلوله (bulletproof) or ضدویروس (antivirus).
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