Questions & Answers about این کتاب نو است.
Since the current lesson is about prefixes like nâ- and bi-, can I just add nâ- to نو to mean 'not new'?
No, you can't say نانو to mean 'not new'. Just like in English, not every adjective can take a negative prefix. To say a book is 'old' or 'not new', you must use a completely different word: کهنه (kohne, meaning worn or used) or قدیمی (ghadimi, meaning old or from the past).
Can I use نو to talk about a 'new' friend or a 'new' student?
No, نو is generally only used for physical objects (like books, clothes, or cars) to mean 'brand-new' or 'freshly made'. If you want to talk about a new person, an abstract concept, or a new situation, you should use the word جدید (jadid) instead.
How does نو است sound in casual, everyday speech?
In conversational Farsi, the verb است (ast) shrinks down and attaches to the previous word. Because نو ends in a vowel, a bridge sound is added. You will usually hear native speakers say نوئه (no-e) instead of the fully pronounced نو است.
If I wanted to say 'These books are brand-new', would این (this) become plural?
No, when این is used right before a noun to point it out, it never becomes plural itself. You would simply say این کتابها (in ketâb-hâ) for 'these books'. You only use the plural اینها (in-hâ) when it stands completely alone to mean 'these ones'.
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