Learn Farsi: آن امپراتوری در شرف فروپاشی بود. - That empire was on the verge of collapse.

The phrase dar shorof (on the verge) requires an Ezafe to connect it to the noun or action that is about to happen. Here, the Ezafe links it to the noun forupâshi (collapse), making it dar shorof-e forupâshi.

Since dar shorof-e expresses an upcoming action, could we use a conjugated subjunctive verb instead of the noun forupâshi?

No, unlike many other structures in Farsi that trigger a subjunctive verb clause, expressions of imminence like dar shorof-e and dar âstâne-ye must be followed directly by a noun or a long infinitive. In this sentence, we use the verbal noun forupâshi, but the long infinitive forupâshidan would also be grammatically correct.

Does the -i at the end of emperâturi mean "an empire"?

No, the -i here is not the indefinite article. It is a noun-forming suffix added to emperâtor (emperor) to mean "empire" (the domain or concept of an emperor). We know it cannot be the indefinite -i because the noun is modified by the demonstrative ân (that), which makes the phrase completely definite.

How does the word forupâshi break down to mean "collapse"?

It comes from the compound verb foru pâshidan. The prefix foru means "down" or "under," and pâshidan means "to scatter" or "to splash." Together they mean "to fall apart" or "to collapse," and is the derived noun form of this action.