Breakdown of ما در آستانهی ساختن یک داروی جدید هستیم.
ما
we
بودنbudan
to be
جدیدjadid
new
یکyek
one / a, an
درdar
in
داروdâru
medicine
ساختنsâkhtan
to build
آستانهâstâne
threshold
Questions & Answers about ما در آستانهی ساختن یک داروی جدید هستیم.
How do we use a verb after dar âstâne-ye in this sentence?
To express being on the verge of doing an action, we follow dar âstâne-ye with a Long Infinitive, which is just the standard infinitive form of the verb. Here, sâxtan (to make) acts as a verbal noun (similar to making in English). The Ezafe on âstâne-ye links directly to this infinitive.
Why is the Ezafe on آستانه written with a ی instead of being invisible?
The word âstâne (threshold) ends in a silent he, which makes an e vowel sound. When adding an Ezafe to words ending in vowels, Farsi adds a y sound to bridge them. For words ending in a silent he, this is written with an explicit ی, making it âstâne-ye.
Is there an Ezafe between sâxtan (making) and yek (a)?
No. While you often link a verbal noun to its object with an Ezafe (like sâxtan-e dâru), the word yek blocks the Ezafe. Instead, yek dâru-ye jadid simply follows sâxtan as its direct object without a linking vowel.
Could we use dar shorof-e instead of dar âstâne-ye here?
Yes, they are grammatically interchangeable and both use the Long Infinitive. dar shorof-e means on the verge of, while dar âstâne-ye literally translates to on the threshold of. The latter sounds slightly more monumental, making it a great fit for a major breakthrough like a new medicine.
Why does dâru (medicine) also have a ی attached to it?
Just like with âstâne, the word dâru ends in a vowel (the u sound). To link it to the adjective jadid (new) using an Ezafe, we must insert a y glide to connect the vowels. This gives us dâru-ye jadid.
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