Question 1

Why is the present subjunctive beshavim used when the English translation is in the past tense ("went bankrupt")?

Accepted Answer

This is the core rule for nazdik bud ke (it was close that). Although the situation happened in the past, which is shown by the past tense bud, the action of going bankrupt was an unfulfilled possibility. Farsi uses the present subjunctive to express this "almost happened" state, so we use beshavim (that we become).

Question 2

What is the infinitive of the verb for "went bankrupt" here?

Accepted Answer

The compound verb is varshekast shodan (to go bankrupt / literally: to become bankrupt). In this sentence, the non-verbal part varshekast stays the same, and we conjugate the auxiliary verb shodan into its present subjunctive form for "we": beshavim.

Question 3

Could I use chon (because) instead of be khāter-e at the beginning of this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, because chon is a conjunction that must be followed by a full clause with its own verb (e.g., "because there was a crisis"). Be khāter-e means "because of" or "due to," which is the exact preposition you need to attach directly to a noun phrase like bohrān-e māli (financial crisis).

Question 4

Is the word ke mandatory after nazdik bud?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically yes, and it is usually kept in written or slightly formal Farsi. However, in everyday spoken Farsi, the ke is very frequently dropped, so you will often just hear nazdik bud varshekast beshavim.

به خاطر بحران مالی، نزدیک بود که ورشکست بشویم.

Breakdown of به خاطر بحران مالی، نزدیک بود که ورشکست بشویم.

Questions & Answers about به خاطر بحران مالی، نزدیک بود که ورشکست بشویم.

Learn به خاطر بحران مالی، نزدیک بود که ورشکست بشویم and more in Farsi