Breakdown of ایشان الان باید به جلسه تشریف برده باشند.
ایشان
they (formal)
بهbe
to
الانalân
now
جلسهjalase
meeting
بایدbâyad
must
تشریف بردنtashrif bordan
to go (deferential)
Questions & Answers about ایشان الان باید به جلسه تشریف برده باشند.
Why does the Farsi use the plural pronoun ایشان and the plural verb باشند when the English translation says "He"?
This is the deferential system at work. To show high respect to a single third person, such as a boss or an elder, Farsi uses the plural pronoun ایشان (they) along with a third-person plural verb ending (-ند).
The translation says "gone", but the Farsi uses تشریف برده باشند instead of a form of رفتن. Why?
تشریف بردن is a highly deferential substitute for رفتن (to go). When you refer to a respected person using ایشان (or address them with شما), you often elevate the vocabulary by swapping everyday verbs with polite equivalents to match the respectful grammar.
Why is the verb in the perfect subjunctive form (تشریف برده باشند) here?
The word باید (must) forces the following verb into a subjunctive mood. Because this sentence is a logical deduction about an action that presumably already happened ("must have gone"), it requires the perfect subjunctive, which is formed with the past participle تشریف برده plus the subjunctive auxiliary باشند.
Doesn't الان just mean "now"? How does it mean "by now" in this sentence?
Yes, الان primarily means "now". However, because it is used here alongside a perfect tense (describing an action that has been completed relative to the present), the natural English translation becomes "by now"—meaning the action of leaving is complete as of this current moment.
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