Breakdown of قبل از اینکه شمشیر را فرو ببرد، باید جعبه را پیش بکشد.
راrâ
definite direct object marker
بایدbâyad
must
جعبهja'be
box
قبل ازqabl az
before
اینکهin-ke
that (conjunction)
شمشیرshamshir
sword
فرو بردنforu bordan
to thrust / to insert
پیش کشیدنpish keshidan
to bring forward
قبل از اینکهghabl az inke
before (+ subjunctive)
Questions & Answers about قبل از اینکه شمشیر را فرو ببرد، باید جعبه را پیش بکشد.
Why is the subjunctive prefix be- in the middle of foru bebarad and pish bekashad?
These are separable prefix verbs (preverbs). When a verb is formed with a directional prefix like foru- (down/into) or pish- (forward), inflectional prefixes like the subjunctive be-, continuous mi-, or negative na- are sandwiched between that spatial prefix and the verb stem.
Could we put the object marker râ between the spatial prefix and the verb stem?
No. Even though the spatial prefixes (foru- and pish-) are somewhat independent and allow be- or mi- to separate them from the stem, you cannot insert nouns or object markers there. The entire object phrase (ja'be râ) must come before the full verb complex.
Why are both verbs in this sentence in the subjunctive mood?
The first verb (foru bebarad) follows the conjunction ghabl az inke (before), which requires the subjunctive because the action is anticipated rather than completed. The second verb (pish bekashad) is in the subjunctive because it follows the modal verb bâyad (must).
What do the verbs foru bordan and pish keshidan mean literally?
foru means 'down' or 'in' and bordan means 'to carry' or 'to take', so foru bordan literally means 'to carry down' (used here for thrusting a sword). pish means 'forward' and keshidan means 'to pull', making pish keshidan literally 'to pull forward'.
Learn قبل از اینکه شمشیر را فرو ببرد، باید جعبه را پیش بکشد and more in Farsi
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free