Learn Farsi: عبور کردن از شنزار خیلی سخت است.

عبور کردن از شنزار خیلی سخت است.ubur kardan az shenzâr kheyli sakht ast.

Crossing the sandy terrain is very hard.

Breakdown of عبور کردن از شنزار خیلی سخت است.

Questions & Answers about عبور کردن از شنزار خیلی سخت است.

Why is the preposition از used after عبور کردن?

In English, 'cross' takes a direct object, but the Farsi compound verb عبور کردن requires the preposition از (from/through). You are essentially saying 'crossing through' or 'passing from' the sandy terrain.

How is the word شنزار formed, and can I use that suffix for other words?

شنزار combines شن (sand, gravel) with the location suffix زار (-zār), which means 'a place abundant in [noun].' You will see this useful suffix in other words like چمنزار (grassland/meadow) or نمکزار (salt flat).

عبور کردن is the infinitive form ('to cross'). Why is it used as the subject here?

In Farsi, the full infinitive form of a verb easily acts as a verbal noun. Just like in English where we use the '-ing' form as a gerund ('Crossing the terrain is hard'), Farsi directly uses the infinitive as the subject of the sentence.

Could I just use the noun عبور instead of the full verb عبور کردن here?

Yes, you could absolutely say عبور از شنزار خیلی سخت است. It means 'The crossing of the sandy terrain is very hard.' Using the infinitive عبور کردن just gives it a slightly more active feel, but both are completely natural and grammatically correct.