Breakdown of علاوه بر اینکه پنل خورشیدی گران است، نصب کردن آن طول میکشد.
است
is
آن
that
طول کشیدنtul keshidan
to take (time) / to last
گرانgerân
expensive
Questions & Answers about علاوه بر اینکه پنل خورشیدی گران است، نصب کردن آن طول میکشد.
Why is است in the indicative mood here instead of the subjunctive?
When using علاوه بر اینکه (besides the fact that / in addition to), you are stating an established fact or adding a piece of reality, rather than expressing a hypothetical, wish, or uncertain action. Because of this, it is followed by the indicative mood (است) rather than the subjunctive (باشد).
The English translation says solar panels, but پنل خورشیدی is singular. Why doesn't it use a plural marker?
In Farsi, when talking about a general category of things or a generic concept (like solar panels in general), it is very common to use the singular form. While you could say پنلهای خورشیدی, using the singular پنل خورشیدی is a perfectly natural and common way to make a general statement.
How does the phrase نصب کردن آن function grammatically here?
نصب کردن is the full infinitive meaning to install. In Farsi, the infinitive can act directly as a verbal noun (a gerund), meaning installing or the installation. The pronoun آن (it) is linked to it using an ezafe (نصب کردنِ آن), which literally translates to the installing of it.
Does طول میکشد literally mean pulls length?
Yes! The compound verb طول کشیدن consists of طول (length) and کشیدن (to pull or draw). While it literally means to pull length, it is the standard Farsi idiom for an event taking time or lasting. Here, it simply means the installation process takes a long time.