Breakdown of هر کس هم که باشد، نمیتواند ملیت خود را پنهان کند.
بودنbudan
to be
هرhar
every
راrâ
definite direct object marker
توانستنtavânestan
to be able to
Questions & Answers about هر کس هم که باشد، نمیتواند ملیت خود را پنهان کند.
How is the word for "nationality" formed in this sentence?
The word melliyyat comes from the Arabic-derived noun mellat (nation). By adding the adjective-forming suffix -i, we get melli (national). Then, the Arabic abstract noun suffix -iyyat is added to form melliyyat (nationality). This suffix is highly productive in formal Farsi for creating abstract concepts from adjectives or nouns.
What does the phrase "ham ke" do in the first clause?
In the structure har kas ham ke bâshad, the combination of ham ke after an indefinite pronoun like har kas (anyone) creates a concessive meaning like "No matter who..." or "Whoever...". It is followed by a subjunctive verb because the identity of the person is hypothetical or unknown.
Why are both verbs in this sentence (bâshad and konad) in the subjunctive mood?
They take the subjunctive for two different reasons. bâshad is subjunctive because it is part of the hypothetical "no matter who" structure (har kas ham ke...). konad is subjunctive because it is the main action following the modal verb nemi-tavânad (he cannot), which always requires the following verb to take the subjunctive mood.
Could we say "melliyyat-ash" instead of "melliyyat-e khod"?
Yes, you could absolutely say melliyyat-ash. However, using khod (self) is slightly more formal and places more emphasis on the fact that it is his own nationality he cannot hide. In written or formal Farsi, khod is very frequently used to refer back to the subject of the sentence.