Question 1

Why does تا زمانی که take the indicative past tense (داشتند) here rather than the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

The phrase تا زمانی که (as long as) takes indicative tenses when describing an actual, factual duration of time. Since this sentence describes a historical fact rather than a future condition or hypothetical, both verbs are in the simple past indicative. If it were a hypothetical future condition ('as long as they have an army...'), you would use the subjunctive.

Question 2

Why do we use خود for 'their' instead of the possessive suffix شان?

Accepted Answer

Farsi strongly prefers the reflexive pronoun خود (self/own) when the possessor of an object is the same as the subject of the sentence. Since 'they' are preserving 'their own' control, تسلط خود is more natural than تسلطشان.

Question 3

Is there a difference between سپاه and ارتش for the word 'army'?

Accepted Answer

Both mean 'army,' but they have different nuances. ارتش is the standard term for a modern national army. سپاه is often used for historical armies, legions, or hosts. In modern Iran, سپاه also specifically refers to the Revolutionary Guard. This sentence likely refers to a historical context.

Question 4

How does the placement of را work with the compound verb حفظ کردند?

Accepted Answer

The object marker را must immediately follow the specific direct object. Here, the direct object is تسلط خود (their control). The verb is the compound حفظ کردند (they preserved). Therefore, را sits right between the object and the compound verb.

تا زمانی که سپاه داشتند، تسلط خود را حفظ کردند.

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