Word
سالهای عمر سپری میشود، بی آنکه تغییر محسوس سریعی اتفاق بیفتد.
Meaning
The years of life elapse, without a fast perceptible change happening.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of سالهای عمر سپری میشود، بی آنکه تغییر محسوس سریعی اتفاق بیفتد.
سالsâl
year
اتفاق افتادنettefâq oftâdan
to happen
سریعsari'
fast / rapid
تغییرtaghyir
change (noun)
Questions & Answers about سالهای عمر سپری میشود، بی آنکه تغییر محسوس سریعی اتفاق بیفتد.
Why does the sentence use the subjunctive verb اتفاق بیفتد at the end?
It is triggered by the phrase بی آنکه (bi ânke), which means 'without'. Just like expressions such as 'before that' or 'so that', بی آنکه requires the following verb to be in the present subjunctive, because it describes a hypothetical event or something that hasn't actually happened.
The subject is plural (سالها, years), so why is the first verb singular (سپری میشود, elapses)?
In Farsi, plural inanimate subjects (like objects, abstract concepts, or time periods like 'years') usually take a singular verb. You might occasionally see a plural verb used for poetic effect, but the singular form is the standard, everyday rule.
In the phrase تغییر محسوس سریعی (a fast perceptible change), why is the indefinite ی (-i) at the very end of the phrase?
When you have a noun followed by a chain of adjectives connected by the ezafe, the indefinite ی (meaning 'a' or 'an') is attached to the final adjective in the chain, not to the noun itself. The entire noun phrase acts as one solid block.
Is بی آنکه used in everyday conversation?
Not usually. بی آنکه is quite formal and literary. In everyday spoken Farsi, people almost always use بدون اینکه (bedun-e inke) instead, which means exactly the same thing and also requires a subjunctive verb.
Why does the subjunctive prefix on (biyoftad) have a 'y' sound in it?