Learn Farsi: تا دریا متلاطم است، هیچ‌کس به عرشه نمی‌رود. - As long as the sea is rough, nobody goes to the deck.

تا دریا متلاطم است، هیچ‌کس به عرشه نمی‌رود.tâ daryâ motalâtem ast, hich-kas be arshe nemi-ravad.

As long as the sea is rough, nobody goes to the deck.

Breakdown of تا دریا متلاطم است، هیچ‌کس به عرشه نمی‌رود.

Questions & Answers about تا دریا متلاطم است، هیچ‌کس به عرشه نمی‌رود.

How can I tell that tâ means 'as long as' here and not 'until'?

When tâ is followed by a state or continuous verb in an indicative tense (like ast), it usually describes a condition of duration ('as long as'). If it meant 'until', the verb would typically switch to the subjunctive mood.

Why are we using the present indicative (ast and nemi-ravad) for a conditional sentence instead of the subjunctive?

While many 'if' conditionals require the subjunctive, when tâ is used to mean 'as long as', it takes indicative tenses to state an ongoing fact. Because the sea being rough is stated as a present, ongoing reality, both the condition and the result stay in the present indicative.

Is motalâtem the most common word for a rough sea in everyday conversation?

Motalâtem is a bit formal or literary, making it perfect B2 vocabulary for news, books, and articles. In casual, everyday speech, Iranians might simply say daryâ toofâni ast (the sea is stormy) or daryâ kharâb ast (the sea is bad).

Since hich-kas already means 'nobody', why is the verb nemi-ravad (does not go) also negative?

This is a great chance to review Farsi's negative harmony rule. Whenever you use a negative pronoun or adverb like hich-kas (nobody) or hich-vaght (never), the verb in that clause must also be conjugated in the negative.