Question 1

Where is the verb in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

There is no explicit verb! In formal or literary Farsi, the third-person singular 'to be' verb (است) is often dropped for stylistic reasons, especially in balanced or poetic phrases. The complete, non-elliptical sentence would be یکی نشان شجاعت است و دیگری نشان ایثار است.

Question 2

Is it normal to omit the verb twice in the same sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, dropping both instances of است creates an elegant, parallel rhythm. While it is common in compound sentences to drop the verb in the first clause and keep it at the very end, omitting it entirely from both halves makes the contrast between the two items feel punchier and more literary.

Question 3

How do یکی and دیگری work as a pair here?

Accepted Answer

They act as standalone pronouns meaning 'one' and 'the other'. یکی combines the number one (یک) with the indefinite suffix (ی) to mean 'one of them'. دیگری does the exact same thing with دیگر (other) to mean 'the other one'. They serve as the subjects for the two omitted verbs.

Question 4

Since the verbs are missing, how do we know not to use an Ezafe between یکی and نشان?

Accepted Answer

Because یکی is the subject of the sentence, not an adjective modifying the medal. It means 'One [is] the medal...', rather than 'One medal...'. The Ezafe only appears inside the noun phrases themselves, linking the word 'medal' to its specific virtue: نشانِ شجاعت and نشانِ ایثار.

یکی نشان شجاعت و دیگری نشان ایثار.

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