Breakdown of ما دوربینها را چک میکردیم که صدای جیغ شنیدیم.
ما
we
شنیدنshenidan
to hear
راrâ
definite direct object marker
کهke
that (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about ما دوربینها را چک میکردیم که صدای جیغ شنیدیم.
Why does this sentence use که instead of وقتی (vaghti) for "when"?
In this specific structure, که acts as a narrative interrupter. While وقتی is the standard word to establish a general timeframe, using که connects an ongoing background action to a sudden, unexpected event. It gives the distinct feeling of "we were doing X, when suddenly Y happened."
How do the two different verb tenses work together here?
The first verb, چک میکردیم (we were checking), is in the Past Continuous—marked by the می prefix—which sets up an ongoing background activity. The second verb, شنیدیم (we heard), is in the Simple Past, marking a quick, instantaneous action that interrupted that background activity.
The English translation says "heard a scream", but the Farsi says صدای جیغ. Why add صدای (sound of)?
In Farsi, it is highly idiomatic to say you hear "the sound of" an event rather than just the event itself. While an English speaker hears a scream, a bell, or a gunshot, a Farsi speaker typically hears the sound of a scream (صدای جیغ). The words are linked by the ezafe vowel.
Is the verb چک میکردیم based on the English word "check"?
Yes! Modern Farsi frequently adopts English verbs by turning them into compound verbs. The English loanword (چک) stays completely fixed, while a Farsi "light verb" like کردن (to do) takes all the tenses and prefixes—such as the continuous می in this sentence.