Breakdown of کارمند حراست مانیتور را نگاه میکرد که دزدگیر زنگ زد.
کارمند
employee
راrâ
definite direct object marker
کهke
that (conjunction)
نگاه کردنnegâh kardan
to look, to watch
زنگ زدنzang zadan
to ring / to call
دزدگیرdozdgir
burglar alarm
مانیتورmânitor
monitor
حراستherâsat
security department / protection (guarding/security)
Questions & Answers about کارمند حراست مانیتور را نگاه میکرد که دزدگیر زنگ زد.
Why do we use که here instead of وقتی که for "when"?
In this specific grammar structure, که acts as a narrative interrupter, meaning something closer to "when suddenly". If you used وقتی که, it would just state a factual timeframe. Placing که right after a past continuous action (نگاه میکرد) creates a sense of surprise or sudden interruption by the next action.
Why are the two verbs in different past tenses?
This highlights the "interrupted narrative" pattern taught in this lesson. نگاه میکرد (was looking) is in the past continuous because it sets the scene as an ongoing background action. زنگ زد (rang) is in the simple past because it is the sudden, completed event that breaks into that background scene.
In English we look "at" something. Why does Farsi use the direct object marker را here?
The compound verb نگاه کردن (to look) is flexible. You can use a preposition and say به مانیتور نگاه میکرد (looking at the monitor), but Farsi speakers also frequently treat the target of the gaze as a direct object using را, as seen in this sentence: مانیتور را نگاه میکرد. Both options are completely natural at this level.
What is the literal breakdown of the word دزدگیر (burglar alarm)?
It literally translates to "thief-catcher". It combines دزد (thief) with گیر, which is the present stem of گرفتن (to catch/take). This -gir suffix is frequently used in Farsi to name tools and mechanisms, such as آفتابگیر (sun visor).
Does حراست mean the same thing as امنیت for "security"?
No, they have different scopes. حراست refers specifically to the act of guarding, or to the physical security department of a building, company, or institution (hence "security employee"). امنیت refers to the broader, more abstract concept of safety or security, such as national security or feeling secure in your neighborhood.
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