Question 1

English says 'saw the clown doing', but this sentence translates to something like 'saw the clown that was doing'. Is this how perception verbs always work?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Farsi doesn't use '-ing' participles or infinitives after verbs of sensing (like seeing or hearing). Instead, it uses a pseudo-relative clause introduced by که. You state the object you saw (دلقک را دیدیم), add که, and then describe the ongoing action using a continuous tense, usually Past Continuous if the main verb is in the past.

Question 2

Why is the Past Continuous verb داشت ... اجرا می‌کرد split up with so many words in between?

Accepted Answer

In Farsi continuous tenses, the auxiliary verb (داشت here) typically appears early in the clause, while the main verb (اجرا می‌کرد) is anchored at the very end. All the details of the action, such as the location (در خیابان پرجنب‌وجوش) and the direct object of the action (پانتومیم), get sandwiched between them.

Question 3

Can you break down the word پرجنب‌وجوش for 'lively'?

Accepted Answer

It's a highly descriptive compound word. پر means 'full of'. The noun جنب‌وجوش combines the roots for moving or stirring (جنب) and boiling (جوش), linked by و (and). Literally 'full of movement and boiling,' it is the perfect word for a bustling, vibrant street.

Question 4

Since the clown is the object of 'saw', does he also act as the subject of the که clause?

Accepted Answer

Exactly. The clown is the direct object of the first clause (دلقک را دیدیم), but he is the understood subject of the second clause. That is why the verb اجرا می‌کرد is in the third-person singular (he/she was performing), matching the clown, not 'us'.

ما دلقک را دیدیم که داشت در خیابان پرجنب‌وجوش پانتومیم اجرا می‌کرد.

Breakdown of ما دلقک را دیدیم که داشت در خیابان پرجنب‌وجوش پانتومیم اجرا می‌کرد.

Questions & Answers about ما دلقک را دیدیم که داشت در خیابان پرجنب‌وجوش پانتومیم اجرا می‌کرد.

Learn ما دلقک را دیدیم که داشت در خیابان پرجنب‌وجوش پانتومیم اجرا می‌کرد and more in Farsi