Word
ما زن را شنیدیم که داشت کمانچه میزد.
Meaning
We heard the woman playing the kamancheh.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of ما زن را شنیدیم که داشت کمانچه میزد.
ما
we
زنzan
woman
داشتنdâshtan
to have
شنیدنshenidan
to hear
Questions & Answers about ما زن را شنیدیم که داشت کمانچه میزد.
Why does this sentence use که (ke) and a fully conjugated verb instead of an '-ing' form like 'playing'?
In English, we use an '-ing' participle like 'playing' as an object complement. Farsi doesn't have an exact equivalent for this structure. Instead, with verbs of perception like شنیدن (to hear) or دیدن (to see), you use a 'pseudo-relative' clause. You literally phrase it as: We heard the woman that was playing.
Since که (ke) usually introduces the subjunctive, why is داشت میزد in the past continuous?
While که often triggers the subjunctive for desires or obligations, here it simply describes an ongoing reality you witnessed. You use the past continuous to emphasize that the playing was actively happening in the background at the exact moment you heard it.
Does زن را (the woman) attach to the main verb 'heard', or to the action 'was playing'?
It attaches to the main verb, شنیدیم (we heard). The fixed structure for this grammar point is: [Subject] + [Perceived Object + را] + [Perception Verb] + که + [Ongoing Action]. You explicitly state 'We heard the woman' first, then add what she was doing.
Why is the verb میزد (from زدن, to hit) used here?
The verb زدن literally means 'to hit' or 'to strike', but it is the standard Farsi verb used for playing almost any musical instrument. So, کمانچه زدن simply means 'to play the kamancheh'.