Breakdown of هیچچیز بدتر از یک سند مفقود نیست.
بودنbudan
to be
یکyek
one / a, an
ازaz
from
سندsanad
document
Questions & Answers about هیچچیز بدتر از یک سند مفقود نیست.
How does the word مفقود fit the maf'ul pattern we are learning?
مفقود (mafqud) follows the Arabic maf'ul (ma-C1-C2-u-C3) pattern, which creates a passive participle (an adjective or noun describing something that has received an action). Its three-letter root is ف ق د (f-q-d), which relates to losing or lacking. So, something that is مفقود is literally "that which has been lost."
Could I say سند گمشده instead of سند مفقود?
Yes, and it means the exact same thing. However, سند (document) is a formal, bureaucratic word, so it pairs very naturally with the formal Arabic loanword مفقود. You will often see this specific combination in official, news, or legal contexts where Arabic-derived vocabulary is heavily preferred over native Persian equivalents like گمشده.
Why is the verb negative (نیست) when the English translation says "Nothing is worse"?
As a quick refresher, Farsi requires negative concord (often called "double negatives"). Whenever you use a negative pronoun like هیچچیز (nothing) or هیچکس (nobody) as the subject, the verb must also be put into its negative form. Literally, the sentence is saying "Nothing is not worse."
Where does the ezāfe go in the phrase یک سند مفقود?
The ezāfe (the unstressed "-e" linking vowel) attaches to the noun to connect it to its adjective: yek sanad-e mafqud. Remember that the number (a/one) directly precedes the noun it modifies and never takes an itself.