Breakdown of در آن سال، امپراتور لشکر بزرگی را به مرزها میفرستد.
آن
that
بزرگbozorg
big / large
درdar
in
بهbe
to
Questions & Answers about در آن سال، امپراتور لشکر بزرگی را به مرزها میفرستد.
Why does the sentence use the present tense verb میفرستد (sends) if it starts with the past time marker در آن سال (In that year)?
This is the Historical Present tense (زمان حال تاریخی). Just like in English, Farsi writers often use the present indicative to narrate past events. It makes historical texts or stories feel much more vivid and immediate, as if the reader is watching the events unfold right now.
I thought را (râ) was only used for definite objects. Why is it used here after لشکر بزرگی (a large army), which has the indefinite ی (-i)?
Excellent catch! While را usually marks definite objects, it can also mark a specific indefinite object. Here, the emperor isn't just sending any random army; he is sending a specific, particular large army that the writer has in mind, even though it hasn't been introduced to the reader yet. In English, we might translate this nuance as a certain large army.
Where is the Ezafe in the phrase لشکر بزرگی and how does it interact with the indefinite ی?
The Ezafe links the noun لشکر (lashkar) and the adjective بزرگ (bozorg), creating lashkar-e bozorg. When you want to make the whole noun phrase indefinite, the indefinite ی (-i) attaches to the very end of the adjective, resulting in lashkar-e bozorgi.
Why does را (râ) come after the adjective and the indefinite ی instead of right after the noun لشکر (lashkar)?