Breakdown of بعد، لشکر کشتار خونینی را در شهر شروع میکند.
شهرshahr
city
درdar
in
شروع کردنshoru' kardan
to start
راrâ
definite direct object marker
Questions & Answers about بعد، لشکر کشتار خونینی را در شهر شروع میکند.
This sentence describes a past historical event, so why does it use the present tense verb شروع میکند (starts) instead of a past tense?
This is an example of the Historical Present tense. In Farsi literature and historical accounts, writers often switch from past tense to the present indicative (می + present stem + personal ending) to narrate past events. This stylistic choice makes the action feel more vivid, immediate, and dramatic, pulling the reader directly into the moment.
We learned earlier that را marks definite direct objects. Why is it used here after کشتار خونینی (a bloody massacre), which has the indefinite ی suffix?
While را usually marks definite objects ('the' massacre), it can also mark a specific indefinite object. Because the massacre is heavily specified by the adjective خونین (bloody), it becomes a particular, notable event—'a certain bloody massacre.' In literary or formal Farsi, را is often added to these specific indefinite phrases to keep the direct object's role crystal clear.
How is the noun کشتار (massacre) formed, and is this a common pattern?
It is formed by taking the past stem of کشتن (to kill), which is کشت, and adding the suffix -آر. This suffix creates nouns that describe an intense, significant, or continuous action. Another common B2-level example you have likely seen is رفتار (behavior) from the past stem of رفتن (to go).
Why does the object marker را come after the adjective خونینی rather than right after the noun ?