Learn Farsi: نزدیک بود که او فرمانروایی‌اش را بدون تاج‌گذاری شروع کند. - He almost started his reign without a coronation.

In Farsi, to say someone 'almost did something' in the past, you use نزدیک بود [که] (it was near [that]) followed by the Present Subjunctive. Even though the event was in the past, Farsi uses the present subjunctive to show what was hypothetically about to happen at that moment. This shifting to present forms for past events is a common way Farsi makes narratives feel more vivid and immediate.

Why does را come right after فرمانروایی‌اش instead of later in the sentence?

The object marker را must immediately follow the specific noun phrase it defines. Here, the direct object is فرمانروایی‌اش (his reign). The phrase بدون تاج‌گذاری (without a coronation) is an adverbial phrase describing how he started it, so را cannot be placed after it.

How is the word تاج‌گذاری (coronation) constructed?

It is a compound noun made of تاج (crown) and گذاری (placing/putting), which comes from the present stem of the verb گذاشتن (to put). Literally, it translates to 'crown-placing'.

Is the word که required after نزدیک بود?

It is grammatically correct and common in written texts to include که (that) to connect the two clauses. However, in spoken or informal Farsi, this که is frequently dropped, and you will often just read or hear نزدیک بود او فرمانروایی‌اش را....