Learn Farsi: چرا این آشپزخانه کوچک باید یک هود روی اجاق داشته باشد؟ - Why should this small kitchen have an extractor hood over the stove?

The verb داشتن (to have) is an exception in the present subjunctive. Instead of adding a بـ (be-) prefix to the present stem, it uses its past participle داشته (dâshte) combined with the subjunctive forms of 'to be' (here, باشد for the third-person singular). Because the sentence uses باید (bâyad, 'must/should'), this irregular subjunctive form is required.

How do you pronounce the connection between آشپزخانه and کوچک, since there is no linking letter written?

You pronounce it as âshpazkhâneh-ye kuchek. Because آشپزخانه ends in a silent 'heh' (representing an 'e' vowel sound), the ezâfe linking sound becomes '-ye'. In modern Farsi text, this '-ye' is often left completely unwritten after a silent 'heh', so you just have to know to add it when speaking!

Does روی اجاق literally mean 'on the stove' or 'over the stove'?

The word رو means 'surface', and with the ezâfe it becomes روی (ruy-e), generally meaning 'on' or 'upon'. However, for an extractor hood, it naturally translates to 'over' the stove. Farsi doesn't strictly distinguish 'on' (touching) from 'over' (hovering above) with this word, relying on context instead.

Is هود a loanword from English?

Exactly! Farsi directly borrowed the English word 'hood' to refer specifically to an extractor hood for a kitchen. It is written as and pronounced just like the English word.