Breakdown of ما نباید قانون را فراموش کنیم.
ما
we
راrâ
definite direct object marker
فراموش کردنfarâmush kardan
to forget
قانونqânun
law
Questions & Answers about ما نباید قانون را فراموش کنیم.
How do we say "must not" here, and does it change depending on who is doing the action?
To say "must not", you just add the negative prefix na- to bâyad, making nabâyad. Since bâyad is an impersonal verb, it never changes its ending to match the subject. It stays exactly the same whether it is "I must not", "we must not", or "they must not".
We are learning that the second verb needs a be- prefix for the subjunctive. Why doesn't farâmush konim have one?
farâmush kardan is a compound verb, made by combining the word farâmush (forgotten) with the helper verb kardan (to do). With compound verbs, the be- prefix on the helper verb is usually dropped. So for the subjunctive "that we forget", we say farâmush konim instead of farâmush bekonim.
What is the word râ doing right after ghânun (law)?
râ is the definite direct object marker. Because we are talking about "the law" (a specific, definite thing that we must not forget), we must put râ right after it to show it receives the action. If we were talking about forgetting "a law" in general, we would not use râ.
What is the word order when using nabâyad with an object?
The subject mâ (we) comes first, followed by the modal nabâyad (must not). Then comes the object and its marker ghânun râ (the law). Finally, the main conjugated verb farâmush konim (forget) sits at the very end of the sentence, which is the standard position for verbs in Farsi.